Loading...
On-Air Promo Creative 115x175
|| News ||

POST COMMENT(8)   Bookmark and Share EMAIL  PRINT  RECOMMEND

4 readers have recommended this story.

Page 1 of 1

Kidnapping or Hate Crime?


DAVID JAMES BELL X390 (FAIR USE MUG) | ADVOCATE.COM

The trial of David James Bell, the Utah man who was severely beaten after two missing children were discovered in his home, began Tuesday in Salt Lake City.

Bell is standing trial for two counts of child kidnapping and one count of second-degree felony burglary, but the defense claims Bell and his partner were victims of a hate crime.

Lulu Latu, Bell’s next-door neighbor, discovered the two children, her 2-year-old daughter and 4-year-old nephew, after a Fourth of July celebration in 2008. Latu had invited Bell's partner, Dan Fair, to the festivities, which continued until the children were discovered missing at about 6:30 a.m.

Upon finding the children in her neighbor’s upstairs bedroom, Lulu slapped Bell and told him to, "lock his doors," reports TheSalt Lake Tribune. Soon after, a group of five individuals forced entry into Bell’s home and proceeded to beat him and Fair.

Dragged out of his home by his hair, Bell’s head was then repeatedly smashed against the pavement and a piece of broken glass was used to cut his throat, chest, and one of his toes. The men also allegedly dropped a television set onto Fair's head.

"Gay does matter in this case. It played a role in the conclusions people jumped to that morning," defense attorney Susanne Gustin told jurors, reports TheSalt Lake Tribune.

According to testimony, Bell told officers he wanted to take the children to his house so they could sleep on the couch since the celebration had extended into the early morning.

The trial is expected to conclude on Friday. If convicted on all felony counts, Bell could face 15 years to life in prison.

No one has been charged for the beatings incurred by Bell or Fair.

Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Twitter. Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Facebook. Page 1 of 1

POST COMMENT(8)   Bookmark and Share EMAIL  PRINT  RECOMMEND

4 readers have recommended this story.

Reader Comments
  • Name: Cary Hasler
    Date posted: 9/25/2009 8:41:52 PM
    Hometown: Salt Lake City

    Comment:

    As of 3:30pm September 25, 2009. David James Bell was found Not Guilty on all counts. Charges have still not been brought against to people that assaulted D.J. Bell and his partner Dan Fair.

  • Name: joey
    Date posted: 9/24/2009 11:19:48 PM
    Hometown: utah

    Comment:

    while the assault is an important issue, it has NOTHING to do with the kidnapping case. they are two completely separate issues. the assault was the aftermath, but has NO bearing at all on the kidnapping case.

  • Name: RRR
    Date posted: 9/24/2009 9:09:39 AM
    Hometown: SF

    Comment:

    C-Hunt - Actually, any single adult males hetero or not should stay away from anyone elses children. Anyone can be accused of being a pedophile, not just non-hetero men. The fact is that most pedophiles are hetero men, although this means nothing to the ignorant - there is not reason to perpetuate the disgusting association betweens gays and pedophiles.

  • Name: c hunt
    Date posted: 9/23/2009 9:45:54 PM
    Hometown: washington

    Comment:

    1- what do expect from inbred utah... they're a nasty and brutish group. 2- what the fuck we're they thinking. as a gay man I don't let any ones kids in my house. given the publicity vis a vis the catholic church etc... a non hetro married man would be a flaming idiot to go anywhere near a child.

  • Name: sherry ross
    Date posted: 9/23/2009 9:19:17 PM
    Hometown: slc ut

    Comment:

    what about the Fact that the mother had taken the children home they were safe when the other people broke into bell's home and beat he and his partner so badly that his partner was hospitlaized for a week. or is that legal in utah. cuz if it is we all better hide. never know when you could get killed by a vigilante neighbor.look at the facts even if bell did what he has ben accused of by any state that i have ever lived in what the parents did was attempted murder. the children were home with there mother safe and sound. there was no EMINENT DANGER and that is what is required by law for this to be concidered defense of another. i for one believe bell is inocent.

  • Name: Daniel H
    Date posted: 9/23/2009 6:03:06 PM
    Hometown: Provo

    Comment:

    According to other news outlets reporting this issue, Bell and Fair's attackers have a colorful criminal record, including burglary, robbery and assault on a police officer, among other things.

  • Name: Daniel H
    Date posted: 9/23/2009 5:48:58 PM
    Hometown: Provo

    Comment:

    I know Bell, I grew up with him. It's often brought up that he was overheard telling the children they were beautiful. Knowing Bell, that's the kind of thing he'd say when calming someone down. This is obviously a case of over-reaction by incredibly inebriated parents against a man who was trying to do something good. Because the case is being tried in Ultra-conservative Utah, I worry that Bell's not going to get a fair trial.

  • Name: Megan Pedersen
    Date posted: 9/23/2009 3:56:27 PM
    Hometown: Taylorsville

    Comment:

    www.injustice801.com is a website that has been set up by supporters of Fair and Bell. It has a lot of great information, including links to all news articles to date.



More Online Only
  • Photography Artist Spotlight: Didio

    São Paulo photographer Didio says he enjoys observing the daily life of normal men. If these photographs tell us anything, it's that Brazil has raised the bar on what defines normal.

  • DVDs Hot Sheet: Sade, Channing Tatum

    This week's hot sheet includes a movie about a gay romance in Jerusalem’s ultra-orthodox Jewish community... and shirtless performances by Channing Tatum and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

  • Books Jackie Collins Takes on Hollywood

    From overdoses to horny old men to gay guys landing leading roles, best selling novelist Jackie Collins runs her mouth... and it's juicier than ever.

  • Sports Weir Comes Out ... Against Anti-Fur Activists

    With one week to go before the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, irrepressible men’s figure skating star Johnny Weir talks about the threats that led him to rip tufts of fur from his long-program costume.

  • Music Stephin Merritt Keeps It Real

    Stephin Merritt, the lead singer of the critically lauded group the Magnetic Fields, is one of the few openly gay artists in today's music world. Just don't call him "indie."

  • News Features The Strains of DADT on One Couple

    Andrew Cirner tells the story of his relationship with a military man, evading "don't ask, don't tell," a blackmailing ex-lover, and the extreme steps his mother took to save the day.

  • Sports Saints Linebacker Fujita Tackles Gay Marriage

    As New Orleans Saints linebacker Scott Fujita gears up for Super Bowl XLIV, Fujita talks to The Advocate about standing up for gay rights and against inequality, and about Tim Tebow's draft prospects thanks to Focus on the Family.

  • Commentary Mosbacher Family Affair

    Nanette Gartrell pays tribute to former Secretary of Commerce Bob Mosbacher, the father of her partner, Dee. Mosbacher, one of the Republican Party’s most successful fund-raisers, passed away in January. 

  • News Features The Faces of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

    Tuesday's Senate hearing sparked what promises to be the biggest discussion of "don't ask, don't tell" since the antigay policy was instituted in 1993. So The Advocate is spotlighting some of the biggest voices on both sides of the debate.

  • News Features They're Having a Baby

    Thomas Moore, husband to fellow transgender man Scott, talks to The Advocate about helping his spouse get through nine months of doctor issues, baby showers, and bellyaches.

  • Prop 8 Prop. 8 Plaintiffs Speak  

    Jeff Zarrillo and Paul Katami, two of the four plaintiffs challenging California’s Prop. 8 in federal court, talk to Advocate.com about their resolve (and occasional nerves) during the testimony phase of the trial.

  • Music The Grammy Awards in Pictures

    From Lady Gaga's many costume changes to Pink's wet and wild aerial act, take a look at the some of the highlights from Sunday night's Grammy awards.

  • Books Book Excerpt: The Play That Changed My Life

    Playwright Doug Wright, who was awarded the Pulitzer, a Tony, and a GLAAD Media Award for his play I Am My Own Wife, remembers how Charles Ludlam's Ridiculous Theatrical Company inspired his illustrious career.

  • Activism Leaderless

    Porn impresario Michael Lucas looks for the country’s gay Martin Luther King Jr., and finds little to celebrate.

  • Society Life on the G-list: Episode 2

    It may be the most cliché line in all of Hollywood: “What’s my motivation?” And for actor David Moretti, motivation does not include having just conquered Britney, Beyoncé, or J.Lo.