An 18-year-old man received a sentence of 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to murdering an Oswego man in 2022.
Yesterday, Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis announced that Brian Bell, Jr., of DeKalb entered a plea of guilty to First Degree Murder and was sentenced to 20 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections by Judge Jody Gleason. Due to changes in the law and Bell’s age at the time of the murder, Bell was subject to different sentencing provisions than most adults in murder cases.
In December 2022, Bell was the front seat passenger in a vehicle that was being driven by Ashton Laatz of Oswego, who was 18 at the time. Laatz stopped the vehicle in the area of Circle Drive East in Montgomery and picked up two male juveniles. Bell then brandished a firearm in an apparent attempt to rob Laatz over a drug deal.
A struggle ensued between Bell and Laatz in the front seats of the vehicle, during which Laatz was shot in the thigh. Bell and the others fled from the vehicle as Laatz attempted to drive away. One of the other juveniles fired a different handgun at the fleeing vehicle.
Laatz was unable to drive further than a couple of blocks and his vehicle crashed. He was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to the single gunshot wound.
Bell was eventually tracked by Kendall County Sheriff’s deputies to a residence on Seneca Drive in Montgomery. Two juveniles that had fled from the vehicle were found inside the home, as well as a handgun. Bell managed to jump out of a back window and elude the deputies. The handgun Bell used in the robbery was then located underneath a shed in the backyard. Both firearms were sent to the Illinois State Police Laboratory and were confirmed to be the handguns used during the shootings.
Bell was apprehended after a warrant was issued for his arrest, and he has remained in custody since then.
Bell was sentenced in front of a crowded courtroom of Laatz’s supporters which included statements from Laatz’s parents.
“I cannot imagine the pain of a parent losing their child to such senseless violence,” Weis said. “An entire family has been torn apart by the greed and depravity of one individual. While no sentence will ever bring Ashton back or restore the Laatz family, my hope is that some closure occurred today for the family in recovering from this horrific tragedy.”
Under Illinois law, Bell must serve 100% of the sentence. In addition, Bell will have a 3-year period of Mandatory Supervised Release and will have to register as a Violent Offender Against Youth after he completes his lengthy prison sentence.
