A State Police trooper car parked along Route 86 near Paul Smith’s Friday morning, near where Anthony Bechand was taken into custody. Photo: Emily Russell
A manhunt for a murder suspect that began almost two weeks ago in the Adirondacks ended this morning, according to the State Police.
Anthony Bechand, 53, of Cohoes, NY was taken into custody in the Adirondacks near where his truck was abandoned between Gabriels and Paul Smith’s.
Bechand was spotted around 7:30 this morning by Roger Brubaker, who was sitting at his desk on the second floor of his home. Brubaker lives along the section of Rt. 86 near Paul Smith’s known as “Easy Street.”
“I saw his goatee and immediately thought, ‘That looks like the guy I saw on the news,'” explained Brubaker. “My heart was racing.”
Bechand was wearing camouflage pants, a short-sleeved blue t-shirt, a camo beanie, and carrying a duffle bag.
“He walked down the road toward my neighbor’s garden and started beating at the apple tree to get something to eat,” Brubaker said, “and I thought, ‘this guy doesn’t look like he’s from around here.'”
Brubaker said he called 911 quickly after seeing Bechand. Five minutes later, Brubaker saw police cars drive past his home. He said police called him back just ten minutes later to confirm they had apprehended Bechand.
It had been nearly two weeks since Bechand abandoned his truck just two miles up the road in Brighton. Earlier that day, on Sunday, Sept. 14. Bechand’s girlfriend was found murdered at the home they shared in Cohoes, north of Albany. Autopsy results revealed that Amanda Rodriguez, 41, was stabbed to death.
At a press conference yesterday at State Police headquarters in Ray Brook, Cohoes police chief Todd Waldin said Bechand was the only suspect in the case.
“From what investigators have found so far, there is a lot of evidence that points to Mr. Bechand.”
Waldin said he felt “a great sense of relief,” after learning that Bechand had been apprehended. “It was mostly because I was thinking of the victim and her family and I thought, at least they can have some measure of closure in knowing that this person is no longer out there on the loose.”
About two hours after Bechand was taken into custody Friday morning, Roger Brubaker said he felt a similar sense of relief knowing that the manhunt was over.
“People shouldn’t hurt the ones that they love,” said Brubaker. “Men specifically should never commit acts of violence against women.” Brubaker said he hopes Rodriguez’s family finds some peace knowing the man who allegedly murdered her has been taken into police custody.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated with additional details.
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