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Inset: Patrick D. Proefriedt (Broome County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The Upstate New York home where Proefriedt committed the murder of his newborn daughter with a crossbow (WBNG).
An Upstate New York man is headed to prison for taking a crossbow and killing his newborn daughter and injuring his wife.
Patrick D. Proefriedt, aged 28, received a sentence of 25 years to life imprisonment on Friday for the murder of his 17-day-old daughter, Eleanor Carey, and for injuring his wife, according to the Broome County District Attorney’s Office in a press release. In February, he admitted guilt to second-degree murder.
On June 26, 2023, police were called to a residence on the 2200 block of Route 41 in Colesville, approximately 17 miles northeast of Binghamton. Prosecutors reported that Proefriedt became agitated due to Eleanor’s crying, which led to an argument with his wife. He then took a crossbow and shot an arrow at his wife, who was holding the baby, hitting both. While the wife survived, Eleanor did not.
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“After the defendant in this case took the life of his own child. He ran into the woods and hid like a scared rat. A scared rat,” Broome County Sheriff Fred Akshar said during a press conference, per local CBS affiliate WBNG.
Proefriedt also hid his wife’s phone so she couldn’t call for help, deputies said.
Authorities quickly launched a massive search for Proefriedt, with New York State Police and Chenango County Sheriff’s Office deputies forming a perimeter around the area with multiple patrol units and an aerial drone.
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Proefriedt was found hiding in the woods less than a mile from the home after his vehicle became stuck in the mud and was taken into custody.
During Friday’s sentencing, his wife Megan Carey addressed the court.
“Despite everything that has happened, I still believe in love, I still believe in healing, I believe in forgiveness, but he is beyond forgiveness,” she said, according to the Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin. “He has no empathy and no humanity.”
Indeed, following his capture Proefriedt blamed his wife, claiming she “dared him” to shoot and never asked detectives how she or their daughter were doing.
Prosecutors on Friday also played the more than 20-minute 911 call between Carey and dispatchers. She was reportedly heard comforting Eleanor, saying “stay with mommy” and “please don’t die.” But by the time cops arrived, it was too late. Eleanor had already died.
For his part, Proefriedt before he was sentenced reportedly apologized to his wife “for the sake of my child.”
