He Set Fire To His Girlfriend And Then Set Himself Ablaze. A Year In The Hospital Couldn't Help Him Escape The Law.

A man lit his girlfriend on fire to kill her and nearly murdered five other people in the process. Now, he faces decades behind bars.

Recently, Frank J. Bredt Jr., was found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder, according to the Erie County District Attorney’s Office. He now faces a sentence of 25 years to life and will learn his punishment at a later date.

A jury convicted Bredt after about four-and-a-half hours of deliberation following a week-long trial.

On Jan. 11, 2018, Bredt poured an accelerant on his girlfriend and then set her on fire in their Buffalo, New York, home, prosecutors said. He then set himself and the home ablaze.

First responders came to the scene and found the body of 28-year-old Elisabeth Bell, according to prosecutors.

Five other people escaped the blaze, including Bell’s 7-year-old daughter, who suffered burns to her feet, prosecutors noted.

Bredt ran out of the house, while being burned, and tried to hide, prosecutors said. He was found at a nearby home with severe burns. Bredt went to the hospital, where he remained for more than a year in the burn treatment center.

In April 2018, he was formally charged with Bell’s murder and arraigned at the hospital.

“This is one of the most horrific domestic violence homicide cases that has been prosecuted by my office. This defendant intentionally killed his girlfriend by burning her alive in her bedroom. I hope this defendant understands the excruciating pain that he caused this young mother after being severely burned as a result of his murderous actions. The family of Elisabeth Bell has waited a long time for justice and I hope they feel that justice has been served,” said Erie County District Attorney John Flynn.