Crime & Safety
Arrest Made In Des Moines Stabbing Death
The suspect, Michael Lee Bell, was found shortly after the incident Wednesday and later charged with first-degree murder.
DES MOINES, IA — A 39-year-old Des Moines man has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the city's latest homicide. The suspect, Michael Lee Bell, is in the Polk County Jail without bond.
Police were called shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday to investigate a stabbing at an apartment building at 1100 Euclid Ave. They arrived to find a man with a single stab wound to his upper body.
The victim, Jerry Lavelle Martin, 42, was taken to an area hospital in critical condition. He died a short time later.
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Police say they located Bell in the area shortly after the incident occurred. He was detained while they investigated and later arrested.
Des Moines police said Martin's death is the city's 24th homicide in 2017.
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Polk County Jail photo
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