Sullivan County District Attorney Jim Farrell announced today that Ricky Bolden, 37, of Monticello, N.Y. was sentenced in Sullivan County Court to 21 years to life in state prison for the murder of John Ferrari, 61 of Rivervale, N.J. 

Sullivan County Sheriff’s deputies found the body of Ferrari hidden on the Pardess bungalow property on September 23, 2016.  Ferrari had been struck in the head multiple times and killed.  Bolden entered a plea of guilty to Murder in the 2^nd Degree on September 26, 2017, and admitted to intentionally killing Ferrari and striking him with a shovel. 

Bolden worked for Ferrari who was the caretaker of the bungalow colony.  Farrell said that forensic investigators found the victim’s blood on Bolden’s sneakers, his sweatshirt and his jeans and also found a glove that had been discarded in the garbage with the victim’s blood on the outside and the defendant’s DNA on the inside. 

Farrell praised the good work of the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office that led the criminal investigation into Ferrari’s murder as well as the Sullivan County District Attorney’s Office investigative personnel, the New York State Police, Monticello Police and the State Police Forensic Investigation Center who all assisted in the investigation. 

“I want to thank all of the police agencies and our Sheriff’s Office for their efforts in this case.  They secured multiple search warrants and developed leads and evidence that brought John Ferrari’s killer to justice.  The multiple agencies in this case coalesced and worked diligently and professionally, together, to solve this murder.  I hope that the sentence imposed upon Bolden will give the family and friends of John Ferrari some measure of closure for a loss that will affect them forever.”  Farrell said.