2003 murder of Tyesha Bell solved; man sentenced to 70 years

Kane County Judge Julia Yetter sentenced Prince L. Cunningham of Yorkville to 70 years of imprisonment Friday at the Illinois Department of Corrections.

A jury convicted Cunningham of first-degree murder following a 2020 discovery of skeletal remains in suburban Montgomery.

Forensic analysis concluded that the remains belonged to a young female, and they had been there for 10-15 years. A further autopsy identified the remains as belonging to Tyesha Bell.

Prince L. Cunningham was in a romantic relationship with Bell and was the father of her daughter. During the early hours of the morning on May 9, 2003, Bell left her apartment to meet Cunningham and never returned.

Following her disappearance, Cunningham gave law enforcement false information regarding his relationship with Tyesha Bell. He also caused a monthslong delay in the case’s investigation by changing his phone number, deactivating his phone and giving his vehicle to his niece.

Cunningham will serve the full 70-year sentence as well as a 25-year mandatory enhancement because Cunningham personally fired the gun used in the murder.

State Attorney Mosser stated, “This sentence justly represents the horrific choice that Prince Cunningham made when he chose to take the life of Tyesha Bell. He robbed Tyesha’s daughters of their mother and robbed her family of a sister and a daughter, and he did so purely out of his own selfishness. Although no sentence can undo the pain caused by this defendant, today’s outcome delivers the justice Tyesha deserves.”