Woman sentenced for 2024 murder of Faribault man she lived with

A woman who pleaded guilty to killing a 76-year-old man she lived with in Faribault, Minnesota, in 2024 has been sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Arlene Bell, 34, received nearly two years of credit for time served. She pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in December.

According to a criminal complaint, when Bell went to check on 76-year-old Gary Lehmeyer in February 2024, the two got into a fight. 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.

The complaint said Bell stabbed Lehmeyer repeatedly after he strangled her, threw a dehumidifier at her and choked her with the cord.

Bell then took his van and started driving toward Mexico, the complaint said, but was stopped by an Iowa state trooper who suspected she was on drugs.