Father, Sister Of Man Who Committed Suicide Were Killed: Cops

BELLPORT, NY — The bodies of man and woman found in a Bellport home after a man committed suicide during a police chase have been identified as his family members — and they were killed, authorities said.

The two found in a Doane Avenue residence on October 6 have been identified as James Farnum, 79, and Amanda Farnum, 46; both deaths have been ruled homicides, Suffolk County Police said.

On October 8, the man who slit his own throat was identified as William Farnum, 43; his last known address was 7 Doane Avenue in Bellport, where the two bodies were found when officers went to notify next of kin after his death, police said.

Farnum, according to the New York Post, had reportedly been living with the bodies of his father and sister for days.

In addition, the Post said Farnum was on parole after being released from prison on an attempted burglary conviction.

Online court records show Farnum currently has five pending court cases.

According to Suffolk County police, on October 6 at 10 a.m. an officer stopped the driver of a 2003 Honda Civic, later identified as Farnum, at the intersection of Route 112 and Montauk Highway in East Patchogue. Farnum pulled over and a passenger exited the vehicle before he sped off, police said.

A short time later, the car crashed into a utility pole on Washington Avenue. Officers approached and found Farnum had slit his throat, police said. Officers administered first aid; the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives went to the Bellport home to notify next of kin and discovered the bodies of a man and woman inside, police said.

On Tuesday, elected officials, law enforcement officials, and candidates in the upcoming election gathered at Suffolk County PBA headquarters in Brentwood to demand the repeal of bail reform legislation.

Farnum, they said, who served four terms in state prison and was facing five new criminal charges, should not have been released.

“This is yet another tragic example of how the new bail laws are failing,” said New York State Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano; he added that Farnum had been charged in the past with grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, drug possession, resisting arrest, and various driving infractions. "With five new charges pending against him in Suffolk County, he should never have been set free," he said.

“The Suffolk PBA joins legislative leaders and law enforcement from throughout the state in
renewing our call to repeal the bail laws to make sure people like Bill Farnum with extensive
criminal histories and multiple charges pending aren’t let back out on the street to terrorize our
communities,” said Noel DiGerolamo, PBA president. “Everyone knows these soft-on-crime laws
were a mistake and should be immediately repealed.”

According to a report by abc7ny.com, Amanda Farnum, who had been taking care of her father, had spoken with a local reverend about her brother. A friend told abc7ny.com that Amanda had filed a restraining order after her brother returned from state prison and reportedly choked her; she rescinded the order when her brother began living in the woods outside and she felt guilty, the report said.

The abc7ny.com report also said that Democratic leaders denounced members of the GOP crying out for change and said the crime had "nothing to do with bail reform."

At the press event in Brentwood, Jennifer Harrison, who said she has served as a crime victims' advocate since 20o5 when her boyfriend and his best friend were murdered by three men, one of whom was out on parole, spoke about the need for the repeal of bail reform legislation.

"I knew Amanda Farnum, she worked for me for a brief time at my family's restaurant in Center Moriches," she said. "Amanda had beautiful red hair, she had beautiful skin and she was extremely sweet. This should never have happened."

Harrison added: "In March of 2019 when Governor Cuomo started forcing his most progressive criminal reform down our throats, I wrote letter after letter begging him to stop, warning him that this would happen and warning that our children would not be safe on the streets of New York. Sadly, no one listened."