[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. [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. Finally, Dorothy got them from Larry and gave them to him. He was only convicted of one murder from 1978. Bell says he murdered 11 young girls in Houston and the counties of Galveston, Webster and Dickinson - five in 1971 and six more from 1974 to 1977. Throughout this time, he made a living through giving dive trips to American tourists and gold panning. To employ every one who wants to work in the . (Amazon) Neighbours is set to welcome some big names back to Ramsay Street for the soap's reboot, with Ian Smith, Melissa Bell and Annie Jones all joining the cast. Daily Mail Reporter
His granddaughter Anna Hall Roosevelt was the mother of First Lady of the United States Eleanor Roosevelt. A convicted murderer suspected of killing 11 girls in Texas died Saturday morning in prison, taking any information he may have had about the young girls deaths with him. His confession matched details of the crime scene. It was submitted to the show by Investigator Boucher. claimed he thought it was a false confession, saying, "I just didn't think that he did it. Real Name: Edward Harold Bell Former Detective Paige teamed up with Chronicle reporter Lise Olsen to try and determine whether or not he was responsible. She said that she did not know. Six of them were murdered in pairs. A self-professed serial killer who claimed to have killed 11 young girls died in a Texas prison on Saturday, leaving many mysteries unsolved, according to the Houston Chronicle. A spokesperson with TDCJ said the 80-year-old convicted . When the trial date came about, Bell did not appear. Detective Fred Paige and Lise Olsen's excellent investigation work uncovered a generous amount of circumstantial evidence linking Bell to the crimes but found no definitive proof. [5], For the next fourteen years, Bell travelled around various locations in Mexico and Central America using a sailboat, posing as a dead cousin named Cecil Boyd. Self's conviction was shrouded in confusion as Edward Harold Bell confessed to killing 11 girls during the 1970s. She also went to the police station and looked through a book of mugshots. In 1970, he and his new wife moved into an apartment in Galveston. pg-13 2011. 2. Blue Bell Hill, Chatham, Kent, UK (Carcinoma of Stomach & Gastric Ulcer) . mother. Larry replied that the man would not kill anyone and took a few steps toward him. Another six young girls were killed in the area in the mid-to-late Seventies. Suzie Bowers went missing from Galveston in 1977. Credit: Texas Monthly The Eleven: On the trail of a serial killer. Bell contends in three points that the evidence was legally insufficient to support the verdict, that he was denied effective assistance of counsel, and that the court erred by failing to instruct the jury on voluntary conduct. The show reopened the case to the public and closely followed Paige and Olsen's investigation. In the interview he stated the girls wanted him to have sex with them because they were tired of the younger boys. After learning of his admissions, some detectives went back and looked at their evidence in those cases. Bell provided the names of four of those girls; Colette Wilson, Debbie Ackerman, Maria Johnson, and Kimberly Pitchford. Through their diligent efforts, they came up with the following list of potential victims: Collette Wilson went missing from Alvin, Texas, in June of 1971. When Bell made the claim that he was allegedly responsible for some of the unsolved murders covered in The Eleven, he was already serving a 70-year prison sentence for another murder. Five weeks later, he shot Larry Dickens while masturbating in front of five Pasadena girls. His numerous accomplishments include the founding of Modular . Bell claimed that his victims were from Houston, Galveston, Webster, and Dickinson. Then, a few months after his release, he married her, Bell was thirty-one. The suspect accelerated and turned into a cul-de-sac, where he crossed the yard and stopped the truck at a fence. Bay was a Purple Heart recipient and proud of his three bronze stars and one . He said he couldn't go anywhere because Larry had his keys. Lena Madge Crain crossed the divide to her Heavenly Home on Saturday, February 25th after several months of home health care. The victims were all teenage girls, and each . As she opened up the newspaper one morning, she saw a picture of the intruder. 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? [13] According to him, some of the case details found in the letters had not been released to the public. After completing a Houston driver's education course, she disappeared. Sue had always considered herself strong and self-reliant. Isaac Bell, III. No physical evidence was found to link him to the other crimes. His defense claimed that Larry was a "mean" and "unstable" man who attacked Bell and threatened to kill him. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. The dispatcher told her that police units and an ambulance were on the way. . According to records and Bell's own admissions, he was stopped by police at least a dozen times for masturbating and flashing girls between 1966 and 1978. Especially since, as seen in the A&E series, he later denied everything he wrote years ago. At Bell's trial, the prosecution's chief witnesses were Dorothy and Dawna. Three of the girls died in 1971 including 15-year-olds Debbie Ackerman and Maria Johnson, who disappeared in Galveston County while hitch-hiking. All four girls were known to hang out at a water ski school near Bell's apartment in Offatts Bayou. On June 26, 1978, he exposed himself to two girls riding bikes, aged 11 and 12. This photo provided Sept. 28, 2011, by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Edward Harold Bell. When asked about the letters he wrote in 1998, Bell said he was suicidal and wanted the state to execute him; he supposedly made it all up. [1][5] His death was met with relief from both Dickens' and the other victims' family members, who believed that he was responsible for their deaths. Among other business activities, he was prospecting for gold on land he owned near Panama City. He might have claimed a second victim that afternoon, but the rifle suddenly jammed. One suspect was convicted murderer Edward Harold Bell, who was 72 years old in November 2011. Heading the list was the knife-wielding intruder. Bell is currently considered a suspect in the murders of several young women near Galveston in the 1970s. Now serving a 70-year sentence for murdering a Houston-area Marine vet in 1978, Bell has come forward asking for immunity and ready to plead on the murders of as many as 11 young girls in the Houston-Galveston area in the early to mid 1970s. HAROLD EDWARD BELL MAY 14, 1939 - JUNE 29, 2006 Howard Edward Bell was of Cherokee decent. Sue went into the bathroom in the master bedroom to finish getting dressed. He assumed the identity of a dead cousin named Cecil Boyd and told people to call him 'Wally.'". Genealogy for Edward Harold Stibbs (1876 - 1944) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. Pictured is the Dickinson pasture owned by Edward Harold Bell in the mid 1970s. Both girls were known to frequent the surf shop and likely would have recognized Bell if he pulled up alongside them and casually offered the pair a ride home. She got a good, close look at him. She does not believe that he expected her to fight back. Colette's bones were found in a reservoir along with those of a missing Houston girl, Gloria Ann Gonzales, 19. After his sentencing, Bell claimed he had quit being a "flasher" while in Panama, but expressed regret that he had not done earlier so Dickens' life could be spared.[11]. He quietly liquidated his assets, and with more than $140,000 in his pocket, disappeared. The man retreated to his truck, and Lang grabbed her son from behind and helped him lie down, then she ran inside to call an ambulance. He remained the key suspect in the murders. Columbia GSAPP sadly shares the loss of Professor Emeritus Harold "Hank" Bell, who passed away on May 26, 2021, at the age of 94. The new nonfiction limited series, The Eleven, follows investigators as they reexamine the murders of eleven teenage girls after discovering a confession letter from current inmate and convicted murderer Edward Harold Bell.Throughout the 1970s, the cities in and around Galveston County, Texas were haunted by the brutal murders of eleven teenage girls. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. All four of the female victims disappeared near Bell's apartment. [2] After graduation, he found work as a licensed diver and married his first wife in San Marcos, with the newlyweds then moving to western Texas, where they had three children. But was he really their killer? The two head wounds and the back wound were all fatal. Two 14-year-olds, Sharon Shaw and Rhonda Renee Johnson, also disappeared from the area at the same time. [4] In order to avoid prosecution, he was interned at the University of Texas Medical Branch for further treatment, where he continued to romance underage patients. Edward Harold Bell . BELL--Harold, age 94, died peacefully at home, surrounded by his children. 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. In April 1974, Bell exposed himself to two girls on the road near Bacliff and pursued them in a Volkswagen rental as they ran. An ex-Marine, youth counselor, and oil field roughneck, he had a three-year-old daughter. Despite being shot multiple times, Larry tried to go after Bell and stop him again. Despite the fact that some thought he was a publicity-seeking "kook," others were certain he was the murderer. Holding many offices in the Masons, teaching country western dancing, participating. Missing Since: October 1978. By
Finally, a decade-and-a-half after Larry had been gunned down before Dorothy's eyes, his accused killer shuffled past her at the airport, shackled in hand and leg cuffs. In fact, he said, there . Edward Harold Bell was convicted of murder and sentenced to 70 years in prison for the death of Larry Dickens. Not knowing is heartbreaking." 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. At just that moment, Larry's seventeen-year-old sister, Dawna, was returning home from cheerleading practice. He also refused to cooperate with the police. Their bodies were found in a river in 1976. He also listed former scoutmasters, a cousin, and three of his ex-wives as part of "the program." 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. She then saw him fire at something on the ground. In interviews with Lise Olsen, Edward Bell denies killing anyone, even Larry Dickens. He told the reporter that he was actually responsible for eleven murders, calling them the "eleven that went to Heaven". The outlet reported: Bell reportedly responded by shooting Dickens five times, per witnesses. After graduation, he worked as a traveling pharmaceutical salesman and married his first wife in San Marcos. Marias death impacted my life more than any other single event. Bell's first documented arrest occurred in 1966. Following his capture in Panama City, Panama in 1993, he was extradited, convicted and sentenced to a 70-year term for the murder of a Marine in 1978, and later confessed to killing eleven girls during the 1970s. The other two primary suspects are Edward Harold Bell and Mark Stallings. The identity of the remaining three victims are unknown. Dorothy noticed that he was fooling with something in his seat. At that same time, his mother, Dorothy Lang, was standing at the kitchen window. Bell further asserted that a "brainwashing programme" had pushed him to kill, rape, and expose himself to young girls. Edward Harold Bell, 82, was being investigated over his . If you'd like to sign up now, fill out the form below and we will add you as soon as we finish the transition. While she was trying to calm Dickens down, Bell grabbed a rifle from his truck, went up to the wounded man and shot him in the forehead before fleeing. Oddly enough, in 1993, Edward Harold Bell was convicted of the murder of Larry Dickens. [10] This argument was disproven, and Bell was subsequently convicted and sentenced to 70 years imprisonment. They asserted that they could not confirm his confessions. He pointed the gun at Larry again. In 2017, A&E released a documentary series called. She was shocked to see that he was nude from the waist down and masturbating. However, the legitimacy of his claims (which he has since denied) has come into question. Your subscription will be migrated over. BELL Edward Harold View source History Talk (0) Stub. The victims were all teenage girls, and each of their murders have remained unsolved for decades. Mrs. Edwards was dying of cancer and had previously discovered her . June 10, 2021. He is an actor and writer, known for Gymkata (1985), The Greatest American Hero (1981) and Vindication. He loved . In fact, he said, there were seven others, all . Ian Smith, Melissa Bell and Annie Jones will return to Neighbours. Matthew later discussed his Unsolved Mysteries . Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Jeremy Desel told the, In 2011, he wrote the Houston Chronicle claiming to have killed a string of girls he referred to as Eleven who went to Heaven in Dickinson, Houston, Clear Lake and Alvin, Texas, the. Letters. Bell graduated from the City College of New York and led a successful career in real estate development before teaching at GSAPP. People were afraid of him, Olsen told Houston Matters. The whole incident was very quick. This photo provided Sept. 28, 2011, by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Edward Harold Bell. (According to Blum House, the episode also starred Matthew McConaughey in his first-ever role, playing Dickens). All eleven potential victims linked to Edward Bell were found at the Killing Fields. He and Larry began arguing. Edward Harold, 1838 - 1891. Meanwhile, Dawna Dickens, Larry's sister, was returning home from cheer practice and saw the man walk from her garage to his truck, get a rifle, and walk back up her driveway. Harris County medical examiner's records reveal Kimberly Pitchford, a sixteen-year-old, didn't return home after a driver's ed course. Holding many offices in the Masons, teaching country western dancing, participating in motorcycle events, mem She pointed Bell out to him. Edward Harold Bell speaks to Houston Matters producer Michael Hagerty from prison in 2017. April 20, 2019. The investigators finally decided to release the letters to the public in an attempt to uncover any leads that could verify his accounts. Tags artists in Galveston artwork in Galveston galveston Galveston cultural arts commission. Lang threw the phone down and ran towards the garage to let Larry inside. When Bell climbed out of the vehicle, he was nude from the waist down and walked over to a nearby . . The Good, Bad, and Ugly of the week, Rumors abound about HISD takeover (March 2, 2023), The Full Menu: Houston's best places for chicken. . 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. Rita Brestrup, a sister of victim Maria Johnson,also believes he was responsible for taking the life of her sibling in 1971. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Murderers In Texas: The Shocking True Stories of Killing Out Of . She feels that it is not right that Bell can be out on the streets, exposing himself to children and doing other bad things, while Larry has been dead this entire time. Although Bell was not forthcoming in his A&E interviews, perhaps the show will be able provide answers for the families of the deceased whether things lead back to Bell or someone else. She then knelt beside him, held his hand to her face, and watched him die. He claimed to the reporter to have actually committed eleven murders, referring to them as the "eleven that went to Heaven." Motel Murder. Together with his wife, Judy Bell, they taught over 6000 students collectively. Bell Is Going to Have a Parole Meeting There is a sense of tension in The Eleven because Bell will be having his parole meeting soon, which will determine whether he can serve out the rest of his . [1] According to his claims, his father, an oil field worker, frequently moved the family to various towns surrounding the Houston area, and allegedly suffered physical abuse both from him, his scoutmasters at the Boy Scouts and one of his cousins. Unsolved Mysteries Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. She was discovered in January 1973. She says that there will always be an emptiness, a part that is missing and will never be returned. Hunter. They placed him under arrest, and the FBI, along with the Panama City Police Department, brought Bell back to the United States. Edward had 6 siblings: William Harold, John Harold and 4 other siblings. This photo provided Sept. 28, 2011, by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Edward Harold Bell. His marriage finally ended, as did contact with his children. Bell is considered a suspect in the murders of several young women near Galveston in the 1970s. Bell remains the lead suspect at this time and it is very hard for me to believe he is innocent. Matthew McConaughey in his first-ever role. Her body was found in January 1973. This photo provided Sept. 28, 2011, by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Edward Harold Bell. Due to a lack of evidence, neither were charged for their confessions, and . Now that Bell has died, some are hopeful additional witnesses may come forward with information about the cases. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. He reportedly called the victims the "Eleven who went to Heaven" and sent letters to prosecutors in Galveston and Harris counties where he would admit carrying out the crimes, according to The Houston Chronicle. Harold Bell, in his eighth decade, continues to lead a unique life. He assumed the identity of a dead cousin named Cecil Boyd and told people to call him "Wally.". The Hoseins' original plan was to kidnap Murdoch's wife, Anna, and hold her for ransom, but the Murdochs happened to be in Australia that particular week. Additionally, he resisted cooperating with the authorities. Tips that finally led to his arrest poured in after Bell became the subject of a 1992 "Unsolved Mysteries" episode. Her body was found in a thicket in January 1973. [7], On December 2, 1992, the television show Unsolved Mysteries aired an episode about the murder of Dickens. She assumed that he was a first-time burglar. Although Bell wasserving a 70-year sentence for killing Larry Dickens, an ex-Marine who was shot after confronting Bell for exposing himself to a group of neighborhood girls, hes long been suspected of other murders as well. Bell spent his time in the mental ward baiting underage patients. Five murders occurred in 1971 and six more occurred from about 1974 to 1977. Dorothy ran in to help him. He owned a meadow not far from the shop where they had been last seen. They were last seen accepting a ride from a man driving a white van; he happened to own one at that time. He and Judy retired and spent the last 20 years in the . Five murders occurred in 1971 and six more occurred from about 1974 to 1977. m. Jan. 1927 Rock Island IL - Harold E. Fues and Lillian Vant, both of Rock Island. This article is a stub. . 3. "When I'm a free man out in the street, I can tell you about [the letter]," he said in a recent sit-down for the docuseries. Maria was born on March 29 1805, in Eye, Suffolk, England. A Houston Chronicle reporter spoke with Bell in July and September of that year. That's what Edward Harold Bell wants us to believe. degree at Texas A&M University, where he played in the Aggie Band. Prisoner Edward Harold Bell has retracted his confession. He also claimed that he did not mean to kill Larry, and that he had accidentally tripped on his rifle when he shot him. On June 28, 1993, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to seventy years in prison. In some cases he remembers the colour of their hair. Age 42. Edward Harold Bell . 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. 1,890,000 TO SEEK NORTHWEST JOBS Legion Confers on Post-War Employment Plans. Dawna feels that Larry's murder has broken up their whole family. Dawna looked at their driveway and saw Larry laying there. . Journalist Lise Olsen and retired police . Edward was born in Corinth, WV on July 17, 1941, a son of the late Edward Harold and Mary Virginia "Ginny" (Martin) Koontz. However, the events of September 6 would test her character in ways she never imagined. She told him to stay still because they did not know where the bullets were in him. One Texas detective, Deril Oliver, told The Houston Chronicle that Bell was "the closest thing to a real suspect [for the 11 murders] that we ever had. 1. The Eleven, airing Thursday at 9 and 10 p.m. on A&E investigates 11 murders that occurred in rural Texas in the 1970s. [3], "Deaths in Custody | Texas Justice Initiative", "Texas killer's death leaves unanswered questions in girls' slayings", "Relatives unsure of killer's claim in Texas deaths", "Brutal asesino en serie viol a 15 nias", "Investigators Think They Know Who Killed Eleven Girls Around Galveston In The 1970s", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edward_Harold_Bell&oldid=1131805328, This page was last edited on 5 January 2023, at 21:17. Bell claimed in a 1998 letter to police that he had murdered 11 girls in Galveston County. [9] At his June trial, Bell's attorneys attempted to argue that the killing was done in self-defense, claiming that Dickens was an "unstable" who had threatened to kill him in the name of Jesus. Bell, a convicted killer serving 70 years for a 1978 slaying near Houston and who was under investigation in the unsolved deaths of several missing girls has died after collapsing at a Texas prison. They commanded him to pull over, but he kept driving. He then began to flee on foot. Dickens ran outside and grabbed the keys from Bell's . HAROLD BELL OBITUARY. My father tried to brainwash me into killing myself.". She immediately called the police and reported him. As she pulled up to a stop sign near their house, she saw Bell cross the street to the edge of their driveway. As he got in it and drove away, she fired and hit it. "I was going to let the state kill me," he said. In fact, he said, there . I have not killed anyone.". He was eventually arrested in Panama just months after an episode of Unsolved Mysteries aired, renewing public attention on his case. Named Texas' most wanted fugitive in the 1980s, Bell was featured on the T.V. Bill left for work and her three-year-old was in the living room watching Sesame Street. Trial Court # 284,590 . pg-13 2013. Edward Harold Bell confessed to murdering 11 Texas girls. Gloria Gonzales went missing in October of 1971 (her body was found near Wilson's). Sue fired at the intruder as he ran down the stairs to the main floor. 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 . As Newsweek points out, Edward Harold Bell confessed to 11 girls, but like Hedrick, he was never charged due to a lack of evidence. He has given a chilling confession from his prison cell where he is serving a 70-year sentence for the murder of a former Marine in 1978. Yet another is speculated to be Suzie Bowers, who vanished from Galveston in 1977. [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. During interviews, Bell blamed his heinous actions on a systematic program of abuse, lies, and brainwashing begun by his father. He claimed that he shot them and disposed of their bodies near a remote bridge. Edward Harold Bell parked his truck in a residential neighborhood in Pasadena, Texas. He asserted that he had made up his admissions in order to receive the death penalty when he was interviewed for the documentary The Eleven in 2017. Kim Pitchford went missing in January of 1973. With Edward Harold Bell as their number one suspect, investigators Lise Olsen and Fred Paige are determined to find . You can help Serial Killer Database Wiki by expanding it. When she returned to the phone, the dispatcher was still on the line. Death of Edward . The Help. It's " where two middle school students, Georgia Geer, 14, and Brooks Bracewell, 12, were last seen in 1974." Show 6 article text (OCR) THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW 6 Fri., April 27, 1945. As she got closer, she saw that Larry was lying in the driveway. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Jeremy Desel told the Associated Press that no foul play was suspected in Bells death, howeverhe declined to discuss any specifics of how he died due to medical privacy laws. While his wife Allison . Georgia Geer and Brooks Bracewell, aka "the Dickenson girls," both vanished in September of 1974. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. Brenda Jones went missing from Galveston in 1971. Also available on YouTube with Dennis Farina. As The Houston Chronicle reported, "Bell blamed the crimes and carnage in his life on a systemic program of abuse, lies and brainwashing [allegedly] begun by his father. Recently added to YouTube. Genealogy profile for Edward Harold Stibbs. On August 24, he went out to cut the lawn. Bell continued to demand his keys. 2. [6] After spending time in Costa Rica in 1988 and 1989, Bell moved for a few months in Boquete, Panama, before finally settling in Panama City, where he married for the third time to a young girl from Chepo. 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. [12] In addition to this, Panamanian authorities announced that they considered him a suspect in four rape-murders committed in their country: two while he was residing in Boquete, and another two in Panama City. Several investigators reviewed their evidence in those cases after they learned of the confessions. Furthermore, he had a trailer near the bayou where their bodies were found. Paige interviewed two witnesses who saw Ackerman and Johnson accepting a ride near a Baskin-Robbins from a man driving a white van. He believes that Bell has changed his name and is living somewhere where the people around him do not know how dangerous he is. Extra Notes: Results: Captured. Perhaps, The Eleven's investigations will be able to give these families what they've been waiting for nearly 40 years for: the truth. However, she was happy to know that Bell would be facing justice. She turned toward him, saw that he was holding a large hunting knife and he slashed her with it.