A man has been sentenced to 30 to 60 years for killing his girlfriend, stuffing her body into a recycling bin and later firing at four police officers, wounding one of them.
Sixty-three-year-old Walter Bratvold pleaded guilty Friday in Lehigh County to third-degree murder in the death of 59-year-old Rose Sieniawski, whose decomposing body was found in February 2016 in a recycling bin at an Allentown apartment complex. He also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault. Prosecutors said they believe the sentence amounts to a life term.
Bratvold said Friday he wasn't sure what happened, that he had been drinking and wasn't taking mental health medication. He said he heard noises in the apartment, as if someone was breaking in, and opened fire. Prosecutors said his story didn't make sense.
