The Brief
- Brian Bell Jr., 18, was sentenced to 20 years for murdering Ashton Laatz during a drug deal in December 2022.
- Laatz was shot in the thigh and later died from his injuries.
- Bell was apprehended after fleeing the scene, and Laatz’s parents attended the sentencing, which highlighted the tragedy’s impact on their family.
KENDALL COUNTY, Ill. – An 18-year-old man from DeKalb was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in a deadly shooting, according to the Kendall County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Brian Bell Jr. is required by law to serve his entire sentence and will have a three-year period of mandatory supervised release. After his prison term, he must register as a violent offender against youth.
The conviction stems from an incident on Dec. 22, 2022, when Bell was a front-seat passenger in a vehicle driven by Ashton Laatz, of Oswego. The vehicle stopped on Circle Drive East in Montgomery, where two juvenile males were picked up.…