A brutal killing that ended with a suspect fleeing the country brought a maximum prison sentence in Wyoming County, according to WHAM.
Prosecutors said the man strangled his roommate inside their Warsaw apartment in November 2023, then stole her debit card and escaped to Mexico. Authorities later identified him as Michael Bellaire, now 43, after his arrest overseas nearly a year later.
A jury convicted Bellaire in October of second-degree murder, strangulation, and grand larceny. On Friday, a judge sentenced him to 25 years to life for the killing of 53-year-old Cheryl Cook.
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