On a grim November day in 2022, the quiet community of Princetown, New York, was rocked by a brutal act of violence that claimed the lives of William E. Horwedel and his longtime partner, Alesia I. Wadsworth. William, a 61-year-old male, was found deceased in their shared home on Reynolds Road, the victim of a shocking double homicide that would soon unravel a troubled family history.
The discovery was made after one of the victims failed to show up for work, prompting a welfare check by
law enforcement. Inside the residence, a grim scene awaited. William E. Horwedel was found on a couch in the living room, while Alesia Wadsworth lay on the kitchen floor. Both had been shot to death. The subsequent investigation, led by the New York State Police, quickly focused on a primary suspect: Nicholas Fiebka, the 19-year-old son of Alesia Wadsworth.
Fiebka was taken into custody shortly after the bodies were discovered. Investigators pieced together the events of November 21, 2022, revealing a chilling narrative. A Ring camera at the home captured a masked and hooded individual entering the residence, followed by the sound of approximately 44 gunshots fired in a mere 30 seconds from an AK-47 style rifle equipped with a drum magazine. Moments later, the same figure was seen exiting the house. The investigation revealed a history of domestic turmoil, including an order of protection that Alesia Wadsworth had sought against her son just months before the killings.
Following his arrest, Nicholas Fiebka was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, along with multiple weapons possession charges. He was indicted by a grand jury and his case proceeded to trial in Schenectady County Court. During the trial, Fiebka's defense attorney argued that he was not criminally responsible for his actions due to a mental disease or defect, claiming he suffered from a delusional disorder. Prosecutors countered this by portraying Fiebka as an angry young man who had intentionally planned and carried out the murders. After a trial that included testimony from law enforcement and evidence from the crime scene, the jury deliberated for a short time before returning a guilty verdict on all counts, rejecting the defense's claims of mental incapacity. In the summer of 2024, Nicholas Fiebka was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murders of his mother and William E. Horwedel.
