This article has been modified from how it was originally published in the Star-Telegram and on Star-Telegram.com to correct the address of the apartment complex.
FORT WORTH -- A 22-year-old man charged with capital murder in the deaths of two men outside the notorious Chicas Locas lounge in Arlington was sentenced Monday to life in prison for an unrelated armed robbery in Fort Worth.Robert Earl Bell Jr. of Fort Worth was on parole from the juvenile system when he went on what prosecutors termed a robbery "rampage" over eight days in July 2009.Bell was convicted last week of robbing and shooting Christopher Richardson outside a Fort Worth apartment complex on July 3, 2009. Richardson survived.On Monday, the jury in state District Judge Robb Catalano's court deliberated 45 minutes before giving Bell the maximum sentence.Also Monday, Bell's cousin, Darren Bell, 28, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for aggravated robbery for his role in the robbery and fatal shootings at Chicas Locas on July 11.Darren Bell reached a plea deal with prosecutors and testified for the prosecution in Robert Bell's trial.The pair were accused of robbing Jorge Perez and Edgar Ruiz-Araiza outside Chicas Locas, which has since closed under pressure from Arlington officials. Robert Bell shot the men eight times, investigators said."This defendant showed his lack of regard for human life when he gunned down two people and left a third for dead," Assistant District Attorney Steve Gebhardt said in a statement."This office worked tirelessly to put this case together and we're grateful for the jury's decision. Their verdict was three years in the making."Gebhardt tried the case with prosecutor Christy Jack.Defense attorneys Steve Gordon and Bill Ray had suggested that Robert Bell might have been "set up" in the Richardson robbery and shooting. They then argued that the jury should not have been presented evidence about the Chicas Locas shooting."They didn't take very long," Gordon said. "They certainly got the benefit of convicting him on the aggravated robbery first. The Chicas Locas cases independent of the aggravated robbery were weak."Prosecutors presented evidence that Robert Bell and Richardson were with their girlfriends July 3 in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 6500 block of Copperstone Drive in Fort Worth. At some point during the evening, the women left briefly, and Bell pulled a gun on Richardson and demanded his wallet, according to testimony.After Richardson gave Bell the wallet, Bell shot him once in the chest.Dianna Hunt, 817-390-7084Twitter: @DiannaHuntHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
