Arrests made in grisly cold case of California woman killed, dismembered in Colorado

Two arrests have been made in Colorado in connection with a gruesome cold case killing and dismemberment of a woman born and raised in California, officials announced Tuesday.

The victim, 51-year-old Kimberly Bell, was reported missing in August 2019 by her sister, Darren Weekly, sheriff of Douglas County in Colorado, said at a press conference Tuesday announcing the arrests.

Bell, according to reporting from 9News in Colorado, had been living with her sister in Franktown and had stopped showing up for work by late July 2019.

“Unfortunately, there was very little information or evidence in the investigation as to what actually happened to Kimberly,” Weekly said. “Detectives, however, did not give up and the case was turned over to our cold case team in 2021.”

It’s unclear when Bell moved from California to Colorado, though in an email to KTLA, her sister said that she moved there “for a fresh start.”

Detectives in Douglas County have now determined that on July 22, 2019, two suspects, 30-year-old Javier “Alex” Martell and 38-year-old Jennifer Bremer who were acquainted with Bell, were in her rental vehicle at a Denver public transportation parking structure.

Weekly said that when Martell, who was in the backseat of the vehicle, became enraged with Bell, who was in the driver’s seat, he grabbed her by the neck and pulled her into the backseat.

“Martell then told Bremer, who was in the passenger seat, to get in the driver’s seat and begin to drive, as Martell choked Bell,” the sheriff said. “[He] continued to choke Bell until she was dead.”

Bremer and Martell drove to several locations, including a Home Depot in Aurora, Colorado with the 51-year-old’s body in the backseat of the car.

“At that time, Martell went inside to purchase several items, to include an axe,” Weekly said.

Bremer, according to 9News, also stopped at a gas station on orders from Martell and used Bell’s credit card to gas up the vehicle.

The pair then drove to a remote park where Martell is alleged to have dismembered Bell’s body, put the pieces into trash bags and placed her body parts in the trunk of the car.

Bremer and Martell, according to the sheriff, went to a nearby veterinary clinic and disposed of the body parts in a dumpster.

“As of this day, Kimberly Bell’s remains have never been found,” Weekly said. “Despite the grand jury indictment, this case is still ongoing.”

While the motive for the gruesome killing is unknown and investigators did not specify why Martell grew “enraged” with Bell, the grand jury indictment suggests that Bell’s internet history had searches that included “take a tracking system out of a ford focus” and “does phone ping location if off,” 9News reported .

Martell, who is being held on $10 million bail, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, while Bremer, who has been released on bond, has been charged with accessory to a crime and identity theft.

Authorities in Colorado are asking anyone with information about this investigation or who might have known Bell, Martell or Bremer around 2019 to contact the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office’s Cold Case Unit at 303-660-7528.

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