After making his confessions, he informed a reporter for the Houston Chronicle that he would only offer evidence to support his accusations if he was granted immunity from prosecution. In July and September 2011, Bell was interviewed by a Houston Chronicle reporter. Kimberly Rae Pitchford, 16, disappeared after taking a driving class before her body was found in 1973. It was submitted to the show by Investigator Boucher. As he got in it and drove away, she fired and hit it. pg-13 2011. He allegedly shot them, then dumped their remains close to a deserted bridge. Sue had always considered herself strong and self-reliant. Other articles where Harold Bell Wright is discussed: Ozark Mountains: industries, was given impetus by Harold Bell Wright's novel The Shepherd of the Hills (1907), which romanticized the Missouri Ozarks. The Subject Of This Netflix True Crime Doc Is Now Guilty Of Murdering His Wife & Son, Morgan Doughty Filed A Lawsuit Against The Murdaugh Family, Heres How To Watch The Alex Murdaugh Trial Live, Sophie Turners Joan Charts The Rise Of A Famous British Jewel Thief, Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. He was stopped by police at least a dozen times for masturbating and flashing AT girls. Houston Public Media is supported with your gifts to the Houston Public Media Foundation and is licensed to the University of Houston, . Bell identified another victim as "Pitchford", who was later determined to be sixteen-year-old Kimberly Rae Pitchford. I have not killed anyone.". This photo provided Sept. 28, 2011, by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Edward Harold Bell. He got out and walked toward the children. Edward Harold Bell (May 26, 1939 - April 20, 2019) was an American sex offender, murderer and the first fugitive to be featured in the Texan rendition of America's Most Wanted.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. Michael Hagerty is the senior producer for Houston Matters. Bell claimed that his victims were from Houston, Galveston, Webster, and Dickinson. Ex-homicide detective Fred Paige and Lise Olsen, an investigative journalist for the Houston Chronicle, teamed up to reopen the case of the "eleven who went to heaven." There was no tangible proof linking him to the other crimes. [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. At just that moment, Larry's seventeen-year-old sister, Dawna, was returning home from cheerleading practice. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Shockingly, Bell was not done; he went back to his truck and retrieved his high-powered M1 rifle. When the trial date came about, Bell did not appear. In fact, he said, there were seven others, all . He agreed to report to another in-patient treatment program at the University of Texas Medical Branch to avoid prosecution. Because of the trauma of the situation, Dorothy felt unable to identify him. Oct. 19, 2017. Edward Harold Bell, in a Texas prison cell for the cold blooded killing of 28-year old Larry Dickens in 1978, denied a request by The Police News for an interview in connection with the murders of Debbie Ackerman and Maria Johnson in 1971. . She continued firing at him as he ran down the driveway and toward his truck. Bell is currently considered a suspect in the murders of several young women near Galveston in the 1970s. On April 20, 2019, he died from heart failure at the Wallace Pack Unit, aged 79. 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 . The victims were all teenage girls, and each of their murders have remained unsolved for decades. Bell's case is far more complicated than it initially may seem. Her bones were found in a reservoir mingled with those of a missing Houston girl, Gloria Ann Gonzales, 19. This photo provided Sept. 28, 2011, by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Edward Harold Bell. Another victim from 1971 was thirteen-year-old Colette Wilson, who vanished after leaving a band camp. [7], Despite several investigations into his claims, Bell was never charged with any other murder besides Dickens'. He quietly liquidated his assets, and with more than $140,000 in his pocket, disappeared. She forced the intruder from the bathroom and then drove him out of the house at gunpoint with a gun from her nightstand. 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. He was fifty-two. 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. How many people did convicted murderer Edward Bell really kill? 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. She was upset at the fact that, while they could bring him back, no one could ever bring Larry back. [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. Especially since, as seen in the A&E series, he later denied everything he wrote years ago. Elizabeth Edwards "collapsed in a ball" in an airport parking lot and tore off her shirt in a fit of anger, the witness said. 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. [13] According to him, some of the case details found in the letters had not been released to the public. Bell provided the names of four of those girls; Colette Wilson, Debbie Ackerman, Maria Johnson, and Kimberly Pitchford. She says that there will always be an emptiness, a part that is missing and will never be returned. Self-described serial killer Edward Harold Bell died in the Texas prison Saturday, leaving unanswered questions about the unsolved murders of 11 girls he claimed to have killed . Dorothy noticed that he was fooling with something in his seat. Most victims were 11 to 16-year- old but he repeatedly avoided arrest and prosecution. Despite the fact that some thought he was a publicity-seeking "kook," others were certain he was the murderer. 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. Gloria Gonzales, whose bones were discovered near to Colette's in October 1971, is thought to be another. Paradise Lost. Bell referred to another victim as "Pitchford," who was later revealed to be Kimberly Rae Pitchford, 16. Harold Wilmerding Bell. He is an actor and writer, known for Gymkata (1985), The Greatest American Hero (1981) and Vindication. Prosecutors in Galveston reopened Debbie and Maria's cases after learning new information through their investigation, and Bell was identified as the "primary suspect." v. A jury found Edward Harold Bell guilty of murder and assessed punishment at seventy years confinement. Edward Harold Bell was married with three children and secretly following young girls, exposing himself to them for many years before he murdered 26-year-old Larry Dickens on 24 August 1978 in Pasadena, Texas. It was there that Bell met Doug Pruns through a mutual friend. A convicted murderer serving a 70-year prison sentence died leaving unanswered questions about the unsolved killings of 11 missing girls. Mary Livingston Ludlow. Galveston surfer girls Debbie Ackerman, 15, and Maria Johnson, 15, went missing after hitch-hiking on November 15, 1971. Edward Harold Bell says he has killed as many as 11 girls. Dawna feels that Larry's murder has broken up their whole family. 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. Why did you kill my brother?!" Bell, a convicted killer serving 70 years for a 1978 slaying near Houston and who was . She noticed that there were several children playing in the intersection of Moore and Apple, next to their house. A Houston Chronicle reporter spoke with Bell in July and September of that year. She assumed that he was a first-time burglar. According to reports, Harris County prosecutors never looked into the allegations and misplaced the letters from him. Some detectives asserted that they had long held the conviction that he was a serial killer and had discovered proof to support his allegations. Brenda Jones went missing from Galveston in 1971. His defense claimed that Larry was a "mean" and "unstable" man who attacked Bell and threatened to kill him. Bell spent his time in the mental ward baiting underage patients. The Australian soap is set to make a comeback on Amazon Freevee, with . Despite these claims, Bell was not investigated until 2011. She then knelt beside him, held his hand to her face, and watched him die. As she got closer, she saw that Larry was lying in the driveway. She could not have been more wrong. She ran to him as Bell turned around and drove off. Bell also said he killed a red-haired teen named 'Pitchford', after kidnapping her near a mall. Edward Harold Bell was convicted of murder and sentenced to 70 years in prison for the death of Larry Dickens. She vanished after taking a driver's ed class in Houston. 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. However, two victims are believed to be Rhonda Johnson and Sharon Shaw, who vanished from Galveston a few months before Debbie and Maria. He also claims his three ex-wives were part of this 'programme'. Since the early 1970s, 30 bodies have been uncovered within the area. His father was an oil field worker who frequently moved his family to various towns surrounding the Houston area. [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 Hunter Ludlow (1810 - November 27, 1884) was an American physician and real estate broker. He pointed the gun at Larry again. 1. Maria was born on March 29 1805, in Eye, Suffolk, England. 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. ", Bell believed the "program" to be far-reaching, having allegedly included family members and people he's dated. During interviews, Bell blamed his heinous actions on a systematic program of abuse, lies, and brainwashing begun by his father. In interviews with Lise Olsen, Edward Bell denies killing anyone, even Larry Dickens. But in September 1984, the illusion of small-town security was shattered for a local couple, "Sue" and "Bill". Bell's first documented arrest occurred in 1966. 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]. 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. 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 . Real Name: Edward Harold Bell He named Debbie Ackerman and Maria Johnson, two 15-year-old Galveston "surfing girls" who vanished after hitchhiking, as two of the victims from 1971. Dawna screamed and cried. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. 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/. In fact, he said, there . The show featured fellow Texan Matthew McConaughey as Larry Dickens in his first acting role. Bell reportedly was confronted by Dickens as he stood next to his car in front of a group of young girls wearing . Columbia GSAPP sadly shares the loss of Professor Emeritus Harold "Hank" Bell, who passed away on May 26, 2021, at the age of 94. Another is believed to be Gloria Gonzales, who vanished in October 1971; her remains were found in close proximity to Colette's. The two head wounds and the back wound were all fatal. 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 was only convicted of one murder from 1978. Another viewer claimed that Bell had lived in Panama for several years. 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. His name was Edward Bell, and he was wanted for murder. The injury to the left cheek was from close range, nine to twelve inches away. At the time, Bell lived in an apartment on a beach and had bought a surf shop that both girls were known to have visited. People Projects . 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. According to her, it started off like any other morning. This photo provided Sept. 28, 2011, by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Edward Harold Bell. Two other victims are believed to be fourteen-year-old Georgia Geer and twelve-year-old Brooks Bracewell; they were last seen in 1974 and found in 1976. Adams took Bell back to the scene where Dawna and Dorothy identified him. Genealogy profile for Edward Harold Stibbs. Edward Michael Bell. Edward Harold Bell. In the reflection, she saw a man walking into the bathroom. 1 of 11. That's what Edward Harold Bell wants us to believe. In January 2013, he became eligible for parole, however, it was denied. At this time, Bell was eighty-years-old, frail, and pasty. A jury found Edward Harold Bell guilty of murder and assessed punishment at seventy years confinement. He was leaning on the washer, and the man was standing next to him with the gun pointed to Larry's head. Now in excerpts from the letters obtained by the Houston Chronicle, it has emerged that Bell claims a brainwashing 'programme' begun by his father forced him to 'be a flasher', to 'rape girls' and to kill. My father tried to brainwash me into killing myself.". They asserted that they could not confirm his confessions. . 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. After a brief chase, they ended up on a dead-end street. 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. As Dorothy continued talking to the police, Larry went out and took the keys out of Bell's truck in an attempt to keep him there until the police arrived. He claimed that he shot them and disposed of their bodies near a remote bridge. 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. He had details of how he shot them and was even able to describe the remote bridge where the bodies were recovered. Larry and Bell struggled into the garage. She had been an investigator on the case in recent years. In Bell's truck, police found the murder weapons and pornography. However, one is speculated to be Brenda Jones, who vanished from Galveston in 1971. She believes he expected her to plead with him not to do anything. father. As she opened up the newspaper one morning, she saw a picture of the intruder. degree at Texas A&M University, where he played in the Aggie Band. 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. Results: Unresolved. The cases of all eleven girls remain open and unsolved. Also available on YouTube with Dennis Farina. Adelaide Bell. Age 42. Apr 20, 2019. He remained the key suspect in the murders. Marias death impacted my life more than any other single event. He came back and put his pants back on. 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Former Detective Paige teamed up with Chronicle reporter Lise Olsen to try and determine whether or not he was responsible. 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. The victims were young girls from the Texas counties of Houston, Galveston, Webster and Dickinson. Perhaps, The Eleven's investigations will be able to give these families what they've been waiting for nearly 40 years for: the truth. Genealogy for Edward Bell (1860 - 1902) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. They were last seen accepting a ride from a man driving a white van; he happened to own one at that time. 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. He turned around and began to pursue the vehicle. Another victim from 1971 was thirteen-year-old Colette Wilson, who vanished after leaving a band camp. From the 208th District Court. By 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. According to him, some of the case details found in the letters had not been released to the public. If you are a true crime fan, you have probably heard of the Texas Killing Fields. 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. He crashed his truck into a fence. He had been living there with a teenage girl. He was arrested again in the rape of a Jennie Sealy mental patient he met outside the hospital. After his confessions, he told the Houston Chronicle reporter that he would provide proof to back up his claims only if he was given immunity from prosecution. Nothing can take her memory away.. series Unsolved Mysteries. Two viewers recognized Edward Bell and called in with tips when this story aired. All four girls were known to hang out at a water ski school near Bell's apartment in Offatts Bayou. By Lise Olsen . Birth of Harold Wilmerding Bell. He was released on bail less than two months after the murder. On June 26, 1978, he exposed himself to two girls riding bikes, aged 11 and 12. 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. She immediately called the police and reported him. People were afraid of him, Olsen told Houston Matters. Edward Harold Bell confessed to murdering 11 Texas girls. The longtime D.C. broadcaster and community leader, who was the first African American to host a daily sports talk show in the . Hunter. Desel added that there was no foul . However the killings he lays claim to started a long time before that. She first thought that he was one of Larry's friends looking for their address. Despite the violent nature of the crime against Dickens, Bell's bond was set at $125,000. Dorothy ran in to help him. [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.. However, the events of September 6 would test her character in ways she never imagined. Several investigators reviewed their evidence in those cases after they learned of the confessions. You can help Serial Killer Database Wiki by expanding it. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. 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. 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. All four of the female victims disappeared near Bell's apartment. Six of them were murdered in pairs. Genealogy for Edward Harold Stibbs (1876 - 1944) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. Edward Harold Bell, admitted sex offender, convicted murderer and self-described serial killer, has given multiple chilling confessions from his locked prison cell of abducting and slaying teenage . The whole incident was very quick. Bill left for work and her three-year-old was in the living room watching Sesame Street. Colette's bones were found in a reservoir along with those of a missing Houston girl, Gloria Ann Gonzales, 19. But was he really their killer? 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. The two girls were shot as they stood tied up half naked in a river, says Bell. [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. She says that he was strong and very special to all of them. [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. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Another six young girls were killed in the area in the mid-to-late Seventies. By The man's name was Edward Bell. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Betty A. Tomlinson; his daughter, Darlene S. Richardson (Steve) and grandson, Chris Richardson (Kathleen) all of Victoria. They placed him under arrest, and the FBI, along with the Panama City Police Department, brought Bell back to the United States. When he was interviewed for the documentary The Eleven in 2017, he claimed that he had made up his confessions in order to get the death penalty. Wanted For: Murder, Indecency with a Child Bell is considered a suspect in the murders of several young women near Galveston in the 1970s. Prosecutors in Galveston, though, declined to show a grand jury his written admissions. He has been seen only once since then, when entered Sue's home in Bryan in September 1984. Not knowing is heartbreaking." In the interview he stated the girls wanted him to have sex with them because they were tired of the younger boys. Her body was found in a thicket in Brazoria County in January 1973. Rhonda "Renee" Johnson and Sharon Shaw disappeared from Galveston on August 4, 1971.
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