John Jefferson
Left: Jeremy Kirch (Oneida County Sheriff’s Office). Right: Elizabeth Gerling (obituary)
After an elementary school principal and daughter of a retired U.S. bankruptcy judge was found strangled to death in bed at home earlier this week, law enforcement in upstate New York arrested her boyfriend and alleged that he was at the residence the night before and into the morning.
The victim, identified as 50-year-old Marcy resident and Columbus Elementary School principal Elizabeth Gerling, was found dead at her Birch Circle home around 10 a.m. on Tuesday by Oneida County Sheriff’s Office deputies, and authorities said the “circumstances surrounding her death appeared suspicious.”
In the early stages of the investigation, attention shifted to 45-year-old Jeremy Kirch, who authorities identified as Gerling’s boyfriend and said he “had been at the residence the night before until early that morning.”
Before Kirch was in the custody of Oneida County, he landed on the radar of the Rome Police Department and was “subsequently taken to Rome Memorial Hospital for an evaluation,” the sheriff’s office said.
The Daily Sentinel reported that Kirch was spotted running around naked in Rome after the suspected murder.
Authorities did not explain who found Gerling and called 911, but the Columbus Elementary School calendar shows that Regents exams were scheduled on Tuesday; school is set to return on Sept. 3.
According to the sheriff’s office, after the medical examiner’s office on Wednesday found that Gerling was killed by “asphyxia due to strangulation,” they spoke with Kirch at the hospital where he was evaluated. A murder arrest followed.
“After a short conversation with him, he was transported to the Kurt B. Wyman Law Enforcement Building for further questioning,” authorities said. “After speaking with investigators, Kirch was arrested for murder in the second degree and he was arranged in Rome City Court this morning and remanded to the Oneida County Jail without bail.”
Upon visiting her school’s website, a message pops up: “In Loving Memory of Principal Elizabeth Gerling. Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of our beloved principal. Ms. Gerling’s dedication to our school community will forever be remembered.”
Utica City School District Superintendent Dr. Christopher Spence remembered Gerling as “not just an exceptional educator and leader but also a dear friend and colleague to many,” writing the news of her death was a “shock to all of us,” especially just before the new school year.
“The timing of this tragedy, just a few weeks before the start of the new school year, adds to our collective sorrow,” Spence said. “As we were looking forward to the promise of a new academic year, we now find ourselves mourning the loss of a cherished member of our school family.”
Gerling’s obituary said that she was a mother to one son and is survived by two siblings, and her mother and father, retired U.S. bankruptcy judge of two decades Stephen Gerling.
The obituary said that Gerling “truly loved her job” as school principal after being hired in 2013.
“She enjoyed the camaraderie of all of her teachers and staff and loved the wonderful children that she got to be with every day. Her dedication to education was evident in everything that she did. Her love for her students was second to none,” the obit said. “In her free time she loved art, especially drawing, painting and chalk art. She also loved gardening, animals, going to Country Concerts. She loved the peacefulness of the ocean and the beach. She found great joy in giving gifts to others.”
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