Press Releases
02/06/2024
New Haven Man Sentenced on Charges of Assault, Unlawful Restraint and Risk of Injury
(New Haven, CT) - New Haven Judicial District State’s Attorney John P. Doyle, Jr. announced that the Honorable Matthew A. Weiner today sentenced Harold Bell, age 48, of New Haven, to 12 years in prison, execution suspended after seven years served, and five years of probation for a 2022 domestic violence assault in New Haven.
A jury in New Haven Superior Court on November 20, 2023 convicted Bell of Assault in the Second Degree in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-60(a)(1), Unlawful Restraint in the First Degree in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-95, Risk of Injury to a Minor in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53-21(a)(1), and Disorderly Conduct in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-182(a)(1).
According to evidence introduced at trial, Bell assaulted the domestic violence victim in New Haven on July 13, 2022, while her 15-year-old daughter was present. During the assault, the defendant strangled the victim in a chokehold from behind, shoved the daughter into a wall when she attempted to intervene, and punched the victim three times in the forehead with a closed fist. The victim received a significant injury to her forehead, which required three sutures and left a permanent scar.
The case was investigated by the New Haven Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorney Kathleen E. Morgan and Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney David J. Strollo.