Son of Medford woman slain in December accused in her killing

A Medford man was charged Thursday in connection with the death of his mother, more than a month after the woman's body was found by her husband in a bedroom of their Medford home, Suffolk police said.

Sean Farrell, 24, was arrested Thursday and charged with second-degree murder for the killing of his mother, Bonnie Farrell, 45, inside the two-story home on Norway Pine Drive, police said.

Her body was discovered Dec. 9 on the floor of a bedroom by her husband, Eric Connolly, 47. She had sustained a head injury and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Sean Farrell, was being held overnight at the Fifth Precinct in Patchogue and is scheduled for arraignment Friday at First District Court in Central Islip.

Investigators said in December that there was no sign of forced entry at the home and would not disclose if they had any leads or suspects in the killing.

When Bonnie Farrell's body was discovered, there were five people in the home, Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick said last month.

He said the couple were a blended family with six children between them.

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Police planned to interview everyone in the family in an effort to determine when Farrell was killed, Fitzpatrick said at the time.

While investigators in December combed the home for clues, shocked neighbors outside described the family as a friendly part of the neighborhood for about four years.

Farrell was a nurse and Connolly was in the real estate business, Marie Stuart said on the day her neighbor two-doors down was found dead.

Bonnie Farrell worked as a nursing supervisor at Angela's House in Hauppauge, a nonprofit that assists families with ailing children, according to the organization's website.

Earlier this month, Angela's House dedicated its annual fundraising event with the Stony Brook University ice hockey team at a Hauppauge rink to the memory of Farrell, "who was taken . . . too soon last December," according to the website.

With Timothy Hughes