Bell-Wright on probation for assault at time of arrest

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This article was published 22/02/2016 (3748 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The man charged with killing Winnipeg teen Cooper Nemeth last week was on probation for a violent attack against a young, intellectually disabled teen.

Nicholas Bell-Wright pleaded guilty last summer to assault for an October 2014 incident in which a 16-year-old boy was pulled off a bicycle and had his hoodie yanked over his head before being punched in the face and abdomen. Bell-Wright then shoved him against a tree and issued a chilling threat.

“He said ‘If I ever see you in this area again, I’m going to cut your head off,’” Crown attorney Keri Anderson told court. The Free Press reviewed an audio transcript on Monday of the July 2015 sentencing hearing.

This attack happened in the field outside Chief Peguis Junior High and River East High School. The victim had apparently been talking with a 12-year old girl, who is Bell-Wright’s niece, court heard. There is no suggestion of anything improper happening, but Bell-Wright didn’t like it and took it out on the victim, who suffered cuts, scarring and a black eye.

The Crown dropped a more serious charge of assault causing bodily harm in exchange for the guilty plea to simple assault. This was largely based on the fact the victim wasn’t able to identify Bell-Wright as his attacker when looking at a police mug-shot lineup, court was told.

“We don’t permit people to go around and grab kids and teach them some kind of street justice,” provincial court Judge Margaret Wiebe told Wright at the sentencing hearing. “This was a very deliberate and hurtful assault. What’s aggravating here is that you are as 21 year old man going after a 16 year old kid.”

The now 22 year-old Wright is accused of going after 17 year-old Cooper last week after the two men attended a North Kildonan house party together. The pair knew each other from both having attended River East Collegiate and living in the same neighbourhood.

Bell-Wright was arrested early Sunday morning in the Maples after being found hiding inside a stolen van. He is charged with second-degree murder and possession of stolen property. He made a brief court appearance Monday morning by video link but said nothing and his case was adjourned to March 4.

None of the allegations has been proven and he is presumed innocent.

Bell-Wright’s arrest came hours after the body of Cooper was found in a recycling bin behind a house in Valley Gardens. The Grade 12 student at River East Collegiate had been missing for a week. Police have not released a cause of death or a timeline of when they believe he was killed. Police believe the body had just been moved to the location where it was found only moments later.

Police have also said they believe the killing is connected to the drug trade. As the Free Press previously reported, Bell-Wright is accused of setting up a deal for Cooper to sell Xanax to another man who arrived at the house party. The three then allegedly drove away.

Bell-Wright had been the subject of intense police scrutiny since shortly after Cooper vanished. He was brought in for questioning days later and held for several hours before being released without charge. Last Friday, police executed a search warrant at his home and towed Bell-Wright’s Cadillac away. But it wasn’t until the victim’s body finally turned up that he was arrested.

Bell-Wright portrays himself through social media as leading a gangster-style lifestyle. He dubbed himself “Kush Montana” on several different sites, including one where he posts music he claims to have recorded. One rap song is titled Murder Scene. On his Instagram page he described himself as an “Indi Rap Artist” and “Entrepreneur.”

At Bell-Wright’s sentencing hearing last summer, court heard he had no prior record, was a talented basketball player and musician who wanted to finish his Grade 12. Defence lawyer Cam Pauls said his client was two credits short and hoped to go into adult education.

Bell-Wright had been laid off his job with Telesolutions International, a local call centre. He was living with his mother and spoke briefly to the court.

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“I just apologize for what I did. That’s all, your honour,” he said last summer.

Pauls told court his client was facing a positive future “pro-social” and was anxious to put this mistake behind him.

“He certainly regrets his behaviour. He’s a young man who generally has pro-social interests,” said Pauls.

The judge gave him a one-year suspended sentence with probation including anger management counselling.

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Mike McIntyre
Reporter

Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.

Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.