Florida Man Who Killed 2 People Outside A Bar Is Scheduled To Be Executed

2 days ago

STARKE, Fla. — A man who fatally changeable a man and female extracurricular a Florida barroom arsenic portion of an attempted revenge sidesplitting is scheduled to beryllium executed connected Tuesday.

Michael Bernard Bell, 54, is scheduled to person a lethal injection astatine Florida State Prison adjacent Starke, barring a last-day reprieve. He was convicted successful 1995 and sentenced to decease for nan murders of Jimmy West and Tamecka Smith.

Bell would beryllium nan eighth personification put to death successful Florida this year, pinch a ninth scheduled for later this month. The authorities executed six group successful 2023, but carried retired only one execution past year.

Twenty-five men person already been executed successful nan U.S. this year, tying last year’s total.

Florida has executed much group than immoderate different authorities this year, while Texas and South Carolina are tied for 2nd spot pinch 4 each. Alabama has executed 3 people, Oklahoma has killed two, and Arizona, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee each person killed one.

In December 1993, Bell spotted what he thought was nan car of nan man who fatally changeable his relative earlier that year, according to tribunal records. Bell was apparently unaware that nan man had sold nan car to West.

Bell called connected 2 friends and equipped himself pinch an AK-47 rifle, authorities said. They recovered nan car parked extracurricular a liquor lounge and waited. When West, Smith and different female yet exited nan club, Bell approached nan car and opened fire, officials said.

West died astatine nan scene, and Smith died connected nan measurement to nan hospital. The different female escaped injury. Witnesses said Bell besides fired astatine a crowd of onlookers earlier fleeing nan area. He was yet arrested nan adjacent year.

Bell was later convicted of 3 further murders. He fatally changeable a female and her toddler boy successful 1989, and he killed his mother’s fellow astir 4 months earlier nan onslaught connected West and Smith, officials said.

Attorneys for Bell person revenge appeals pinch nan Florida Supreme Court and nan U.S. Supreme Court.

The lawyers based on successful their authorities filing that Bell’s execution should beryllium halted because of recently discovered grounds astir witnesser testimony. But justices unanimously rejected nan statement past week and pointed to overwhelming grounds of Bell’s guilt successful a 54-page opinion.

Bell’s attorneys revenge a akin petition pinch nan U.S. Supreme Court connected Thursday, but nan sheet has not yet issued a ruling.