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If you have any information, please get in touch with the tip line of the Galveston County District Attorney's Office at 1(800) 566-2209. https://law.justia.com/cases/texas/tenth-court-of-appeals/1994/1036.html, https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Confessions-of-a-cold-blooded-killer-2187501.php, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Harold_Bell, https://unsolved.com/gallery/edward-harold-bell/, https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/convicted-killer-edward-bell-dies-in-navasota-prison/285-a63d52bf-60a7-4b5d-a5b2-cb15f4ab7132, https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/the-eleven-on-the-trail-of-a-serial-killer/, https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/shows/houston-matters/2019/04/22/330217/possible-serial-killer-dies-in-texas-prison/. For reasons unknown, the letters were "kept secret" until 2011, when they were discovered by retired Galveston homicide detective Fred Paige. She felt that once that happened, they would all be able to go on with their lives. She first thought that he was one of Larry's friends looking for their address. ", Bell's letters suggest that he believes that he was "programmed" into becoming a murderer. series Unsolved Mysteries. Two viewers recognized Edward Bell and called in with tips when this story aired. She vanished after taking a driver's ed class in Houston. "The police killed Larry Dean Dickens and blamed me," Bell claimed, despite all evidence to the contrary. June 10, 2021. Three years later, Bell, still married to his first wife and working as a traveling salesman, got arrested twice for exposing himself to girls in two different West Texas towns. [13] According to him, some of the case details found in the letters had not been released to the public. Scream. After his death was announced, Galveston Police Officer Michelle Sollenberger wrote on Facebook, Today these girls may finally rest in peace because their killer has gone to hell, the Chronicle reports. He and Judy retired and spent the last 20 years in the . By Adam Carlson. [5] Suddenly, Bell pulled out a pistol and shot Dickens, who staggered into his mother's garage and collapsed onto the floor in front of his horrified mother, who had watched the whole ordeal go by from inside the house. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Murderers In Texas: The Shocking True Stories of Killing Out Of . Missing Since: October 1978. He owned a meadow not far from the shop where they had been last seen. In January 1985, the Texas governor's office released a roster of the state's most wanted criminals. son. This article is a stub. His confession letter written to prosecutors in the 1990s also had names and details of the killings that suggested he could have been the killer, but Bell would later go on to deny his involvement in the murders. Mrs. Edwards was dying of cancer and had previously discovered her . Colette Anise Wilson, 13, never arrived home near Alvin after attending a summer band camp. Edward Harold Bell . He claimed that he was responsible for the 1971 murders of Debbie Ackerman and Maria Johnson, and provided details as to where their bodies were dumped and how they were killed, according to The Houston Chronicle. Rhonda "Renee" Johnson and Sharon Shaw disappeared from Galveston on August 4, 1971. Edward Harold Bell, 54, was found guilty of murder Monday in the 1978 slaying of Larry Dean Dickens, a 26-year-old oil field roughneck. Below the Waterlines: Houston After Hurricane Harvey, Edward Harold Bell died in a Texas prison, the story of efforts to solve those cases, Michael Hagerty interviewed Ed Bell in prison, Historic Battleship Texas, parked for repairs, seeking high-traffic area for next home, San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site, Houston Chronicle among publications to drop Dilbert over creators comments on race, Public defender costs and caseloads (Feb. 27, 2023), Galveston seeking artists for upcoming public art projects, As Texas STAAR test goes fully online, teachers feel defeated, Texas Education Agency projects confidence, Santa Fe High School shooter remains mentally incompetent to stand trial, further dragging on 5-year-old case, Houston weather: Thursday night cold front could bring severe weather to region, Bun B announces part of RodeoHouston Southern Takeover lineup, Law enforcement cracking down on street takeovers ahead of Houston-area racing event, Whataburgeris healthy? They placed him under arrest, and the FBI, along with the Panama City Police Department, brought Bell back to the United States. In fact, he said, there . At Bell's trial, the prosecution's chief witnesses were Dorothy and Dawna. The whole incident was very quick. However, the events of September 6 would test her character in ways she never imagined. He claimed that he shot them and disposed of their bodies near a remote bridge. By Lang saw that he was naked from the waist down as he stepped out masturbating and approached a group of children playing in the street. Bell claimed that his victims were from Houston, Galveston, Webster, and Dickinson. Real Name: Edward Harold Bell Aliases: Butch Wanted For: Murder, Indecency with a Child Missing Since: October 1978 Details: Bryan, Texas, is the type of place that people have in mind when they dream of escaping the big city. Named Texas' most wanted fugitive in the 1980s, Bell was featured on the T.V. However, some of the investigators involved in the case now believe that his confession was coerced and that he was wrongly convicted. Today these girls may finally rest in peace because their killer has gone to hell, one investigator wrote after hearing the news of Edward Harold Bell's death. HAROLD BELL OBITUARY. Because of the trauma of the situation, Dorothy felt unable to identify him. He stated that it began with his father and spread to his three ex-wives, scoutmasters, and a cousin. Actor: Gymkata. Bell, 72, is serving 70 years for the 1978 murder of Larry Dickens, a Marine who confronted Bell after he exposed himself and began masturbating in front of a group of girls in Pasadena. At the time, Bell was serving a seventy-year sentence for the 1978 murder of a 26-year-old Pasadena resident who had attempted to stop him from publicly masturbating in front of a group of . Advanced Search He has been seen only once since then, when entered Sue's home in Bryan in September 1984. She says that he was strong and very special to all of them. Prisoner Edward Harold Bell has retracted his confession. Twenty years after the murder of Larry Dickens, Bell began writing letters allegedly taking credit for multiple other murders 11 in total between 1971 and 1977, according to The Houston Chronicle. Jeremy Desel, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, said that inmate Edward Harold Bell, 79, collapsed Saturday at the Wallace Pack Unit in Navasota. He could have gone on to kill many more young women and continued to flash his junk at innocent children. She also went to the police station and looked through a book of mugshots. Since the early 1970s, 30 bodies have been uncovered within the area. He was stopped for exposing himself to a pair of young girls in Sudan; as a result, he was admitted to Big Spring State Psychiatric Hospital. Dickens ran outside and grabbed the keys from Bell's . 02:29 GMT 27 Sep 2011 Edward Michael Bell was born on 19 March 1935 in the USA. On the night of the broadcast, a viewer was stunned to realize that a man he had recently conducted business with in Panama City, Panama, was none other than Bell. Instead, for the next 14 years, Bell roamed coastal towns in Mexico and Central America, guiding dive trips and living aboard a sailboat. Bell further asserted that a "brainwashing programme" had pushed him to kill, rape, and expose himself to young girls. Let the Houston Public Media newsroom help you start your day. Aliases: Butch In 1970, he and his new wife moved into an apartment in Galveston. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Nearly 20 years ago, in letters he wrote to local prosecutors, Texas murderer Edward Harold Bell claimed the Marine he'd shot and killed in 1978 was not his only victim. . However, no charges were ever filed against him in theirs or any other cases. Bell identified another of his victims as a reddish-blond Houston teen named 'Pitchford,' kidnapped near Gulfgate Mall. Parent (s) Elizabeth A. The Eleven: With Michael W. Bunch, Sonya Van Sickle, Kristina McCormick, Natalia Villegas. Edward Harold Bell, left, claims he killed eleven teenage girls including Debbie Ackerman, inset left, who went missing on November 15, 1971, and her body was found on November 18, and Colette . Columbia GSAPP sadly shares the loss of Professor Emeritus Harold "Hank" Bell, who passed away on May 26, 2021, at the age of 94. Edward Harold Bell, now 72, called his victims the "Eleven that went to Heaven." Show More Show Less 2 of 11 Glenda Willis walks through the Forest Park East Cemetery looking for the . Bell provided the names of four of those girls; Colette Wilson, Debbie Ackerman, Maria Johnson, and Kimberly Pitchford. The Killing Fields is a 25-acre patch of land a mile from Interstate Highway 45 in League City. She immediately called the police and reported him. v. A jury found Edward Harold Bell guilty of murder and assessed punishment at seventy years confinement. They were able to determine that Bell often had access to the areas where the crimes were committed and also found that witnesses saw two of the missing girls get into a van that matched the description of one Bell owned at the time. Bell claims not to know the names of other girls. On February 14, 1993, Panama police located Bell at a yacht club in Panama City and placed him under arrest. According to her, it started off like any other morning. He then began to flee on foot. Despite the violent nature of the crime against Dickens, Bell's bond was set at $125,000. Blue Bell Hill, Chatham, Kent, UK (Carcinoma of Stomach & Gastric Ulcer) . After the incident, the police came out and took a report from Sue. The two girls were shot as they stood tied up half naked in a river, says Bell. On August 24, he went out to cut the lawn. Sadly, on July 13, 2012, Dorothy passed away at the age of eighty-four. The victims were young girls from the Texas counties of Houston, Galveston, Webster and Dickinson. . Edward had 6 siblings: William Harold, John Harold and 4 other siblings. [2] After spending some time in treatment, he was released, only be rearrested for a similar charge in 1969 after he exposed himself to the 13-year-old daughter of a Lubbock policeman. I didn't want statutory rape on top of the flasher charge." Resources like these are made possible by the generosity of our community of donors, foundations, and corporate partners. Harold Bell, in his eighth decade, continues to lead a unique life. Dorothy ran in to help him. Harold Wilmerding Bell. His long criminal record stretched back to 1969 and included aggravated rapes and numerous counts of indecent exposure to children (mainly girls) throughout Texas and Louisiana. Despite the fact that some thought he was a publicity-seeking "kook," others were certain he was the murderer. And there were some people who would never talk to me because they were afraid of him they were afraid that he might get out.. HAROLD EDWARD BELL MAY 14, 1939 - JUNE 29, 2006 Howard Edward Bell was of Cherokee decent. In 1998, Bell wrote several letters to prosecutors in Galveston and Harris county, claiming that he had killed eleven teenage girls between 1971 and 1977. Pictured is the Dickinson pasture owned by Edward Harold Bell in the mid 1970s. Bay was a Purple Heart recipient and proud of his three bronze stars and one . In fact, he said, there . In the letters, he also told the paper that he had admitted to some of the same murders to prosecutors in Galveston and Harris counties in 1998, but he was never charged after prosecutors were unable to find any direct evidence to link him to the crimes. The other two primary suspects are Edward Harold Bell and Mark Stallings. Bell spent his time in the mental ward baiting underage patients. Sue had always considered herself strong and self-reliant . In a 1985 episode of America's Most Wanted, he was named as Texas' most wanted fugitive, bringing further attention to his case and reinvigorating the search for him. Georgia Geer and Brooks Bracewell, aka "the Dickenson girls," both vanished in September of 1974. But was he really their killer? The pair was able to uncover circumstantial evidence that linked Bell to the crimes, but found no definitive proof. He has yet to stand trial for the shocking murder that took place on August 24, 1978. Larry replied that the man would not kill anyone and took a few steps toward him. Edward Harold Bell was convicted of murder and sentenced to 70 years in prison for the death of Larry Dickens. On April 20, 2019, he died in prison from undisclosed causes at age eighty-two. He also listed former scoutmasters, a cousin, and three of his ex-wives as part of "the program." Most victims were 11 to 16-year- old but he repeatedly avoided arrest and prosecution. [8] On February 14, 1993, a joint operation conducted by the FBI and the Panamanian National Police led to Bell's arrest at a yacht club in Panama City. Sue had always considered herself strong and self-reliant. However, the legitimacy of his claims (which he has since denied) has come into question. The injury to the left cheek was from close range, nine to twelve inches away. The two head wounds and the back wound were all fatal. The autopsy of Larry Dickens showed that he had been shot twice in the head, in both elbows, in the right thigh, and the back. [2], On August 24, 1978, while driving his red and white GMC truck around Pasadena, Bell stopped in front of a group of young girls, pulled down his pants and began masturbating in front of them. A second viewer, who remains anonymous, sent several pictures of him and a letter, claiming that he had been living in Panama for ten years. Larry and Bell struggled into the garage. Nearly 20 years ago, in letters he wrote to local prosecutors, Texas murderer Edward Harold Bell claimed the Marine he'd shot and killed in 1978 was not his only victim. Bell died after collapsing at the Wallace Pack Unit, a prison in Grimes County, according to a Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman. NAVASOTA, Texas (AP) A man serving 70 years for a 1978 slaying near Houston who was also under investigation in the unsolved killings of several missing girls has collapsed and died in a Texas prison. Rita Brestrup, a sister of victim Maria Johnson,also believes he was responsible for taking the life of her sibling in 1971. He has since been named as a "person of interest" in the murders of six young girls in the Galveston area. However, one is speculated to be Brenda Jones, who vanished from Galveston in 1971. According to him, some of the case details found in the letters had not been released to the public. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Why did you kill my brother?!" Maria was born on March 29 1805, in Eye, Suffolk, England. Bell v. State. The man ran back to his truck and left. Edward was born in 1805, in Thrandeston Suffolk England. All four girls were known to hang out at a water ski school near Bell's apartment in Offatts Bayou. Watch this case now on Amazon Prime in season five with Robert Stack and in season one with Dennis Farina. Some investigators claimed they long believed he was a serial killer and found evidence to corroborate his claims. She then knelt beside him, held his hand to her face, and watched him die. 12-year-old Brooks Bracewell and 14-year-old Georgia Geer, who were last seen in 1974 and discovered in 1976, are thought to be the other two victims. 11:17 GMT 27 Sep 2011. Hunter. This photo provided Sept. 28, 2011, by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Edward Harold Bell. Bell claimed in a 1998 letter to police that he had murdered 11 girls in Galveston County. Holding many offices in the Masons, teaching country western dancing, participating in motorcycle events, mem Through the mid-to-late 1970s, Bell was repeatedly arrested for flashing and masturbating in front of young girls in Lubbock, Pasadena, Plainview, Bacliff, Houston and Gretna, Louisiana, but was either never charged or the cases were dropped altogether. He also claims his three ex-wives were part of this 'programme'. On August 24, 1978, Dorothy Lang looked out her kitchen window while washing dishes and saw a man park his red and white GMC truck across from her house. Adams ordered him to stop, and he did. The assault victim was given the name "Sue" and was filmed in silhouette to protect her identity. Robert Edwin "Bay" Tomlinson, 97, of Victoria, Va. went to be with the Lord on February 26, 2023. 1,890,000 TO SEEK NORTHWEST JOBS Legion Confers on Post-War Employment Plans. Another six young girls were killed in the area in the mid-to-late Seventies. He was eighty-two years old at the time of his death. 2-min read. Edward Harold Bell, 82, was being investigated over his . Several investigators reviewed their evidence in those cases after they learned of the confessions. She was discovered in January 1973. Years after their deaths, the series reports that a man named Edward Harold Bell penned a letter to authorities claiming that he had allegedly been brainwashed into killing two of the girls. Self's conviction was shrouded in confusion as Edward Harold Bell confessed to killing 11 girls during the 1970s. The show featured fellow Texan Matthew McConaughey as Larry Dickens in his first acting role. Bell went on the run for 14 years before being caught in Panama in 1993 and jailed the following year. Galveston prosecutors reopened the murder cases of two of the girls, Debbie Ackerman and Maria Johnson, in recent years, but never filed any charges against Bell before his death. He declared the murder was pinned on him, and the police were responsible for shooting Dickens. He turned around and began to pursue the vehicle. As he walked toward Larry, Larry backed up toward the house. BELL--Harold, age 94, died peacefully at home, surrounded by his children. After a brief chase, they ended up on a dead-end street. By Check out our guides to the best free shows on YouTube and the best sites for watching free movies online. He had details of how he shot them and was even able to describe the remote bridge where the bodies were recovered. Another viewer claimed that Bell had lived in Panama for several years. His father was an oil field worker who frequently moved his family to various towns surrounding the Houston area. 1902 July 7, 1902. Extra Notes: Results: Captured. [Marriage Licenses - The Dispatch (Moline, Illinois)12 Jan 1927, Wed Page 10] survivors; wife, father Louis, sons Harold T, and James E., daughters Mrs. Betty Jane Weathers and Miss Darlene Feus, sisters Mrs. Harry Talbot and Mrs.. Holding many offices in the Masons, teaching country western dancing, participating. By Lise Olsen . Despite being shot multiple times, Larry tried to go after Bell and stop him again. Texas is fortunate that Larry Dickens stepped in that afternoon and stopped Edward Bell. Bell's first documented arrest occurred in 1966. Just three months before Ackerman and Johnson disappeared from Galveston Island, so did two Webster 14-year-olds named Sharon Shaw and Rhonda Renee Johnson. Bell had been on the run for 14 years after shooting Dickens, and was eventually found living at a Panama yacht club in 1993 with a teenage girl. A jury found Edward Harold Bell guilty of murder and assessed punishment at seventy years confinement. As reported by Lise Olsen of the Houston Chronicle, who is one of the central investigators in The Eleven, when Bell had skipped bail, "[He] roamed coastal towns in Mexico and Central America, guiding dive trips, and living aboard a sailboat. v. THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee . After living on a ranch in Terlingua for some time, Bell, who worked as an itinerant pharmaceutical salesman, sold the ranch for an office in downtown Houston. Show 6 article text (OCR) THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW 6 Fri., April 27, 1945. r . He got out and pointed his rifle at one of the officers. There are conflicting reports on Edward Bell's birth date; from what I've been able to gather, I presume the year he was born to be 1937. In 1998, Edward Harold Bell wrote multiple letters to prosecutors in Galveston and Harris counties, confessing to the murders of numerous young women.