Keith Renaldo Jr.

Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn has announced that 40-year-old Keith Renaldo Jr. of Brant was sentenced Tuesday before Erie County Court Judge Kenneth Case to 25 years to life in prison.

According to Flynn, on or about June 26, 2021, the defendant intentionally caused the death of the victim by shooting her with a shotgun. On July 1, 2021, New York State Police found the victim, 45-year-old Gina Baca of Angola, deceased in a wooded area off of Route 438 in the Town of Brant after she had been reported missing by family members.

A jury found Renaldo guilty of one count of second-degree murder (Class “A-I” felony). Jurors rendered their decision after less than three hours of deliberation following an eight-day trial in June 2023, convicting the defendant of the only count in the indictment against him.

DA Flynn commends the New York State Police and the Seneca Nation of Indians Marshals for their work in this investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Ryan D. Haggerty of the Homicide Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Justin H. Caldwell of the Narcotics/Intelligence Unit.