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Buffalo man sentenced for murdering his girlfriend by setting her on fire

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BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A Buffalo man has been sentenced for murdering his girlfriend by setting her on fire in January 2018.

The Erie County District Attorney's Office announced that 34-year-old Frank J. Bredt, Jr. was sentenced Friday in State Supreme Court to 25 years to life in prison.

The district attorney's office said Bredt poured an accelerant onto his girlfriend, 28-year-old Elisabeth Bell, and set her on fire inside of their Manhattan Avenue home on January 11, 2018. He also set fire to himself and the home. Bell's body was found by the Buffalo Fire Department on the second floor of the home. Five other people in the home were able to escape, including the Bell’s 7-year-old daughter who suffered burns to her feet.

According to the district attorney's office, Bredt ran out of the home and attempted to hide but was located a short time later in a nearby home with severe burns. He was taken to ECMC where he was hospitalized for over a year in the Burn Treatment Center.

A jury found Bredt, Jr. guilty of two counts of murder in the second degree in March.

“This is one of the most horrific domestic violence homicide cases that has been prosecuted by my office. This defendant intentionally killed his girlfriend by burning her alive in her bedroom. I hope this defendant understands the excruciating pain that he caused this young mother after being severely burned as a result of his murderous actions. The family of Elisabeth Bell has waited a long time for justice and I hope they feel that justice has been served."
- Erie County DA John Flynn