March 21, 2023
BATH, NY – Steuben County District Attorney Brooks Baker reports that Brett Heffner, 28, Corning, pleaded guilty in front of Judge Phillip Roche, to Murder in the Second Degree, for the death of Keli Collins last summer, at her Corning Apartment. “Autopsy and laboratory results confirmed, Ms. Collins had been strangled and sexually assaulted,” the D.A. said, in a press release today.
Baker commended Corning Police for their swift response, and quarterbacking of the investigation. “The Corning Police Dept, by prompt and professional response – and utilization of all local police resources, was able to build a case so clear and convincing, that the defendant chose to plead, rather than go to trial,” Baker said. “They displayed a level of interdepartmental cooperation that you don’t see everywhere, with the singular goal of finding justice for Keli Collins.”
Baker also said, that in addition to the Corning P.D., the Steuben County Sheriff’s Department, the New York State Police and the Hornell Police Department all played vital roles in bringing Heffner, swiftly to justice.
Sentencing will be on May 16, at 9:30am, in Steuben County Court.
