New Haven man convicted of the ‘extremely heinous’ double murders of a father and son in Hamden

A New Haven man was found guilty of killing a father and son inside their home in Hamden in 1987, according to the state Division of Criminal Justice.

Willie McFarland, 55, of New Haven, was found guilty by a jury of two counts of murder in connection with the killings Fred Harris, 59, and his son, Greg Harris, 23, in their Hamden home in August 1987.

Authorities, citing evidence introduced at the trial, said police found the bodies of Fred and Greg Harris in an upstairs bedroom on August 27, 1987, and that the men were bound and their throats were slashed. Evidence found at the crime scene linked McFarland to the murders, authorities said.

McFarland confessed to the murders more than 20 years ago while he was in prison serving time for a sexual assault conviction, but investigators were never able to charge him because they had no physical evidence tying him to the scene.

But in 2019, using new and more advanced DNA testing, tests confirmed McFarland was at the scene that night and that is why he knew intimate, secret details of the “extremely heinous” crime, according to court records and police officials.

“In utilizing innovative investigative techniques, advances in forensic science, and the determination to hold perpetrators of horrendous crimes accountable, today’s jury verdict is the result of a 35-year quest by dedicated investigators and prosecutors who never gave up their search for justice for the victims of these horrendous crimes,” State’s Attorney John P. Doyle, Jr. said, in a statement.

The case was investigated by the Office of the State’s Attorney, Judicial District of New Haven Cold Case Unit, which includes prosecutors and inspectors from the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office and detectives from Greater New Haven.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 31, 2023 at Superior Court in New Haven.