Louis A. Bianchi, McHenry County
State’s Attorney, announces that thirty one year old Jimmy Bell Jr. was sentenced to serve a period of 38 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections
for his convictions on two Attempt Murder charges and two Armed Violence
charges. The attacks took place on July 2, 2013 approximately one year after
Bell’s long term relationship with one of the victims ended.
Bell’s former
girlfriend had recently begun dating an Aurora man at the time of the crimes.
Bell broke into a basement window of the Crystal Lake townhouse he used to
share with the female victim. He brought his own folding knife in and added a
butcher knife from the victim’s knife block before breaking into the locked
master bedroom where both victims were asleep at 4:15 AM. Bell stabbed his ex-girlfriend 9 times, and
the Aurora man 14 times before the male victim was able to fight off Mr. Bell
and cause him to flee from the scene.
Both victims were whisked to hospitals in
critical condition and both survived only after many hours of level one trauma
surgery. The case was investigated by the Crystal Lake Police Department with
assistance from Major Investigation Assist Team members. The charges were
prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorneys David Johnston and Robert Zalud.
