Panama: Former US Marine Brian Brimager received a 26-year prison sentence for killing his girlfriend in Panama after her dismembered body was found in the jungle.
Brian Brimager, 40, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, and confessed to stabbing 42-year-old Yvonne Lee Baldelli in the back. He then admitted disposing of her remains on a Panamanian island where the couple lived for two months in 2011.
He later joked on a social media post that he had a machete for sale that had only been used once to dismember someone and was almost like new, according to the prosecution. Brimager emptied Baldelli's account after her death and sent emails from her laptop to make friends and family members think the Orange County woman was still alive and travelling. He also admitted to killing her two dogs and disposing of a blood-stained mattress, clothing and jewellery.
Just hours after killing Baldelli, the ex-Marine, formerly based at Camp Pendleton, north of San Diego, sent an email to a friend, saying: "Hey bro, whatcha up to? I got stories for days. I'm living on an island off the coast of panama loving life and living semper free!!!!!!"
During the hearing, Brimager, 40, apologised to the girl’s family. Baldelli's sister, Michelle Faust, told the court: "Today we got an apology - a hollow last-minute attempt to save himself. Last night we talked about forgiveness. But forgiveness is for those who repent, not for those who cover their crimes, not for those who confess only when their back's against the wall."
Prosecutors told the court that people in Panama witnessed Brimager beating, punching, choking and threatening to kill Baldelli numerous times. The evidence stated that he broke her teeth and nose and stabbed her multiple times before dragging her to the shower, where he dismembered her body. He then put her remains in a military-style duffel bag and garbage bags, hiked through the jungle and threw them down an embankment, according to the investigation.
