Mum stabbed 43 times by her ex as she cleared snow

Terrie DeGelormo was killed while her baby slept in his cot

- GAIL SHORTLAND

A violent winter storm was sweeping through Dutchess County, New York, and the residents were getting ready for the fallout. The blanket of snow looked beautiful, but the strong blizzards were covering areas in metre-deep drifts and the emergency services were preparing for a likely rise in 911 calls.

As a single mum, Terrie DeGelormo knew it was down to her to do all the practical jobs around her home in Wappinger, which included dealing with the seasonal snow. With her shovel at the ready, she was never afraid of a challenge.

It was 2018, and Terrie was mum to one-year-old son, Ryan. Friends described Terrie as a “ball of light”. She was smart, funny and was always making people laugh, but she hadn’t always had it easy.

Terrie, 34, had been married to Timothy Alexander, then 32. He was a sergeant at the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office corrections division and president of the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Employee Association. Terrie had met Alexander when they were teenagers and they became inseparable. Alexander had moved in with her family and had even taken Terrie’s surname when they married in 2008.

Terrie longed to be a mum and was thrilled when she had a daughter in 2010. She was named Alexei, but the little girl had been born with a genetic disorder and she died of liver failure just weeks before her third birthday. It was a huge tragedy for the couple.

Terrie then had multiple rounds of IVF before she became pregnant again. She was thrilled but her marriage was under strain. Terrie and Alexander were fighting and Terrie’s family suspected he was being unfaithful while she was pregnant. Alexander walked out before their son was born in March 2017.