20 to Life in a Cohoes Murder

Friday's sentence is the judgment. Bechand pleaded guilty in August. Twenty years is the earliest he can be considered for release.

Judge Roger McDonough sentenced Anthony Bechand on Friday in Albany County Court to 20 years to life. Bechand, 54, pleaded guilty in August to second-degree murder in the killing of Amanda Rodriguez, 41, at her home on Earl Lynn Court in Cohoes. Relatives called her Mandee.

Prosecutors said the two fought the night before, and Rodriguez locked him out. On the morning of Sept. 13, 2025, he waited at the back door for nearly 20 minutes. When she opened it to let her dogs outside, he stabbed her more than 40 times. A family friend found her dead the next day. Assistant District Attorney Alyssa Congdon told the court a doorbell camera recorded the attack.

Bechand fled north. His truck was found that day near Paul Smith's College in Brighton. On Sept. 26, state troopers and Franklin County deputies arrested him on State Route 86 after a tip. In court Friday he told the judge, "I do think I deserve the death penalty."