Suffolk County police say his 34-year-old girlfriend called 911 at about 8:30 a.m. Sunday.
Dana Duford told officers she was awakened by the sounds of a struggle within the house, and said someone punched her in the face before fleeing.
She said she later found her boyfriend's body in another room.
The motive for the killing remains unclear; police say they have no suspects.
A call to the administration office at the Polk Correctional Facility in Butner, N.C., where Terry worked, was not immediately returned.
