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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.
