A Kerhonkson man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for killing and dismembering his girlfriend in 2024, shortly after she ended their relationship, according to the Ulster County District Attorney's Office. Damon Foy, 50, entered the plea in Ulster County Court in the case of 44-year-old Alberta Dale, a Pennsylvania woman who was found dead after her family asked authorities to check on her welfare.
Foy admitted to killing Dale and dismembering her body, with law enforcement intervening while he was in the process of disposing of her remains, according to the DA's office, as reported by Spectrum News. The investigation began when Dale's family members in Pennsylvania asked the Ulster County Sheriff's Office to conduct a welfare check at Foy's home, according to News10. Her remains were located on April 2, 2024, the outlet reported.
A separate account from News 12 Westchester gave a slightly different timeline, reporting that parts of Dale's body were found dismembered on April 3 inside Foy's apartment at Hudson Valley Commons on Granite Road, with other remains discovered in the Town of Marlborough. That outlet also reported that Dale was from Scranton, Pennsylvania, but often spent time with Foy in Kerhonkson.
A History of Violence Before the Killing
According to News 12 Westchester, Foy was already facing domestic-violence charges at the time of the killing, accused of assaulting and strangling Dale in January and free on $5,000 bail when she died. The same report said Dale had obtained a restraining order against Foy before her death, and that Foy was subsequently held in Ulster County Jail without bail.
Ulster County District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji said the case reflects something darker than an isolated act of violence. “This case showcases in one person the evil of domestic violence,” Nneji said, according to the Mid Hudson News. Nneji said Foy demonstrated the characteristics of domestic violence and that the crime involved a selfish disregard for another person's life and dignity, per Spectrum News.
Years of Investigation Culminate in a Plea
The district attorney's office said it worked closely with the New York State Police and the Ulster County Sheriff's Office and had committed significant resources to the case over the past two and a half years, per the same account from Spectrum News. Officials also said Dale's family showed extraordinary strength and trust throughout the process, the station reported. Foy is scheduled to be sentenced on December 16.
A County Reckoning With Rising Domestic Violence Numbers
The case has unfolded against a backdrop of what local officials describe as a worsening domestic-violence crisis in Ulster County. The Ulster County Crime Victims Assistance Program had provided services to 449 domestic-violence victims by September 5, compared with 631 victims served during all of 2025, according to the Daily Freeman. Family of Woodstock reported a 49 percent increase in non-residential services provided to victims, the paper noted.
Police agencies across the county, excluding state and Saugerties police, responded to 783 domestic-violence calls in the first eight months of 2026, compared with 1,391 calls during all of 2025, the Daily Freeman reported. The paper also reported that four people had died since March in domestic-violence-related incidents in Ulster County, and that Foy had been slated, as of early September, to stand trial the following month for Dale's murder before his guilty plea. In response to the trend, the Ulster County Legislature passed a resolution in August calling for the creation of an enhanced lethality-assessment program for emergency personnel responding to domestic-violence calls, according to the same report.
