Bruce Swierc, a 48-year-old man, was visiting his former hometown of Ulster, New York, from his residence in Torrance, California, in September 2021. He had returned to the area to comfort his mother following the recent death of her partner. On the evening of September 28, he reconnected with his childhood best friend, Gregory Thayer, at Thayer's home on Magic Drive.
The two men, who had been friends since the seventh grade, spent hours together, drinking and reminiscing.
In the early hours of September 29, 2021, the evening took a tragic turn. As Swierc sat at the kitchen table, Thayer retrieved a handgun and shot him once in the back of the head. Following the shooting, Thayer did not contact emergency services. Instead, he placed a call to a family member, telling his sister he had shot an intruder who he believed was going to kill him. Police were eventually dispatched to the residence around 12:30 a.m. and found Swierc deceased.
Gregory Thayer, also 48 at the time, was taken into custody without incident and subsequently arrested. A grand jury indicted him on charges of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. The case proceeded to trial, where the long and close friendship between the two men became a central and poignant detail. Classmates from their high school days recalled that they were so close they were often called 'brothers from another mother.'
During the trial, Thayer's defense team did not dispute that he fired the fatal shot. Instead, they argued that he was suffering from an 'extreme emotional disturbance' at the time of the killing. The defense presented a theory that Thayer was experiencing a psychotic episode, possibly induced by a combination of alcohol and Xanax, which caused him to perceive his best friend as a dangerous intruder. The prosecution contended that Thayer had become angered by comments Swierc made during the evening, leading him to commit the violent act in a fit of rage. Ultimately, the judge found Thayer not guilty of murder but convicted him of the lesser charge of first-degree manslaughter and the weapons charge. Gregory Thayer was later sentenced to 25 years in prison for the killing of his lifelong friend.
