(SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.) – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Curtis Trent Jr., 36, of Calverton, was indicted for Murder in the Second Degree for the stabbing death of his mother, Kathleen Harrison Trent, 63, of Calverton.
“Today’s indictment reflects our commitment to seeking justice in the face of a deeply disturbing act of domestic violence,” said District Attorney Tierney. “The defendant is charged, not only with taking his mother’s life, but with attempting to conceal the crime and hide her body. Tragically, it was another family member who discovered that the victim was missing and found blood inside the home; an unimaginable and heartbreaking experience. Domestic violence, in any form, is devastating, and it is essential that those responsible are held fully accountable under the law.”
According to the investigation, on January 29, 2026, a relative went to the home on Forge Road in Calverton, where Ms. Trent lived with her son, Curtis Trent Jr., the defendant. After seeing what appeared to be blood in and around the vicinity of the home, and unable to locate Ms. Trent, he called the police. Officers from the Riverhead Town Police Department responded that evening but were unable to locate the victim, her car, or the defendant. The investigation into her whereabouts revealed that the victim had been missing since January 27, 2026.
Despite the victim’s car being gone, when police made entry into the home, her phone, wallet, and vital medication were left behind. They also observed what appeared to be blood staining on the sole of a pair of male sneakers. The sneakers were among several items later recovered for forensic analysis. Efforts were made to locate both the victim and the defendant that evening but were unsuccessful.
During the early morning hours of January 30, 2026, the defendant allegedly returned to his home on Forge Road, driving his mother’s 2017 Chevrolet Colorado pickup. He was met by police officers, and, when asked, could not provide officers with his mother’s whereabouts. The truck was impounded and later allegedly found to contain blood on the tailgate.
On February 6, 2026, various items of clothing belonging to the defendant were allegedly located on Mill Road in Manorville. The clothing appeared to have blood on them. That clothing, the bloody shoes from the home, as well as swabs of blood taken from the victim’s truck were ultimately sent to the Suffolk County Crime Laboratory for analysis.
On February 11, 2026, the body of the victim was discovered wrapped in a blanket on Connecticut Avenue in Manorville, approximately 25 feet off the road. An autopsy confirmed that her death was caused by stab wounds to her torso, face, and neck.
On March 6, 2025, Curtis Trent Jr. was arraigned on the indictment before Acting Supreme Court Justice Richard I. Horowitz on one count of Murder in the Second Degree, a Class A felony, one count of Concealment of a Human Corpse, a Class E felony, and one count of Tampering with Physical Evidence, a Class E felony.
Justice Horowitz ordered Trent held without bail during the pendency of the case. Trent is due back in court on April 22, 2026, and faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted on the top count. He is being represented by Tara Laterza, Esq.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Michelle Chiuchiolo of the Homicide Bureau and Keri Wasson of the Major Crime Bureau. The investigation was conducted by detectives Richard Jones and Delilah Bustamante of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Homicide Squad and Detective Michael Schmidt of the Riverhead Town Police Department.