Larson additionally plead guilty to manslaughter for the killing of his father
Michael T. Baldwin reports
The young man accused of killing his parents and days later torching their home on Courtney Hollow Road in Clarksville has entered a guilty plea. William J. Larson Jr. on Monday pleaded guilty in Allegany County court to second-degree murder in the death of his mother and manslaughter in the death of his father. A court official told The Wellsville Sun that “a hearing on sentencing parameters is scheduled on January 17, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. This plea covers all pending matters.”
Wellsville Regional News first broke the story at 12:50 a.m. November 21, 2019. As word of the tragedies emerged, Cuba-Rushford, Bolivar-Richburg and Portville schools all closed and a large swarm of law enforcement agencies converged on the area. Within about 16 hours, state police that day confirmed that the “suspect was in custody.” Larson, who was age 17 when arrested, was first remanded to a secured youth detention facility in Erie County. When he turned 18, he was relocated to the Allegany County Jail where he was detained without bail. In February 2020, an Allegany County Grand Jury indicted the young man on charges of murder, attempted arson, concealment of a human corpse and tampering with physical evidence.
The case simmered on the back burner as the COVID-19 pandemic raged, which halted court appearance and trials. In October 2020, according to Wellsville Regional News, trials were permitted to resume.
