Habitual felon sentenced for beating woman who lost eye

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A Brunswick County man has been sentenced to at least 19 years in prison for choking a woman and beating her so severely that she lost an eye.

Jemar Bell hit a woman hard enough that she lost her right eye back in 2017. He also choked her from behind until she thought she was going to pass out. Investigators say the crimes took place between September 1 and October 14.

The woman had been living with Bell in the months leading up to the assault. After it happened, she reached out to a family member to let them know that Bell was refusing to allow her to return home to Virginia. That’s when the family contacted deputies to get the woman help.

The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office immediately responded to the house to find the victim. She was taken to the hospital. The sheriff’s office arrested Bell who has since remained in jail.

It took the Brunswick County jury a little over an hour to return the guilty verdicts on Thursday.

He was found guilty of assault inflicting serious bodily injury, possession of a firearm by a felon, habitual misdemeanor assault, and false imprisonment by a Brunswick County jury. Bell was sentenced up to 24 and a half years in state prison.

Bell’s sentenced was increased based on the State of North Carolina indicting him as a habitual felon.