In the small town of Clarksville, New York, a quiet community was shaken by a grim discovery in November 2019. William J. Larson, a 67-year-old male, was found deceased at his home on Courtney Hollow Road. The events that unfolded would reveal a story of family turmoil that ended in a tragic double homicide.
On November 5, 2019, William Larson and his wife, Lisa L. Larson, 49, were shot and killed. Their bodies remained in the home for weeks, a secret held within the walls of their residence. The shocking truth began to emerge on November 21, when emergency services responded to a fire at the Larson's address. It was during the investigation of this fire that the remains of William and Lisa Larson were discovered.
The prime suspect in the double homicide was the couple's own son, 17-year-old William Larson Jr. After the discovery of his parents' bodies, the teenager fled the scene, prompting a manhunt that involved multiple law enforcement agencies.
He was apprehended a short time later.
Following his arrest, William Larson Jr. was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, attempted arson, and concealment of a human corpse. Neighbors and acquaintances described a change in the young man's behavior in the weeks leading up to the incident, noting that he had stopped attending school and was exhibiting increasingly erratic behavior. Allegations of a difficult and abusive home life surfaced during the legal proceedings, with claims that the teenager had been a victim of parental abuse.
In October 2022, William Larson Jr. pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder in the death of his mother and one count of first-degree manslaughter in the death of his father. This plea was part of an arrangement that took into account the claims of domestic abuse he had suffered. In March 2023, he was sentenced to 15 years to life for the murder of his mother and a concurrent sentence of 20 years for the manslaughter of his father.
