Latest news with #CathyBell
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Man found guilty of bludgeoning 2 to death in Dayton sentenced to at least 25 years
Jun. 16—A Dayton man will spend at least 25 years in prison after he reportedly beat a husband and wife to death with a sledgehammer last year. Cortney Tavion Lowe, 34, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, according to the Montgomery County Prosecutor's Office. He was also designated as a violent offender and will be on Ohio's Violent Offender Registry. "The brutal murders of Cathy and Danny Bell were senseless, and this violent and dangerous defendant should never be let out of prison," said Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr. Around 6:10 a.m. on Dec. 3, Dayton police responded to Wayne Avenue near Belmont High School after an RTA bus driver reported a bloody man was walking around. Lowe was shoeless and only wearing a t-shirt and thermal underwear, according to the prosecutor's office. When officers spoke to Lowe, he said he was OK, but the blood belonged to Cathy Bell, according to a Dayton Municipal Court affidavit. Additional crews responded to the Bells' home on Holly Avenue. Investigators found Cathy Bell, 64, and Danny Bell, 66, dead on separate floors of the home. "It was clear both suffered from blunt force trauma," an affidavit read. "A sledgehammer was located in the bedroom where Ms. Bell was found covered in blood." A Montgomery County grand jury indicted Lowe on six counts of murder and four counts of felonious assault last year. Lowe pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and one count of aggravated burglary on June 4.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Tours temporarily halted at Touro Synagogue amid long-standing dispute
NEWPORT, R.I. (WPRI) — Craig and Cathy Bell were saddened to learn that the historic Touro Synagogue has temporarily stopped offering tours. The Bells traveled from Long Island to Newport to celebrate their 46th wedding anniversary and were looking forward to seeing the nation's oldest synagogue, which was built in 1763 and has long stood as a symbol of religious freedom. 'We're not coming back anytime soon,' Craig Bell said. 'So, it's very disappointing.' Newport tour guide and University of Rhode Island professor Art Spivack was also disheartened to learn the building is currently closed to the public. 'It's a sad reflection of this ongoing conflict,' Spivack said. Congregation Jeshuat Israel, which used to worship at the Touro Synagogue, has been embroiled in a legal battle with the New York-based Congregation Shearith Israel for years. Congregation Shearith Israel, which owns the historic building, kicked Congregation Jeshuat Israel out of the synagogue nearly a month ago. The Newport congregation was ousted from the synagogue after the R.I. Supreme Court upheld a 2023 ruling that allowed the New York congregation to do so. The long-standing feud first erupted back in 2012, when the Congregation Jeshuat Israel attempted to sell a pair of Colonial-era Torah bells to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston for $7.4 million. Congregation Shearith Israel, which had been leasing the synagogue to Congregation Jeshuat Israel for $1 a year since the early 1900s, objected to the sale and sought to be declared the rightful owner of the bells. The First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals eventually determined that the bells belonged to Congregation Shearith Israel, which stopped the sale from moving forward. Now, Congregation Shearith Israel is accusing Congregation Jeshuat Israel of misappropriating funds set aside for the building's upkeep and failing to make at least $300,000 worth of repairs. The New York congregation filed a lawsuit against the Newport congregation back in April, accusing them of withdrawing $1.6 million from two funds created in the 1800s to cover synagogue maintenance and pay the rabbi's salary. Congregation Shearith Israel also claims Congregation Jeshuat Israel removed Torah scrolls and other religious artifacts from the building without their permission. The Newport congregation has since moved its prayer services to the Levi Gale House, which is across the street from the synagogue. The Touro Synagogue Foundation initially hoped that the New York congregation would allow them to continue offering tours to visitors. But Laura Freedman Pedrick, chair of the Touro Synagogue Foundation, told 12 News she was sadly mistaken. 'Unfortunately, we were unable to come to terms with that congregation to allow us entry,' Freedman Pedrick explained. 'We've been denied access to the building and are no longer able to give tours.' A sign was posted on the door of the Loeb Visitor Center alerting the public that tours are suspended. Lou Solomon, president of Congregation Shearith Israel, told 12 News that there's a reason the Foundation is not allowed in the building. 'The Touro Synagogue Foundation is allied with the former tenant, which took our ritual objects and refuse to return them,' Solomon said. 'I can't let them come in and take more.' For now, Freedman Pedrick told 12 News the Touro Synagogue Foundation is offering historic presentations at the visitor center. She said tour fees will be waived for the presentations, which are offered every half-hour between 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Sunday through Friday. Meanwhile, Solomon stressed that tours of the synagogue will resume this Friday, but not with the Touro Synagogue Foundation. He said Congregation Shearith Israel found someone else to host the tours. 'We're very pleased about that,' Solomon added. Solomon said the reason no tours were offered Monday and Tuesday were due to the Jewish holiday Shavuot. The Bells remain hopeful that the two congregations will resolve their issues in the near future. 'Knock it off. Find a way to make this work,' Craig Bell said. 'We're all on the same team, supposedly, and we all wear the same uniform.' 'It's disappointing that two affiliations want to fight over who has the right to do XYZ, and who suffers? The public,' he continued. 'Let everyone see what a beautiful building this is and stop being a bunch of knuckleheads.' Spivack echoed that sentiment. 'I think [the congregations] should be able to resolve this,' Spivack said. 'It would be to their mutual benefit.' Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
