Cold Case Solved: “Most gruesome and heinous murder in decades…”
After more than a decade, a man is being held responsible for the death of a Monticello woman.
The Sullivan County District Attorney Brian Conaty announced Tuesday, that a jury found Keymarroo Guiden, 53, of East Stroudsburg, PA, guilty of felony second-degree Murder in connection to the death of his girlfriend, April Parker, in June of 2014.
The Tragic Murder of April Parker
April Parker was 31 when she was first reported missing in the Village of Monticello in May of 2014.
The investigation was handed over to the New York State Police and on June 10, 2014, troopers discovered skeletal remains in the woods behind the Sleepy Hollow complex in Monticello, just 150 yards from where April Parker and Guiden had been living.
NYSP said after locating the skeletal remains, it was determined that the head, hands, and feet of the remains "had been severed and disposed of." DNA analysis later confirmed that the skeletal remains were that of April Parker.
“This was the most gruesome and heinous murder committed in Sullivan County in decades. This defendant brutally stole the life of a loving mother, sister, daughter, and valued community member that was attempting to better her life and those of her children. This case culminated in years of committed investigative efforts by law enforcement to bring justice to April Parker and her family," Conaty said. "This verdict rewards those who choose to do good in our society and reminds those that choose violence and death that we will never stop until you are brought to justice. I want to thank the jury for sacrificing time away from their lives to carefully listen to the evidence and for reaching a just verdict.”
The 2014 Murder Investigation
New York State Police reportedly interviewed over 130 people in the investigation and "secured thousands of pages of records eliminating every other possible suspect, identifying Guiden to the exclusion of all others."
According to police, they learned through interviews and records that on May 9, 2014, Guiden, left April’s apartment with her two children from a separate relationship and drove them down to New York City under the guise of visiting their father.
While driving to the city, police say he contacted Verizon Wireless and requested that April Parker’s number be transferred to a Motorola Droid Razor that was in his possession.
The children's father reported he did not have any information about the visit and "the defendant used this as his alibi for his return to Monticello," according to police.
When Guiden left New York City, he falsely reported April missing, because police say the evidence showed he had already killed her and disposed of her remains in the woods behind Sleepy Hollow before leaving the area on May 9.
Police say immediately after he switched the phone number Guiden used April Parker’s phone number to pose as her and to make it appear as if she was still alive.
"This permitted time and space between the police investigation into the defendant and the discovery of April’s remains," police said. "The digital evidence in this case also revealed that Guiden used April Parker’s Facebook account, posting photographs of April Parker, and communicating with her friends making it appear as if April was alive."
The 2026 Murder Trial
Guiden was arrested and charged with his girlfriend's murder in December 2021 seven years after her remains were found.
Guiden was convicted following a twelve day trial and is set to be sentenced on October 5, 2026, where he faces a maximum of twenty-five years to life in state prison.
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