LONG LAKE — A Long Lake man is facing 20 years to life in prison after being convicted for the 2023 murder of his brother on Wednesday.

A Hamilton County jury found Patrick B. Skerrett, 67, guilty of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, all felonies, for shooting and killing his brother in his home.

At around 2:40 a.m. on Dec. 2, 2023, New York State Police responded to a residence at 861 Deerland Road in Long Lake for a report of a male deceased from gunshot wounds.

Terrance J. Skerrett, 64, of Lewis, was found dead. Purdue said Patrick admitted at the time to the shooting.

Terrance’s cause of death was determined to be shotgun and gunshot wounds to the head and abdomen in an autopsy done by pathologist Michael Sikirica, who ruled his death a homicide.

Hamilton County District Attorney Marsha Purdue, who prosecuted the case, said the murder charge was made on the basis of torture, which is not common. She had to prove that pain was inflicted intentionally and that Patrick got gratification out of it.

There were three criminal possession of a weapon convictions — one for each gun used in the crime.

Patrick pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree manslaughter and second-degree murder.

Purdue said it took a little more than an hour of deliberations for the jury to deliver a verdict.

Patrick’s sentencing by Hamilton County Court Judge Michael Smrtic is scheduled for Aug. 1.

Defense Attorney Robert Abdella, who represented Patrick, was not available for comment by publication of this article.

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The incident and the case

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Content warning: The description of the violent incident below may be disturbing to readers.

Patrick testified that their younger sister told him that she had been allegedly sexually assaulted by Terrance when they were teenagers.

Purdue said Patrick had Terrance over for dinner and questioned him about the allegation. Patrick alleges that Terrance jumped off the couch and lunged at him. Patrick shot him with a Taurus Judge revolver, which carried a birdshot shell.

Purdue said Patrick testified that Terrance sat back down after being shot, they spoke again, his brother got back up and was shot again. He said this happened five times.

Patrick kept many guns in his house. Purdue said he testified that he grabbed a Springfield .45 1911 pistol and shot at Terrance twice when he got up again. The pistol jammed. Purdue said DNA testing showed Terrance’s hair in the mechanism and his blood on the slide.

Patrick then grabbed a Glock 9mm pistol and shot Terrance two more times.

Purdue said Patrick’s defense claimed self-defense in the case. Purdue said Patrick testified that Terrance kept advancing. She said he had to justify every shot and prove that Terrance posed a deadly physical threat.

Purdue argued that Terrance did not pose a threat. He was unarmed and suffered from several medical problems — he had no cartilage in his hip and had COPD in his lungs. She does not believe that he was getting up and down off the couch.

“I argued that he had to be torturing him,” Purdue said. “Birdshot is not good for murdering somebody. It is good for torturing somebody.”

State Police determined a total of 14 shots were fired.

She said the the crime scene pictures were “horrific.” Terrance had birdshot perforations on his face, stomach and chest, and had been blinded by the pellets.

His body was found on the floor, with his feet closest to the couch where he was sitting and his inhaler in his hand, she said.

Purdue said this incident has torn the family apart. She said Terrance’s four children, three of whom attended the trial, are heartbroken.

“Many thanks to the NYSP for their excellent work they performed throughout the investigation and trial,” Purdue wrote in a statement. “Their intensive investigation was crucial to the success … to obtain the final verdict. … Also, many thanks to Assistant District Attorney David Gove and Confidential Secretary Michelle Roberts for their time and dedication to this case. Special recognition and thanks go to the jurors of Hamilton County for their time and service in this disturbing case.”

Purdue said the last murder trial in Hamilton County was Robert Garrow in the early-1970s. Then, in 2023, there were two family-related murders within four months of each other.