The man accused of killing a local couple with a sledgehammer will serve more than two decades in prison.
Cortney Lowe, 34, of Dayton, was sentenced on Monday to 25 years to life in prison after being convicted of the beating deaths of a Dayton couple on December 3, 2024.
Dayton Police officers were summoned to Wayne Ave. in the early hours of December 3, 2024, after receiving reports of a suspicious person.
The man, identified as Lowe, was wandering around with only a t-shirt and thermal knickers. He was covered in blood.
When officers enquired about the blood, Lowe informed them that it belonged to Cathy Bell.
Officers then proceeded to a home in the 1400 block of Holly Ave, where 64-year-old Cathy Bell and her husband, 67-year-old Danny Bell, were discovered beaten to death.
Lowe was indicted on multiple counts of murder and felonious assault on December 10, 2024.
On June 4, 2025, he was found guilty of two counts of murder and one of aggravated burglary causing physical harm.
Along with the prison sentence, Low was designated as a Violent Offender and will be added to the state’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,” Montgomery County Prosecutor Matt Heck said.
