Judge says Bell should stand trial

Scott Bell

AURORA | A judge said Friday there was ample evidence for a man accused of killing a man last year at an East Colfax Avenue motel to stand trial.

Scott Damon Bell, 38, appeared in Adams County Court on Friday for a preliminary hearing, according to court records. 

After the hearing, a judge ruled there was probable cause for Bell to stand trial on a murder charge stemming from the May 2010 slaying of David Jeffrey Carpenter, 41, at the Carriage Motor Inn Motel, 9201 E. Colfax Ave.

According to jail records, Bell had been in the jail since December on a DUI charge when he was charged with Carpenter’s murder in January.

He is set to appear in court next month for arraignment .

In the hours after Carpenter’s death, witnesses told police that a group of five men, including Carpenter and the gunman, were smoking crack in a motel room prior to the shooting, according to an arrest affidavit filed against Bell.

A fight later broke out and police say Bell, who had been brandishing a pistol that day, killed Carpenter.