A confrontation outside the Eagles Club on Center Road in Moriah, New York, turned deadly on April 22, 2018, when 44-year-old Derek J. Boomer Sprague was shot in the neck and later died. The dispute began inside the bar and continued into the parking lot; witnesses heard a pop and found Sprague lying there. Reports say the argument arose after disputed foul language used by 30-year-old Cody Cutting of Moriah.

Cutting was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Because Sprague was the brother of Essex County District Attorney Kristy Sprague, the Warren County District Attorney’s Office served as special prosecutor. Cutting asserted self-defense, saying he feared for his life and that the gun discharged accidentally after Sprague knocked him down; prosecutors said Cutting could have left but instead retrieved a weapon.

A jury acquitted Cutting of second-degree murder but convicted him of second-degree manslaughter and menacing; in March 2019 he received a five- to 15-year state prison sentence. Sprague’s family described the depth of their loss at sentencing. Does anyone have information about the altercation that night or knew Derek Sprague?