Man Sentenced In Murders Of Hamden Father, Son: Officials

HAMDEN, CT — A New Haven man has been sentenced to 120 years in prison for the murders of a father and son in Hamden more than 35 years ago, New Haven State’s Attorney John P. Doyle Jr. announced.

Willie McFarland, 55, was found guilty by a jury in November of two counts of murder. McFarland’s conviction stemmed from the killings of Fred Harris, 59, and his son, Greg Harris, 23, inside their Hamden home in August 1987

Judge Elpedio N. Vitale called the murders "a demonic level of violence and terror," and sentenced McFarland to 60 years in prison on each murder charge, to run consecutively, for a total effective sentence of 120 years to serve, according to a news release.

In his sentencing remarks, Vitale noted that McFarland "is an unqualified menace to society," the news release states.

“According to evidence introduced at the trial, police found the bodies of Fred and Greg Harris in an upstairs bedroom on August 27, 1987,” officials wrote in the news release. “The men were bound and their throats were slashed. Evidence found at the crime scene linked McFarland to the murders.”

Hamden police arrested McFarland in November 2019.

“After 35 years, the man responsible for the murder of a father and son, in their own home, has been brought to justice,” Doyle said.

The case was investigated by the Office of the State’s Attorney, Judicial District of New Haven Cold Case Unit, which consists of prosecutors and inspectors from the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office and detectives from the Greater New Haven area.

“The mission of the Cold Case Unit is to review unsolved homicide investigations and conduct further investigations into these crimes, including utilizing modern-day scientific methods,” the news release states. “The Hamden Police Department, the Connecticut State Police Major Crime Unit, the Division of Scientific Services within the State of Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner contributed to this successful investigation and prosecution.”