The man convicted of the 1993 killing of a woman in the City of Tonawanda was sentenced to more than 37 years in prison, ending a legal odyssey that has stretched on for decades.
Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announces that Brian Scott Lorenzo, also known as Brian Scott Lorenz, 56, appeared before State Supreme Court Justice Paul B. Wojtaszek Tuesday where he received an indeterminate sentence of 37 ½ years to life in prison.
Lorenz was convicted of attacking and killing 33-year-old Deborah Meindl inside a Franklin Street home on Feb. 17, 1993. She was found deceased in the dining room by her 10-year-old daughter when she arrived home from school. The Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the manner of death as homicide caused by ligature strangulation.
In 1994, Lorenzo was sentenced to 37 ½ years to life in prison after a jury found him guilty of all counts in the indictment. A co-defendant, who was convicted in the same trial, received an indeterminate sentence of 25 years to life in prison. This case was the subject of numerous post-conviction motions. In 2023, Justice Wojtaszek vacated the original jury verdict following a 440-motion hearing, and the People filed an appeal to the Supreme Court of the State of New York Appellate Division Fourth Judicial Department. After the Appellate Division upheld the judge’s decision to vacate the convictions, Keane said his office pursued separate re-trials due to the nature of the evidence, which included the defendant’s confessions to no less than six separate witnesses.
The first re-trial of Lorenzo resulted in a mistrial in October 2025. In early December 2025, the People filed a motion to dismiss the indictment against the co-defendant, who was paroled in 2019, in the interest of justice with the consent of the victim’s family.
In April, Lorenzo was tried for a third time. After nine days of proof and approximately six hours of deliberation, a jury found him guilty of two counts of second-degree murder (Class A-I felonies) and one count of first-degree burglary (Class B violent felony), convicting him of all counts in the indictment.
“The passage of time presents significant challenges in any prosecution, and this case was no exception. This outcome is a testament to the unwavering commitment of dedicated public servants tasked with the pursuit of justice,” Keane said. “My thoughts remain with the family of Debbie Meindl, especially her youngest daughter Lisa and her sister Lynne who were present for every court appearance. I recognize that a trial, even more than three decades later, takes an emotional toll on every person involved from witnesses to investigators – but especially for a family who continues to grieve the loss of their loved one. Again, I thank the Meindl family for their strength and cooperation throughout this lengthy legal process.”
The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Eugene T. Partridge, III, Chief Rebecca L. Schnirel of the Felony Trials Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Ryan M. Flaherty of the Major Crimes Bureau with the assistance of Assistant District Attorney Harmony A. Healy of the Appeals Bureau.