A New Orleans man will spend the next three decades behind bars after admitting to the gruesome killing and dismemberment of his girlfriend, whose remains were discovered hidden inside a bus on his property.
Criminal District Court Judge Benedict Willard sentenced 38-year-old Benjamin J. Beale to 30 years in a state correctional facility for the death of Julia Dardar. The sentencing follows a deal with prosecutors where Beale pleaded guilty to manslaughter. He had originally been charged with murder, which carried a potential 40-year maximum sentence.
The case began in December 2021 when Dardar’s family reported her missing. A month later, police executed a search warrant at Beale’s home on Pauline Street. In the backyard, investigators found an old blue bus secured with a padlock…