Family Speaks After Being Rocked By Murders

Derrick Bell left a part of himself behind after his shooting death in the 800 block of Sangamon Street last Friday, the 19-year-old’s family said.

“He has a 1-year-old son that he left behind,” said Roy Memeweather, Bell’s father.

Bell’s family has seen its share of loss already. On Jan. 14 Derrick’s cousin, Jerel Bell, 20, was found dead in a snowbank with multiple gunshot wounds in his head, but Memeweather said the two deaths are not related.

“This homicide is not related to his cousin’s,” Memeweather said. “What happened to Derrick was an act of stupidity.”

Tuesday, Pablo Peña, 21, of the 800 block of Sangamon, where Derrick Bell’s body was found, was charged with first-degree murder, Chicago Heights police said. Police also charged Peña's brother, Giovanni Peña, 18, with first-degree murder, as well as a 16-year-old the Southtown Star identified as Michael Martin of the first block of North State Street in Glenwood.

The younger Peña and Bell got into an argument about Peña's possible involvement in the theft of a TV from someone Bell knew, Chicago Heights Sgt. Tom Rogers said.

"It all stemmed from the victim and his friends accusing Giovanni and his friends of stealing a flat-screen TV from the first floor basement apartment in the 800 Sangamon address," Rogers said. "The altercation ended in gunfire."

Memeweather said it was Bell’s sister whose television was stolen, and that the Peñas and Bell’s sister were already arguing when Bell arrived at the Sangamon apartment. Bell ended up with a gunshot wound in the back and paramedics were unable to save him.

Bell’s mother, Tonya Collins, said the family has been overwhelmed by so many tragedies happening back to back, including the Dec. 21 arrest of Derrick’s other cousin Jeffery Bell, 21, who was charged with murder in the shooting death of Heights resident Marquetta Campbell.

“First Jeffery was charged with murder,” Collins said. “Not 30 days later his brother [Jerel] was found dead. Another 30 days later we lose Derrick. I’m kind of at a loss for words.”

Collins said she spoke to Derrick the night before he was killed.

“I had just talked to my son Thursday night,” she said. “He called me every day, all day. He was always checking on me.”

The mother added that she is grateful to the Chicago Heights Police Department for capturing her son’s accused killers.

“The words ‘thank you’ are not strong enough,” Collins said. “From day one of me being on the scene to now, they have done a great job. It’s not a side of Chicago Heights that I’ve seen before and I am thankful.”

Sgt. Tom Rogers said Tuesday the department expects to bring more charges in the death of Derrick Bell.