A 55-year-old Amherst man was sentenced to 12 years in prison after fatally stabbing his girlfriend in 2022.
Kirk F. Bielanin of Amherst was sentenced Wednesday before Erie County Court Judge Kenneth Case to the 12 years in prison followed by 5 years of post-release supervision.
Between the late evening of May 30, 2022 and the early morning hours of May 31, 2022, the defendant stabbed his estranged girlfriend, 60-year-old Diane Bird, once in the chest inside of her home on Glen Oak Drive in the Town of Amherst. Bielanin, who previously resided at the home, was living with a family member in the Village of Depew at the time of the crime.
On May 31, 2022, at approximately 1:27 p.m., a co-worker went to check on Bird after she did not appear for work. The co-worker found Bird deceased near the front door and called 911. Responding police officers found Bielanin in an upstairs bedroom. He was transported by ambulance to Erie County Medical Center where he was treated for a stab wound to his chest and a cut to his left wrist.
Bielanin pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree manslaughter (Class “B” violent felony) on Nov. 20. He pleaded guilty to the highest count in the indictment before his non-jury trial was scheduled to begin the following week.
Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn commended the Amherst Police Department for their work in the investigation.
The case was prosecuted by Chief Eugene T. Partridge, III of the Major Crimes Bureau and Assistant Chief Andres D. Ortiz of the Buffalo City Court Bureau.