In the quiet foothills of Ulster County, a woman's final warning to authorities — that if she vanished, one man would be responsible — went unheeded until it was too late. Alberta Dale, 44, had named her danger aloud, and still the systems meant to protect her could not reach her in time. Last week, Damon Foy pleaded guilty to her murder and dismemberment, a case that now stands as both a legal reckoning and a sobering indictment of the gap between the protections the law promises and those it actually delivers.
NY man pleads guilty to murdering, dismembering ex-girlfriend
Alberta Dale, 44, was murdered and dismembered by her ex-partner; her partial remains were discovered in a suitcase at his residence.
She's in there. I killed her.
Mark
Why did Foy confess so quickly when investigators arrived?
Mimi
The documents don't explain his reasoning. He simply told them she was there and that he'd killed her. It's possible he was overwhelmed, or that he knew they'd find her anyway.
Luke
Right—we don't actually know his state of mind. We know what he said, but not why he said it.
Mark
The flower in the suitcase—what does that detail tell us?
Mimi
Foy wouldn't explain it clearly. He only said something cryptic about what happened "last night" pushing him "over the top." It's a haunting detail because it suggests some gesture, some attempt at meaning-making after an act of violence.
Luke
But we're interpreting. The flower is there. His explanation is vague. We can note the contrast without claiming to know what it meant to him.
Mark
Dale warned authorities he would kill her if she went missing. How did she end up dead anyway?
Mimi
The documents don't detail what protections were offered or why they failed. She made the warning. She was still vulnerable. That's the gap the district attorney is pointing to—laws and procedures that don't actually protect people.
Luke
Exactly. We know she warned them. We don't know what happened between that warning and her death. Did authorities follow up? Was there a restraining order? The source doesn't say.
Mark
What does the sentencing recommendation tell us about how the prosecution viewed this case?
Mimi
They negotiated with Dale's family and arrived at 23 years to life. The prosecutor said they wouldn't have made that recommendation without the family's input. It suggests the family had a voice in the outcome.
Luke
But we should be clear: this is still a negotiated plea, not a trial verdict. Foy didn't go to court and face a jury. The family accepted this resolution, but we don't know if they felt it was justice or simply the best available option.
El Pulso
- Alberta Dale told authorities explicitly who would be responsible if she disappeared — and then she disappeared.
- Investigators found her partial remains in a suitcase in a closet, a severed head beside a single placed flower, the remaining portions of her body never recovered.
- Foy confessed the moment deputies arrived, whispering 'She's in there' — a man who felt wronged by love and answered it with an axe.
- A documented history of domestic violence, a prior incident involving a gun, and a woman's own premonition were not enough to trigger intervention before the killing.
- Under a plea deal shaped with input from Dale's family, Foy faces 23 years to life, with sentencing set for December 16.
- The district attorney is now calling for systemic reform, warning that laws protecting domestic violence victims exist largely on paper while victims remain exposed in practice.
In the quiet foothills of Ulster County, a woman's final warning to authorities — that if she vanished, one man would be responsible — went unheeded until it was too late. Alberta Dale, 44, had named her danger aloud, and still the systems meant to protect her could not reach her in time. Last week, Damon Foy pleaded guilty to her murder and dismemberment, a case that now stands as both a legal reckoning and a sobering indictment of the gap between the protections the law promises and those it actually delivers.
On the last night of March and into April 1, 2024, Damon Foy killed Alberta Dale in his Kerhonkson, New York apartment, then dismembered her body. When her family in Pennsylvania reported her missing and deputies arrived for a welfare check, they found her car outside his door. The following morning, after a passerby turned in Dale's phone found on the roadside, investigators returned — and Foy confessed before they could ask a question. "She's in there," he whispered. "I killed her."
Inside a closet, in a suitcase, investigators found what a flashlight revealed as dried blood. Opening it, they discovered Dale's partial remains, including her severed head. A flower had been placed alongside her. The rest of her body was never found. When asked about the flower, Foy gave only a cryptic answer about something that had happened the night before that pushed him "over the top."
In interviews, Foy spoke of love twisted into resentment — of feeling manipulated, used, made a fool of. But court records told a longer story: a documented history of domestic violence against Dale, a prior incident involving a gun, and an axe found on his property. Most haunting of all, Dale had previously warned law enforcement that if she ever went missing, Foy was the reason why. She named her danger. The system did not move fast enough to answer it.
Under a plea agreement reached with the support of Dale's family, Foy is expected to be sentenced to between 23 years and life in prison on December 16. District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji used the case to call for stronger enforcement mechanisms, noting that the law's promises to domestic violence victims too often dissolve in practice. Alberta Dale had done everything right — and it was not enough.
Damon Foy, a 50-year-old man from Kerhonkson, New York, pleaded guilty last week to second-degree murder in the death of Alberta Dale, a 44-year-old woman from Pennsylvania. Between March 31 and April 1, 2024, Foy killed Dale and dismembered her body. When investigators arrived at his home during a missing person investigation, Foy confessed immediately. "She's in there," he whispered to them. "I killed her."
Dale's family in Pennsylvania had contacted law enforcement on April 1, 2024, concerned about her whereabouts. The Ulster County Sheriff's Office began with a welfare check, then escalated to a missing person investigation. Deputies found Dale's car at Foy's apartment that same day. The next morning, after a member of the public discovered Dale's phone on the roadside and turned it in to authorities, investigators returned to question Foy. That's when he confessed.
With a search warrant in hand, investigators entered Foy's home and located a suitcase in a closet. When they shone a flashlight inside, they saw what appeared to be dried blood. Opening it, they found Alberta Dale's partial dismembered remains, including her severed head. A flower had been placed in the suitcase. The remaining portions of her body were never located.
During his subsequent interview, Foy told investigators he loved Dale but expressed deep resentment about their relationship. He described feeling manipulated and taken advantage of. "The only thing she kept doing after the time throughout the whole relationship was just play me, play me like a fool, play me like a sucker, and just took advantage of the whole system," he said. He also complained about being forced to leave his own home. When asked about the flower, Foy offered only a cryptic response about something that had happened "last night" that pushed him "over the top."
Court documents revealed that Foy had a documented history of domestic violence against Dale. One previous incident involved a gun. When investigators searched his property, they also found an axe. More significantly, Dale had previously warned authorities that if she ever went missing, Foy was responsible for her disappearance. Despite this warning, she remained vulnerable to him.
Under a plea agreement negotiated with input from Dale's family, Foy is expected to receive between 23 years and life in prison, with a minimum sentence two years shorter than the maximum possible term of 25 years to life. Chief Assistant District Attorney Liz Culmone-Mills stated that the prosecution would not have recommended this agreement without the backing of Dale's family. Foy is scheduled to be sentenced on December 16.
District Attorney Emmanuel C. Nneji released a statement emphasizing the case's broader implications. "The total selfish disregard for the life and dignity of another person is at the heart of domestic violence; Damon Foy has shown that to us," he said. He called for stronger legal protections and enforcement mechanisms to keep domestic violence victims safe, noting that current procedures often fail to protect victims in practice, despite what laws promise on paper.
Citas Notables
The only thing she kept doing after the time throughout the whole relationship was just play me, play me like a fool, play me like a sucker, and just took advantage of the whole system.— Damon Foy, in interview with investigators
The total selfish disregard for the life and dignity of another person is at the heart of domestic violence; Damon Foy has shown that to us. We must recognize in our laws the rights of victims of domestic violence to be physically, psychologically, and emotionally safe from their tormentors.— District Attorney Emmanuel C. Nneji
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