CORNING, N.Y. (WETM) – The Corning man who killed a woman in her apartment last summer is headed to prison, according to the Steuben County court.

Brett Heffner, 29, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for a 2nd-degree murder charge, the court said. In March 2023, Heffner pleaded guilty to strangling 26-year-old Keli Collins in her apartment late one night in August 2022.

Collins was found unresponsive in her Stewart Park Apartment on August 5, and life-saving measures from various police and EMS agencies were unsuccessful. Another man who police said lived in the same complex, 29-year-old Brett Heffner, was arrested for allegedly attacking and killing her overnight.

Police said Heffner then stole Collins’ car and drove to Hornell. The City of Hornell Police Department found the vehicle around 2:00 a.m. while local law enforcement—including New York State Police and the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office—searched the area and investigated both in Hornell and Corning.

In September, Heffner was indicted by a grand jury. He originally faced a 1st-degree Murder charge, as well as a 1st-degree Rape charge.