Virginia Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Killing a Climber in National Park in Maryland

Greenbelt, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced David DiPaolo, age 34, of Bristow, Virginia, today to 10 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for voluntary manslaughter in connection with the death of Geoffrey Farrar, in Carderock, a popular rock climbing area within the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein and Chief of Police Robert MacLean of the U.S. Park Police.         

According to DiPaolo’s plea agreement, on December 28, 2013, DiPaolo had an argument with Farrar, age 69, in the parking area at Carderock Recreation Area (Carderock), located in Bethesda, Maryland, within the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. Immediately following this altercation, Farrar went to the base of the rock climbing area and DiPaolo returned to his parked vehicle. Shortly thereafter, DiPaolo found Farrar and used a claw hammer to hit Farrar multiple times on his head.  DiPaolo then fled first from Carderock and subsequently drove to New York State, where he remained until his arrest on January 8, 2014.

Following DiPaolo’s attack, other rock climbers in the area discovered Farrar at the base of the rock face.  Farrar was suffering from massive head trauma as a result of the attack, but was still alive.  Emergency personnel were called, and Farrar was airlifted to a hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, where he later died of his injuries.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the U.S. Park Police for its work in the investigation and thanked the New York State Police, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, and the U.S. Marshals Service for their assistance.  Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney Thomas M. Sullivan, who prosecuted the case.