Man accused of killing BR icon says his DNA was planted at crime scene

BATON ROUGE - The man accused of suffocating local icon Sadie Roberts-Joseph says his DNA was planted at the crime scene, court documents suggest.

Ronn Bell was arrested July 15 and faces a first-degree murder charge in the killing of Roberts-Joseph. A court filing says DNA evidence, including hair and saliva, was taken from him "without his consent" on the day of his arrest.

Bell's attorney has requested to be allowed to bring a cell phone into the jail to take photos of where officials took "chunks of hair" from his head.

In the filing, Bell's attorney says further investigation may show that the hair found on Roberts-Joseph's body may actually be the hair that was taken just after the July 15 arrest.

Roberts-Joseph was found suffocated in the trunk of her car July 12.

Police confirmed Bell was renting space in a property owned by Roberts-Joseph and suspect he killed her because he owed more than $1,200 in back rent.