In the early hours of a November morning in 2018, a domestic disturbance at a home on Mill Street in South Dayton, New York, ended in tragedy. Daniel Tyma, a 46-year-old male, was fatally shot inside the residence he shared with his father. The Cattaraugus County Sheriff's Office responded to a call at approximately 2:45 a.m. and discovered Daniel Tyma deceased from a gunshot wound.
The investigation led to the immediate arrest of his father, 73-year-old Richard Tyma Sr., who was present at the scene. He was subsequently charged with second-degree murder in connection with his son's death. Following his arrest, Richard Tyma Sr. was arraigned in South Dayton Village Court and remanded to the Cattaraugus County Jail without bail, awaiting further legal proceedings.
The case proceeded to trial, where the details of the strained relationship between the father and son were presented. The defense argued that the shooting was not a malicious act but rather a culmination of ongoing domestic issues. In April of 2019, a jury acquitted Richard Tyma Sr. of the second-degree murder charge. Both sides in the trial agreed that Richard Tyma Sr. had shot his son in the face while he was in his bed.
