Woman Held in Iowa Jail Charged With Murdering Faribault Man
Faribault, MN (KROC-AM News) - Charges have been filed against a Faribault woman accused of murdering a Faribault man earlier this month.
The Rice County Attorney's Office has filed second-degree murder charges against 32-year-old Arlene Theresa Bell for the death of 76-year-old Gary Lehmeyer. A news release says he was found dead in his home on February 5th by Faribault police officers conducting a welfare check. Police reports indicated he had been stabbed several times, and strangled, with his ankles bound and his body wrapped in blankets, sheets, and a heated mattress pad.
The news release says Bell had been living with the victim and told investigators she was at his home when she heard something fall to the floor. She claims she spotted red bullets at Lehmeyer's feet when she went to his bedroom to check out what had happened.
According to the criminal complaint, Bell admitted she did not see any guns, but she was scared and Lehmeyer would not let her leave the room. She indicated the two of them began a very physical fight even though Lehmeyer was physically disabled and diagnosed more than a decade ago with Parkinson's dementia.
The news release says Bell admitted repeatedly stabbing the victim and using a knife to "saw at his wrists." She claimed that Lehmeyer then strangled her, threw a dehumidifier at her, and choked her with the electrical cord.
In her statement to investigators, Bell stated that she was able to cut the cord off the appliance and saw Lehmeyer bleeding profusely and spitting blood at her just before he died.
The charges say she later bound his feet together with the electrical cord and wrapped up his body because she feared he would regain consciousness and kill her. Bell indicated she then went through the victims belongings and took a shower to wash off the blood before taking his van and began driving south toward the Mexican border.
The criminal complaint says Bell was stopped by an Iowa State Trooper later the same day west of Des Moines. The trooper reported that she looked as if she were under the influence of narcotics and took her into custody. The trooper also found a glass pipe with methamphetamine residue, a bag of syringes, and a package of Narcan.
Bell remains jailed in Dallas County Iowa. Rice County Attorney Brian Mortensen says he expects to begin the extradition process in the incoming days to bring Bell back to Minnesota to face the murder charges.
More Minnesota News:
- Plea Deal Reached For Sex Assault at Rochester Treatment Center
- Discrimination Lawsuit Against Olmsted County Set For Trial
- Wintry Weather Expected in Minnesota by Mid-Week
Property Taxes by State: The USA's Lowest and Highest
Gallery Credit: Scott Clow
