BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Wyoming County District Attorney's Office announced that 43-year-old Michael Bellaire of Warsaw was sentenced in connection with a November 2023 homicide.
According to the DA, Bellaire murdered Cheryl Cook inside her residence in Warsaw on November 2, 2023, by strangling her. Bellaire then stole Cook's debit card and fled to Mexico. He was apprehended by Mexican authorities about a year later and brought back to Wyoming County.
Bellaire received the following sentence:
- 25 years to life for second-degree murder
- 7 years for first-degree strangulation
- 1 1/3 to 4 years for fourth-degree grand larceny
The district attorney's office said the sentences were ordered to run concurrently with each other.
“The sentence of 25 years to life in this case, the maximum sentence allowed by law, was appropriate. The Defendant murdered the victim by strangling her and took her away from her children, grandchildren, and family members. I hope that the Defendant spends the rest of his life in prison.”
- District Attorney Vincent A. Hemming
