In a sobering development from Faribault, Arlene Theresa Bell, the woman charged with the murder of a disabled veteran, Gary Lehmeyer, has entered a guilty plea, as revealed in a district court hearing on December 17. According to the Rice County official website, Bell, 34, provided a chilling testimony to Judge Christine Long, admitting to the stabbing of Lehmeyer in early February 2024, driven by her desire for him to die due to his "too controlling" nature over her finances and well-being.
As a result of the plea agreement, Bell is poised to receive a 35-year sentence for second-degree intentional murder, with the requirement to serve a mandatory two-thirds of the sentence in prison, accounting for time already spent in jail. The judge took her time to make sure Bell understood that such a sentence represented a significant part of her life. The plea deal includes the dismissal of additional charges, notably theft of a motor vehicle for stealing Lehmeyer’s van, which Bell used to escape, before being caught by an Iowa state trooper, and a count of assault after spitting on a Rice County correctional officer in June 2024.
Notably, Rice County Attorney Brian Mortenson highlighted that discussions were held with both Lehmeyer’s family and the victimized correctional officer before finalizing the plea agreement. Bell’s defense attorney, Graham Henry, requested a transfer for Bell to the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Shakopee, citing her profound dissatisfaction with the Rice County Jail, yet this request was turned down by Judge Long.
The conclusion of this tragic case is forthcoming, with a sentencing hearing scheduled for January 27, 2026, at 2 p.m,. where Bell will formally receive her sentence. The case, which has followed the tortuous arc of investigation, plea bargaining, and now imminent sentencing, represents yet another chapter of finality in our legal system's ongoing confrontation with the raw human realities of crime and retribution.
