BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A Buffalo man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter for beating another man to death in August.
The Erie County District Attorney's Office announced that 57-year-old James D. Dietz pleaded guilty Thursday in State Supreme Court to one count of first-degree manslaughter.
The district attorney's office said on August 17 Buffalo Police officers responded to a residence on the first block of Henrietta Avenue for a welfare check and found 66-year-old Michael R. Fronczak dead in the basement of his home. The Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death a homicide caused by blunt force trauma.
According to the DA, Dietz caused Fronczak's death by beating him repeatedly with his fists and a lamp. After the crime, Dietz stole Fronczak’s wallet and vehicle and then fled. Fronczak was apprehended by the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office in Taylors, South Carolina on August 21. Dietz was returned to Western New York to face prosecution after waiving extradition.
Dietz is scheduled to be sentenced on February 20, 2025, and faces a maximum of 25 years in prison. He remains held without bail.
