Suspect arrested in murder of beloved Baton Rouge activist

July 16, 2019

Baton Rouge police have arrested a suspect in the murder of Sadie Roberts-Joseph, a local activist who was found dead in her trunk last week. The suspect, Ron Germaine Bell, was a tenant in one of Roberts-Joseph’s rental homes who was behind on his rent, police announced Tuesday.

A motive is still under investigation, but the killing is not considered a hate crime or tied to Roberts-Joseph’s activism. Police said Bell was several months behind on his rent and owed about $1,200. Bell has been charged with first-degree murder.

“All my mother ever wanted was for this community to come together,” Roberts-Joseph’s daughter Angela said in a news conference Tuesday. “It’s ironic that that happened in death. What she wanted to happen in life came to fruition in death.”

An autopsy conducted by the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office said the preliminary cause of death for Roberts-Joseph, who was 75, was “traumatic asphyxia, including suffocation.” Her body found in the trunk of a car on Friday afternoon, about three miles from her home. Police said the 911 calls that led to her body being discovered came from “concerned citizens” who have been cleared as suspects.

“It is with great sadness and respect we investigate any unexpected or traumatic death,” the coroner’s office said in a statement Monday. “When our investigation involves an innocent victim, such as Ms. Sadie Joseph, it is particularly tragic. Our condolences are extended to Ms. Joseph’s family and friends.”

Roberts-Joseph founded the Odell S. Williams Now and Then African American Museum, now known as the Baton Rouge African-American Museum.