Custody Settled for Son of St. James Murder-Suicide Victim

The custody dispute over Tyler Farrell, the orphaned son of the late Katie Farrell, who was killed by East Northport native and ex-boyfriend James Schultz in a murder-suicide, has been settled.

Clare Farrell, mother to the late Katie and grandmother to Tyler, said she could not legally disclose details of the agreement to the press as per a clause in the agreement, but insisted it was put together with Tyler’s best interests in mind.

“There’s no bad details, we ended up with an agreement not a fight, and it continues that way,” she said. “It continues to be a relationship based in what’s Tyler’s best interest, not our own.”

After roughly three months in court, the custody dispute was settled in June. 

“There’s no more fight going on, which is the best part,” said Larry Farrell, uncle to Katie.

Clare said the families elected to not go to trial and form an agreement before it could get that far. 

“We did not go to the trial level because that’s the angry fight,” she said.

While the family is getting back to living life as usual, Larry said Katie’s absence leaves a noticeable and painful void in the family.

“It will never be the same and there will always be a hole,” he said. “For me, if I see a Subaru commercial, she drove a Subaru, I think of her. There’s always certain things that remind you.”

According to police, Schultz picked up Tyler, then 13 months old, from the St. James home of Katie Farrell where Schultz stabbed her to death. Police then responded a 911 call at 8:59 a.m. at the Schultz home in East Northport, where he had left Tyler in another room before going to another part of the house and shooting himself.

Although there are noticeable absences in each family, Clare said it would not prevent the Farrell’s or the Schultz’s to give Tyler the quality of life he deserves. 

“Our goal is to make him feel only love and not anger or hostility. Only love,” she said.