Saranac Lake woman sentenced for murder of son-in-law

SARANAC LAKE — A Saranac Lake woman has been sentenced to 17 years to life in prison for the murder of an Indian Lake man, her son-in-law, in August 2023.

Ann M. Favro, 58, of Saranac Lake, was charged with killing David J. Chenier, 32, on Aug. 12 last year after New York State Police discovered his body at a home on Big Brook Road following a report of shots fired that evening.

After she pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, a felony, in August, she was sentenced before Hamilton County Court Judge Michael Smrtic last week. Favro will be eligible for parole in 17 years.

Hamilton County District Attorney Marsha Purdue, who prosecuted the case, said Chenier's brother Donald, sister Anna Williams and wife Bailey each gave a statement to the court at the sentencing.

Bailey is Favro's daughter. She was not living with Chenier at the time of his death. They had one biological daughter together and one child from another relationship, but Chenier was considered a father to both of them.

All three of the victim statements said that Favro deprived these kids of a relationship with their father. They each grieved for his daughters, saying they will not have their father with them for the big moments in life, and for the small ones, adding that they won't have their grandmother, either.

Purdue said Favro gave a statement apologizing for what she did, and saying that there must be something wrong with her to have done what she did. Purdue said she was not sure how the family felt about Favro's apology.

In statements read to the court at Favro's sentencing, Chenier's siblings described the pain of her taking their brother from them and the anger they have at her making the decision to end a life. Chenier's wife Bailey spoke about who her husband was as a father, and how their family has been torn apart.

Purdue said the statements did not really impact the sentence, which was already set by the negotiated plea.

Motive not revealed

Purdue would not talk much about Favro's motive for the murder, saying she does not want to hurt people.

"(Favro) felt her daughter was being hurt in some manner," Purdue said.

Chenier's siblings referenced this in their statements.

"You were trying to take care of your child, but ended up causing more harm," Donald told Favro.

"There were so many other ways you could have handled that," Williams wrote. "Murder shouldn't have ever been an option. What did it solve? Absolutely nothing."

"I wished that everything that led up to this moment had gone differently," Donald wrote.

Bailey said she still hasn't wrapped her head around how Favro did what she did. She shared memories of her husband with the court.

"He was kind, he was funny, he was an incredibly hard worker and he was a proud and dedicated father who loved hard," Bailey wrote. "This world is a much darker place without David here and I would do anything in my power to bring him back."

She said she was grateful to the court for the sentence, and only wished it could have been longer.

"I'm absolutely ashamed to say you are the woman who brought me into the world," Bailey told her mother. "Know you no longer have a daughter or granddaughters."

Both Anna and Donald said they do not wish for "an eye for an eye" for Favro, only that she thinks about what she did while she sits in prison.

"I hope it eats you up inside, that because of you, not a single person will ever have a chance to make any memories with him again," Williams wrote.

Donald said if she seeks forgiveness, it won't come from them — only from God.

Donald said he spent 20 years in the military, with several in active combat.

"Taking a life is one of the easiest things that a person can do. You and I both know this from firsthand experience, Ann," he said. "Living with ourselves afterwards is the hardest part for most.

"You did the one act that can't be undone," Donald added. "This will be a nightmare that is lived day after day in not only our dreams, but in moments when David is needed the most, he will not be there."

Details of the case

Purdue said the plea deal was reached after a lot of back-and-forth with attorney Marc Zuckerman, who was assigned to defend Favro. Purdue said she would not agree to a plea deal unless the sentence was up "to life." Second-degree murder carries a minimum sentence with parole of 25-to-life. Purdue said she only agreed on a 17-to-life sentence after she spoke with the victims and got their blessing.

There was a lot of evidence to support the murder charge, according to Purdue.

On the day Favro drove from Saranac Lake and Indian Lake to commit the murder, Purdue said Favro called her employer and said she could not come into work because she had to go kill her son-in-law. Messages also show she had tried to recruit others to join her in the murder, or potentially to hire someone to do it for her.

On that night, Purdue said Favro drove from Saranac Lake to Chenier's home in Indian Lake.

"She knocked on his door and shot him when he answered," Purdue said.

A porch camera less than a mile from Chenier's house caught footage of Favro driving there, and returning four minutes later.

Early in the investigation, New York State Police asked homeowners on state routes 28 and 30 in Long Lake and Blue Mountain Lake to look out for any "suspicious found property" on their land or in their outside garbage bins. There was suspicion that evidence was discarded in the area.

Purdue said the gun Favro used was never found. She said police collected .30-30 ammunition shells at the scene, a cartridge often used in lever-action rifles and in some handguns.

Chenier's cause of death was determined to be gunshot wounds to the chest and neck.

Favro was arrested in a traffic stop on the same day as the murder, around two or three hours after the murder was suspected to have taken place.

Purdue grew up in Indian Lake. She said it is a small community, and Chenier's death had a big impact on the town. It was actually hard for her to find people for the grand jury, she said, because she had to dismiss several people who said they could not be impartial.

Chenier was an employee at Elkin Tree Service.

Company owner Kevin Elkin made a public social media post after his death, writing that their work family has suffered an "irreplaceable and devastating loss."

"He was like a son to me and it's going to be difficult picking up the pieces and moving forward," Elkin wrote. "He loved anything to do with a chainsaw. He was a talented timber feller and was quickly honing his skills, doing complicated aerial removals."

Elkin said Chenier had worked with him for six years and three months.

"He quickly became intertwined in our lives and a cornerstone of my company," Elkin wrote. "We are diminished. As a family. As a community. As a company. Rest in peace, brother."