Hopkins man faces life in prison after pleading guilty

A Hopkins man faces life in prison after pleading guilty to three charges he was indicted on by a Hennepin County Grand Jury in January 2020, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.

In the third week of trial, DeQuarn Bell, 25, pleaded guilty Wednesday to all three indicted offenses: first-degree criminal sexual conduct, first-degree assault and one count of promoting prostitution. Bell received a life sentence with the possibility of parole after serving 30 years because the offense involved a heinous element: great bodily harm.

Bell is scheduled to be sentenced December 4 at 9 a.m.

According to the criminal complaint, on September 9, 2019, Hopkins police responded to a report of a domestic assault involving Bell and the victim that occurred in late July. The victim told police that Bell repeatedly physically and sexually assaulted her with a hot curling iron on her face and other parts of her body.

The victim also stated that, after the assault, Bell prevented her from leaving the apartment by taking her phone and keys. The victim was able to escape on foot to a gas station on September 9, where she called police, the criminal complaint states.

In court Wednesday, Bell admitted that the entirety of the victim’s testimony was true.