North Ogden slaying suspect in court

OGDEN — A man accused of stabbing his girlfriend to death made his first appearance in court.

Johnny Maurice Bell Jr., 21, appeared in 2nd District Court on Wednesday via video from the Weber County Jail. Court clerks said the judge set bail at $500,000 and scheduled another hearing on Jan. 13.

Bell is charged with first-degree felony murder and domestic violence in the presence of a child, a third-degree felony, in the death of Brittany Nichols, 23. She was found stabbed to death inside her North Ogden home on Sunday.

Police said Nichols may have been killed because she was breaking up with Bell. Her toddler-age daughter was inside the home at the time of the slaying.

— Ben Winslow