NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) — Joseph Belstadt will spend 25 years to life in prison years behind bars for the 1993 killing of 17-year-old Mandy Steingasser.
Belstadt was convicted by a jury in November for the killing of Steingasser.
Steingasser was last seen alive getting into Belstadt’s car on September 19, 1993, in North Tonawanda.
Her body was found more than a month later on October 25 in Bond Lake Park in Lewiston.
The jury had 28 years’ worth of testimony to consider and 45 witnesses were called during the trial.
Two pubic hairs found in the backseat of Belstadt’s car were tested in 2017 and were found to be Steingasser’s.
The timeline was also a key part of the case. During the trial, attorneys on both sides presented their version of events, which only differed by a matter of minutes.
Ultimately, the jury found Belstadt guilty of second-degree murder.
He’s been in Niagara County Sheriff’s custody since his conviction.
Kayla Green is a reporter who has been part of the News 4 team since 2021. See more of her work here.
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