A Louisiana man will spend three decades in prison after he pleaded guilty to killing and dismembering his missing girlfriend after her frozen “headless torso” was found in a bus parked on his property.
Benjamin J. Beale was ordered to serve 30 years in a state correctional facility for his involvement in the death of Julia Dardar. Criminal District Court Judge Benedict Willard handed down the sentence after Beale, 38, reached a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to manslaughter, according to WVUE.
He made the deal after he was originally charged with murder and was facing a maximum sentence of 40 years.
Beale was sentenced more than four years after Dardar was initially reported missing by family members in December 2021.
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One month later, authorities executed a search warrant on Beale’s home. Officers found an old blue bus parked in the backyard of the home amid the search, which was secured with a lock pad.
“Investigators utilized a key to unlock the padlock and made entry into the bus,” the affidavit said, per Law & Crime. “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.”
Authorities also found an ice chest on the property, which contained a reciprocating saw that “appeared to have bits of flesh and fluid on the blade.”
Investigators eventually concluded that the victim was a female whose head had been completely severed, according to WDSU. Police also said that several of the victim’s other body parts were found wrapped in plastic.
Additionally, WDSU reported that Dardar and Beale had been in a romantic relationship. However, they were reportedly experiencing problems at the time she went missing.
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As the investigation continued, authorities discovered a hidden meth lab inside Beale’s home. Investigators seized “kerosene, glass dishes with white powder, propane, a Coleman grill, and acetone” from inside of the lab, according to the probable cause affidavit viewed by WDSU.
A large black safe was also found in Beale’s home, which held Dardar’s keys, wallet and credit cards.
Beale was arrested in January 2022 and transported to New Orleans Police Department headquarters. At the time of his arrest, he reportedly refused to cooperate with investigators and wouldn’t answer any questions about the body or alleged drug lab.
He was then eventually booked into the Orleans Parish Jail.
Before he made the plea deal, Beale was originally scheduled to go to trial for the murder in August.
