(SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.) – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced the guilty plea of Edward Bell, 40, of Bellport for Aggravated Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, a Class B Felony, in connection with the sexual assault of a woman found unconscious in the backyard of a home in North Bellport in June 2019. Bell pleaded guilty on Friday in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead before the Honorable Karen M. Wilutis.
“This horrific sexual assault resulted in serious injuries to the victim. As a result of this guilty plea, the defendant will now face just punishment,” said District Attorney Tierney. “I am committed to protecting victims of sexual abuse and ensuring that violent predators like this defendant are caught and brought to justice. I thank the Suffolk County Police officers for their swift action in apprehending this defendant near the scene of the crime, which ensured the resolution of this case without further trauma to the victim.”
According to court filings and statements by the defendant at the guilty plea proceeding, on June 29, 2019 at about 1:30 a.m., Suffolk County Police officers found the victim lying on the ground covered in blood in the backyard of a home in North Bellport. When police canvassed the area, they located Bell walking down the street with blood on his body and clothes. Bell admitted as part of his plea that he had sexually assaulted the victim with a foreign object. As a result of the assault, the victim had to be placed in a medically-induced coma while she was treated for her injuries. Following his arrest, Bell was remanded without bail.
Bell is expected to be sentenced on March 7, 2022 before Judge Wilutis to 16 years in prison to be followed by 5 years of post-release supervision. He will also be required to register as sex offender upon his release from prison.
Senior Assistant District Attorney Dena Rizopoulos of the Felony Offense Bureau, Major Crime Unit, prosecuted the case.