Woman pleads guilty to killing 76-year-old Faribault man
A 34-year-old woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to killing a 76-year-old man she was living with in Faribault, Minnesota, in 2024.
Arlene Bell told officers she had gone upstairs to check on Gary Lehmeyer. The two got into a physical fight, though Lehmeyer had a physical disability and had been diagnosed with Parkinson's dementia more than a decade ago, according to the Rice County Attorney's Office.
Officials said Bell stabbed Lehmeyer repeatedly. Bell told investigators that he strangled her and threw a dehumidifier at her and choked her with the cord. She said she bound his feet together because she was afraid he would regain consciousness and kill her.
She then went through his belongings and took his van, heading south towards Mexico. An Iowa state trooper pulled her over that same day west of Des Moines, suspecting she was under the influence of narcotics.
Bell is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 27, 2026.