Cohoes man gets 20 years to life for killing girlfriend

Cohoes man gets 20 years to life for killing girlfriend Lauren Holdmeyer and Sarah Darmanjian WNYT ALBANY, N.Y. (WNYT)- Anthony Bechand was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for killing his girlfriend in the home they shared. Family members gathered Friday, Nov. 13 at the Albany County Courthouse to honor Amanda Rodriguez during Bechand’s sentencing. Rodriguez was 41 when she was killed. Prosecutors said Bechand and Rodriguez argued the night before the killing, and Rodriguez kicked him out of the Cohoes home and locked the doors before going to sleep. Investigators said Bechand hid outside the home until Rodriguez let her dogs out the morning after and then attacked her. Bechand stabbed Rodriguez more than 40 times in the chest. Bechand was arrested almost two weeks after he killed Rodriguez on Sept. 13, 2025 . After the murder, he fled the area and was taken into custody on September 26 in Franklin County. Bechand admitted to killing Rodriguez in August. He was offered a plea in November 2025. “On Sept. 14, 2025, my life would change forever. Since then, every passing minute has felt like an unthinkable nightmare that I can’t awake or escape from,” Rodriguez’s brother Carlos Rodriguez, said at Bechand’s sentencing. “I lost my best friend overnight, and for reasons that I will never understand. The pain remains deeply to this very day.” The killing happened 14 months before Friday’s sentencing in Albany. Rodriguez’s relatives came to court to honor her life and speak about the family’s pain. Follow NewsChannel 13 online and on air for updates on other Capital Region stories.