Anthony Bechand, who is suspected of murdering his girlfriend, 41-year-old Amanda Rodriguez was brought before Judge Roger McDonough in the Albany County Court, and charged with murder, burglary, and tampering with physical evidence. The indictment comes three days after Bechand’s capture by State Police in the Adirondacks, and two weeks after Rodriguez was found dead in her home on September 14. Bechand pleaded not guilty on all counts.
Along with the charges, five restraining orders were filed for the family of Amanda Rodriguez, including her mother, Crystal Rodriguez, who called police for a welfare check on her daughter that led to law enforcement find the dead woman. Rodriguez’s funeral took place over the weekend, and her family was not present in court, but several of Bechand’s family were in attendance.
According to Albany District Attorney Lee Kindlon, the charges of burglary and tampering with physical evidence were filed because Bechand was allegedly not allowed in the house, and he may have disposed of evidence against himself while he was on the run.
Officials say that Rodriguez was stabbed to death, and that Bechand subsequently fled the scene. Law enforcement officials in Franklin County in the Adirondacks found his 2024 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck abandoned the same day, but found no sign of Bechand until late last week.
In an attempt to aid the search for Bechand, New York State Police held a press conference on Thursday, September 25, to urge the public to report any sightings of him in the area. The next day, Friday, September 26, Bechand was found walking on State Route 86, three miles from where his vehicle was found.
Cohoes Police Chief Todd Waldin said on Friday that the press conference was “instrumental” in the capture of Bechand, noting that he was found only after two calls came in from the public about a suspicious man in the area. He also said there was no history of police calls to Rodriguez’s address, where she had lived for the last 10 years.
“One of the unique parts of this case was we didn't even have one call to that residence," he said. "You could not have a criminal history, but you could have the police call to your house because you're having a verbal argument, because there's loud noise, because there's this disturbance, any one of a number of things can generate that response. And in this case, in the 10 years that she resided at that house, we don't have a single call for anything.”
State Police Troop G Commander Major Christopher Gilroy also claimed on Friday that the manhunt for Bechand was possibly the largest in the Capital Region after the manhunt for Richard Matt and David Sweat, who escaped from the Clinton County Correctional Facility in Dannemora in 2015.
Both Kindlon and Cohoes Police Chief Waldin spoke of the resources available to the public in cases of domestic violence, and Waldin emphasized the importance of acting quickly in such cases.
“If you're 100% sure, or even if you have an idea that there's something going on, let us know," he said. "You don't have to be 100% sure that there's something going on next door that's extremely violent. But if you hear yelling or arguing, we'll go to the call. We'll sort it out. We'll help the victims. We'll help people get the resources. The worst thing you can do is just sit back and do nothing. And if you're the victim yourself, please give us the opportunity to help you.”
Bechand was sent to Albany County Jail without bail and is scheduled for a later court date.
