TEMPE, Ariz. — An Arizona man was convicted of kidnapping and raping a college student near the Arizona State University campus in 2021, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
On Oct. 17, 2021, shortly after 5 a.m., ASU police officers responded to reports that a female adult had been sexually assaulted near Hyatt House north of University Drive and McAllister Avenue, close to the school’s campus, reported AZFamily.
The woman told responding officers that she just left her apartment and was walking to work when a man grabbed her from behind. The suspect, later identified as Eric Todd Bell, 23, held the victim at knifepoint and forced her into a parking garage where he proceeded to rape her. Once the sexual assault occurred, the suspect pressed a “gun-like object into her back” and told her to count to 50 as he fled, according to court documents.
Bell was linked to the crime scene by detectives as a result of DNA evidence collected in the garage. It was submitted to the state crime lab, which ultimately matched Bell, a man with an extensive criminal history in Ohio.
Bell had prior convictions for several crimes, including aggravated robbery, assault, weapons violations, and sex trafficking, AZFamily reported.
After the kidnapping/rape was reported, Bell remained on the run for several days. Once he was identified, he was later taken into custody at his residence in Mesa. During the arrest, police also recovered two handguns.
Although the violent crime occurred close to ASU, law enforcement authorities told the news outlet at the time that neither the victim nor the suspect had connections to the school.
Once Bell was charged, he chose to defend himself, complicating the legal process, the attorney’s office said.
“These cases are already challenging enough, even when the defendant has his own lawyer,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a press statement. “When the defendant is representing himself, my lawyers must work doubly hard to ensure he doesn’t make mistakes that would jeopardize a conviction. I’m particularly proud of this team who took all that into account and still made sure he will go to prison where he belongs.”
Ultimately, Bell was convicted of five counts of sexual assault and one count of kidnapping.
He has has a prison exposure of more than 25 years, according to prosecutors. Sentencing is scheduled for May 9.
