Timothy Bell was sentenced to 49 years in prison for the second-degree murder of 18-year-old Tyler Cardiel on Christmas Eve 2020 in Phoenix. Cardiel, an honor student who had recently graduated high school, was walking home from an overnight shift at a Circle K when Bell shot him. Bell told police he acted out of anger after sleeping on the street.
On Christmas Eve 2020, Tyler Cardiel, an 18-year-old honor student fresh out of high school, finished an extra overnight shift at a Circle K in Phoenix, Arizona, and began walking home. As he crossed paths with Timothy Bell, 35, near the store, Bell shot him dead, according to police reports. Bell, who had been sleeping on the street and feeling angry, tired, and cold, later told detectives he wanted to kill the first person he encountered.
Cardiel's mother, Monique Cardiel, described her son as a good kid who had never been in trouble and had not yet gone on his first date. She recounted their last interaction that night: it was Tyler's first Christmas away from home, and as he left for work, she asked if he had to go, to which he replied he would be back later and gave her a hug. When he did not return or respond to her texts and calls, she knew something was wrong.
Police located Bell at a hospital treating his self-inflicted gunshot wound. In January, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, robbery, and weapons misconduct. At sentencing in March 2023, Bell called the incident a tragic accident, stating, "I'm not the type of person that does this to innocent people. I'm definitely an intelligent Black man and bettering myself every day, but this is a tragic accident. I never meant this to happen to anybody."
Monique Cardiel addressed the court, saying, "My son didn't deserve this, he deserved to live. And the way I see it I didn't just lose my son — [Bell's] mom lost him as well because now he's going to be in trouble and gone." The Maricopa County Attorney's Office noted that Bell used a stolen firearm in the senseless act, which forever changed a family. They expressed sympathy for the victim's loved ones coping with the loss.