Inset: Benjamin Beale (Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office). Background: Beale's home, where his girlfriend's frozen, dismembered body was discovered (WDSU).
A Louisiana man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing and dismembering his girlfriend, whose headless torso was found stuffed in a freezer inside an old bus on his property.
Criminal District Court Judge Benedict Willard ordered Benjamin J. Beale, 38, to serve the sentence in a state correctional facility for killing Julia Dardar. Willard handed down the sentence after Beale, who had initially been charged with murder, reached a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to manslaughter, local Fox affiliate WVUE reported.
Beale had reportedly been facing a maximum sentence of 40 years.
As Law&Crime previously reported, Dardar was initially reported missing by family members in December 2021.
The following month, authorities executed a search warrant on Beale's home in the 2300 block of Pauline Street. Investigators combing through the property found an old blue bus, which was secured with a padlock, parked in the backyard of the home.
"Investigators utilized a key to unlock the padlock and made entry into the bus," the affidavit said. "Upon opening the lid of the freezer, investigators observed the headless torso of what appeared to be an adult human female. A deep linear cut was visible along the left shoulder/upper arm area, which appeared to have been inflicted post-mortem."
An ice chest on the property also contained a reciprocating saw that authorities said "appeared to have bits of flesh and fluid on the blade."
Shortly after the search, New Orleans NBC affiliate WDSU reported that the victim was a female whose head had been completely severed and that several other body parts were found wrapped in plastic. The station also reported that Dardar and Beale had been dating but were having relationship problems when she went missing.
Police also discovered a hidden meth lab inside Beale's home after finding Dardar's remains. Inside the lab, investigators seized "kerosene, glass dishes with white powder, propane, a Coleman grill, and acetone," WDSU reported, citing a probable cause affidavit.
A large black safe containing Dardar's keys, wallet and credit cards was also recovered from Beale's home.
Beale was arrested and transported to New Orleans Police Department headquarters, where he reportedly refused to cooperate with investigators, provide a statement, or answer any questions about the body or alleged drug lab. He was booked into the Orleans Parish Jail.
Beale was scheduled to go to trial for Dardar's murder in August. After formally pleading to the manslaughter charge, he was transferred from parish jail to a state facility, WVUE reported.
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