An upstate New York man wanted in connection with the fatal stabbing of his girlfriend was arrested in the Adirondacks after a 12-day manhunt, officials announced Friday.
Anthony G. Bechand, 53, of Cohoes, was arrested in the town of Brighton early Friday morning, Cohoes Mayor William Keeler said at a press conference.
Bechand had been on the run since Sept. 14, when Cohoes police officers responded to a welfare check at a residence on Earl Lynn Court and discovered the victim, later identified as 41-year-old Amanda Rodriguez.
Rodriguez had been stabbed to death, “likely the day prior,” Keeler said.
An autopsy later determined she died of hemorrhagic shock due to a lacerated aorta and multiple pulmonary lacerations, according to local NBC affiliate WPTZ.
Bechand’s white 2024 Chevrolet Silverado was found in Brighton, Franklin County, later that day, but he was nowhere to be found.
As a massive, multi-agency manhunt got underway, police asked the public for help in locating the suspect and received more than 200 tips.
On Friday, a day after investigators held a press conference to provide updates and renew their request for help, Bechand was spotted by a civilian walking on State Route 86, near Paul Smith’s College — about three miles from where his pickup truck had been found — and was reported to police.
Franklin County deputies and state troopers then located Bechand, took him into custody and transported him to the state police barracks in Ray Brook for further questioning.
As of Friday afternoon, Bechand remained in the custody of state police. According to authorities, he’s the only suspect being investigated in the case.
“We’re still working out the logistics of where he’ll be processed and when he’ll be arraigned,” Cohoes Police Chief Todd Walden told reporters.
A service for Rodriguez is scheduled for Saturday in Altona, Keeler said. She’s described in an online obituary as “the best big sister to her brother. … She prioritized taking care of her little brother over and above anything else.”
