A New York resident has been sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for the brutal murder of his childhood friend. Jeremy Allen, aged 44, was found guilty of killing 43-year-old Christopher Hahn, his friend since high school, in a violent attack at Allen’s home in East Quogue, New York.

According to Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, the crime was caught on surveillance video at Allen’s residence. The footage revealed a harrowing six-hour episode that culminated in Hahn’s death. The recorded audio and video presented damning evidence of the crime.

In a particularly chilling moment, Allen was seen placing a plastic bag over Hahn’s head, securing it with a loose knot. He then sat nearby in a lawn chair, watching as Hahn struggled for breath over the course of approximately eight minutes, according to Tierney.

As reported by Newsday, Allen and Hahn had been friends since their youth but experienced a rift shortly before meeting for the last time on September 27, 2024. They had arranged to settle a dispute involving a $1,000 debt from a “boat deal.” Despite their falling out, text messages presented in court suggested they had reconciled to some extent.

Detectives from the Suffolk County Police Department reported that the pair initially planned to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting together but ended up at a brewery instead. After an evening of drinking, they shared an Uber ride back to Allen’s home.

Just after midnight, surveillance captured the audio of Allen assaulting Hahn for 18 minutes. The footage later showed Allen dragging a bruised and semi-conscious Hahn onto the deck before viciously attacking him with a baseball bat. Allen then left briefly, returning with a plastic bag, which he placed over Hahn’s head, securing it loosely with a knot.

“Allen then sat on a lawn chair a few feet from the victim while watching him struggle to breathe for approximately eight minutes,” Tierney said.

After suffocating Hahn, Allen went inside the house to get a knife and stabbed Hahn in the neck 10 times. During the six-hour ordeal, Allen told Hahn, “Die. It’s not so hard. Just die.”

As Hahn took his final breaths, Allen was seen standing over him, smiling.

The next morning, Allen attempted to clean up the scene and covered Hahn’s body with a blanket. Allen called a handyman to help him. The handyman arrived at Allen’s home and saw “blood throughout the home” and Hahn’s body on the rear deck. Allen told the handyman he was not allowed to leave the home, but the handyman persuaded Allen to let him leave. The handyman promptly fled Allen’s home and called the police.

Newsday reported that Hahn’s family members and friends attended the sentencing on Thursday. Hahn’s mother called Allen a “piece of s—” and told him to “rot in Hell.” Of her son, she said, “He always got back on his feet no matter how difficult his journey was. I miss him so much.”

Assistant District Attorney Elena Tomaro read a letter from Hahn’s friend, Blake Cornell, who wrote that the “darkness” surrounding his friend’s death should not “outshine his spirit.” Cornell added, “He lit up every room he entered.”

Allen apologized for the crime and told the court, “I can’t figure out what I did,” claiming he was “bipolar.”

Allen was found guilty by a jury of first-degree-murder and tampering with evidence. Newsday reported that he is the first defendant to be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in Suffolk County in nearly a decade.