Prince Cunningham received a 70-year prison term for the first-degree murder of Tyesha Bell. Bell vanished from her Aurora residence in 2003, with her remains eventually located in Montgomery in 2020.
A 70-year sentence for the murder of Tyesha Bell
In a courtroom at the Kane County judicial center, a jury convicted Yorkville resident Prince Cunningham of first-degree murder. The sentencing brings a close to a case that spanned over two decades, providing a legal resolution for the family of Tyesha Bell, who had been missing since May 2003.
The conviction marks the end of a long period of uncertainty for Tyesha Bell's siblings and children. For Shaquisha Posey, the older sister of the victim, the verdict was an expected but long-awaited conclusion, as the family had long believed Prince Cunningham was the primary suspect in the disappearance.
The 252-page report and the 17-year search for remains
The scale of the investigation into Tyesha Bell's disappearance was immense, as detailed in a 252-page police report. According to the report, investigators combed through five different area morgues and conducted nearly a dozen ground searches utilizing cadaver dogs to locate the victim.
Police focused their search on areas with easy access and close proximity to the home of Tyesha Bell, as well as the workplace of Prince Cunningham. These efforts eventually culminated in 2020, when the remains of Tyesha Bell were discovered in a wooded area in Montgomery, 17 years after she first vanished from her Aurora apartment.
A secret affair and a $12,000 promise
The motive for the crime is rooted in a clandestine relationship. As reported, Prince Cunningham was married with children at the time he entered into a secret relationship with Tyesha Bell, which eventually resulted in Bell becoming pregnant.
The days leading up to the murder were marked by a mix of normalcy and desperation. Tyesha Bell had recently had her car repossessed, and Prince Cunningham had reportedly promised her $12,000 to purchase a new vehicle. This financial promise, combined with their hidden romance, created a volatile backdrop for the events of May 2003.
Jamie Mosser's personal drive for justice in Kane County
The prosecution of Prince Cunningham was led by Kane County State's Attorney Jamie Mosser, who viewed the case through a personal lens. Mosser disclosed that her own father went missing for ten years when she was a child, an experience that fueled her commitment to securing answers for Tyesha Bell's family.
This case fits into a broader, more dangerous trend of domestic violence. Jamie Mosser noted that in cases involving potential domestic violence, the most likely suspect is almost always the partner, a pattern that was evident in the relationship between Prince Cunningham and Tyesha Bell.
The mystery of the May 10th phone call
Despite the conviction, certain details of the crime remain opaque.. The source notes that investigators do not know a great deal about the specific events of the night Tyesha Bell disappeared, though they know Prince Cunningham was at work during his second shift.
A critical piece of evidence is a phone call made from the cellphone of Prince Cunningham to Tyesha Bell around the early morning hours of May 10th. The call lasted approximately one minute, after which Tyesha Bell left her home, leaving behind a burning candle , a light on in a room, and an unlocked door—behaviors her sister described as highly abnormal.
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