‘Broken’ System Leads To Upstate New York Father’s Murder

A Hudson Valley man is accused of killing his father. Officials are blaming a "broken" system."

On Friday, the Ulster County DA's office announced a Kingston man was indicted following the death of his father.

Ulster County Grand Jury Indicts 29-Year-Old Kingston Man

An Ulster County Grand Jury indicted 29-year-old John Arceri of Kingston for murder in the second degree and strangulation in the first degree.

John is accused of killing his father, Ram D. Arceri, on the afternoon of February 10, 2023, at approximately 1:50 p.m. in the Town of Rosendale.

Arriving officers found Arceri unresponsive. He was transported to Health Alliance Hospital in Kingston, where he was later pronounced dead, according to the Ulster County Sheriff's Office.

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John was found a short time later by detectives from the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office while walking on Route 32, less than two and a half miles away.

Ram Arceri’s cause of death was determined to be asphyxia due to ligature strangulation, police say.

Family Says Ulster County Murder Suspect Suffered From Mental Health Issues

John suffered significant mental health issues for most of his adult life, according to his family.

"Ulster County’s Mobile Mental Health Unit had been at the home on multiple occasions including on the day of the homicide. A Mobile Mental Health Unit left the residence, while an argument was occurring inside, less than fifteen minutes prior to the homicide," the Ulster County DA's office stated.

The night before the homicide, John was taken to Hudson Valley Health Alliance Hospital pursuant to Section 9.41 of the New York State Mental Health Law by members of the Kingston Police Department in response to a disturbance call at a local Kingston business.

He was released the same night and traveled to the Town of Rosendale.

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“The way our mental health care system appears to be functioning now seems to be offering our community members too little too late—we cannot be sending out mental health services for the first time when an individual’s mental health has deteriorated to the point of an emergency situation,” Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Culmone-Mills said. “This system is broken, and it will take a multi-agency effort to truly implement the changes that are needed to prevent these crimes”.