Body Stuffed In Trunk: Murder Charges

OAKLAND, CA — A 22-year-old Oakland man was charged with murder Thursday for the recent stabbing death of a 58-year-old man who police said the 22-year-old had previously threatened to kill last year.

Robert Bell, 22, was arraigned in Alameda County Superior Court for the death of Horlents Ortiz of Oakland and is scheduled to return to court on Friday to be assigned an attorney and possibly enter a plea.

Oakland police believe that Bell fatally stabbed Ortiz somewhere in Oakland on Jan. 3 and said Ortiz's body was found in the trunk of his own car in the 8800 block of Pippin Street in East Oakland at about 11 p.m. on
Monday.

Officer Hector Jimenez wrote in a probably cause statement that after Ortiz's body was found investigators located a report from last year that Bell had threatened to stab Ortiz to death.

Jimenez said that after police contacted Bell at his home in the 1700 block of 104th Avenue in East Oakland, not far from the location where Ortiz's body was found, he voluntarily came to police headquarters and
"admitted to killing the victim and stuffing him in the trunk."

Bell is being held without bail at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.

— Bay City News; Image via Shutterstock