Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announces that James D. Dietz, 57, of Buffalo, pleaded guilty yesterday before State Supreme Court Justice Paul B. Wojtaszek to one count of Manslaughter in the First Degree (Class “B” violent felony). The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge in full satisfaction of the indictment.
On the afternoon of Saturday, August 17, 2024, at approximately 4:00 p.m., Buffalo Police officers responded to a residence on the first block of Henrietta Avenue for a check the welfare call. Officers found the victim, 66-year-old Michael R. Fronczak, deceased in the basement of his home. The Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death a homicide caused by blunt force trauma.
The defendant caused the death of the victim by beating him repeatedly with his fists and a lamp. After the crime, the defendant stole the victim’s wallet and vehicle before fleeing the area. On Wednesday, August 21, 2024, the defendant was apprehended by the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office in Taylors, South Carolina. The defendant was returned to Western New York to face prosecution after waiving extradition.
Dietz faces a maximum of 25 years in prison when he is sentenced on Thursday, February 20, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. He remains held without bail.
Acting DA Keane commends Detective Scott Malec, Detective Mark White, and members of the Buffalo Police Department Homicide Squad for their work in this investigation as well as the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in the apprehension of the defendant.
The case was prosecuted by First Deputy District Attorney Gary W. Hackbush, former Chief of the Homicide Bureau, and Assistant District Attorney Christopher S. Safulko of the Homicide Bureau.