Larry Gene Bell
Encyclopedia
Larry Gene Bell was a double murder
er in Lexington County, South Carolina, who was electrocuted
for the murders of Sharon "Shari" Faye Smith and Debra May Helmick. Bell forced Smith to write a "Last Will and Testament
" before he murdered her and taunted her parents by telephone.
from 1965 to 1967. The Bell family moved to Mississippi, where Larry Gene Bell graduated high school and took training as an electrician. He returned to Columbia, South Carolina, married and had one son.
Bell joined the Marines
in 1970, but was discharged the same year due to a knee injury suffered when he accidentally shot himself when cleaning a gun. The following year, he worked as a correctional officer at the Department of Corrections in Columbia for one month. Bell and his family moved to Rock Hill, South Carolina
in 1972 and the couple divorced in 1976.
. Bell was also a suspect in the 1984 disappearance of Sandee Elaine Cornett from Charlotte, North Carolina
. Cornett was a girlfriend of one of Bell's coworkers.
in order to receive a more lenient sentence. He claimed to be Jesus Christ until his death.
instead of lethal injection
. Bell was the last prisoner in South Carolina executed by electrocution until James Neil Tucker
was executed in 2004 for the double murders of Rosa Lee Dolly Oakley and Shannon Lynn Mello
television movie
Nightmare in Columbia County portrayed the events of the Shari Smith murder. The case was also featured on the TruTV show Forensic Files
and the Discovery Channel
's The FBI Files
.
A second book about Bell's killing spree, Murder in the Midlands by Larry Gene Bell and the 28 Days of Terror that Shook South Carolina, was also written about his killing spree.
Audio pertaining to the murders was sampled on the album Hide the Kitchen Knives
, by The Paper Chase
.
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
er in Lexington County, South Carolina, who was electrocuted
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
for the murders of Sharon "Shari" Faye Smith and Debra May Helmick. Bell forced Smith to write a "Last Will and Testament
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
" before he murdered her and taunted her parents by telephone.
Background
Larry Gene Bell was born in Ralph, Alabama and had three sisters and one brother. The family reportedly moved around a lot, with Bell attending Eau Claire High School in Columbia, South CarolinaColumbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
from 1965 to 1967. The Bell family moved to Mississippi, where Larry Gene Bell graduated high school and took training as an electrician. He returned to Columbia, South Carolina, married and had one son.
Bell joined the Marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
in 1970, but was discharged the same year due to a knee injury suffered when he accidentally shot himself when cleaning a gun. The following year, he worked as a correctional officer at the Department of Corrections in Columbia for one month. Bell and his family moved to Rock Hill, South Carolina
Rock Hill, South Carolina
Rock Hill is the largest city in York County, South Carolina and the fourth-largest city in the state. It is also the third-largest city of the Charlotte metropolitan area, behind Charlotte and Concord, North Carolina. The population was 71,459 as of . Rock Hill has undergone rapid growth between...
in 1972 and the couple divorced in 1976.
Victims
Bell kidnapped 17-year-old Sharon "Shari" Faye Smith at gunpoint from the end of her driveway on Platt Springs Road on May 31, 1985. Her car was found running, with the door open. Her body was later found in Saluda County, South Carolina. He then kidnapped ten-year-old Debra May Helmick near Old Percival Road in Richland County, South CarolinaRichland County, South Carolina
Richland County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The 2000 U.S. census recorded its population to be 320,677. In 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau recorded that its population had reached 384,504. It is the second most populous county in South Carolina, behind only Greenville...
. Bell was also a suspect in the 1984 disappearance of Sandee Elaine Cornett from Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
. Cornett was a girlfriend of one of Bell's coworkers.
Arrest and Trial
On June 27, Bell was arrested. Throughout the largest manhunt in South Carolina history, Bell made eight telephone calls to the Smith family, often speaking with Shari's sister, Dawn. Bell eventually gave exact directions to the locations of both of the bodies and described to the family how he had killed Smith. During his six-hour testimony at his trial, Bell continuously blurted out bizarre comments and carried on nonstop theatrics, rambling continuously and refusing to answer questions. He later made statements indicating that he may have been attempting to fake mental illnessMental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
in order to receive a more lenient sentence. He claimed to be Jesus Christ until his death.
Execution
Bell chose to die by the electric chairElectric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
instead of lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
. Bell was the last prisoner in South Carolina executed by electrocution until James Neil Tucker
James Neil Tucker
James Neil Tucker was a convicted murderer executed by the U.S. state of South Carolina by means of the electric chair. The electric chair would not be used again in the United States until July 20, 2006, in the state of Virginia...
was executed in 2004 for the double murders of Rosa Lee Dolly Oakley and Shannon Lynn Mello
Television
The CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
Nightmare in Columbia County portrayed the events of the Shari Smith murder. The case was also featured on the TruTV show Forensic Files
Forensic Files
Forensic Files is an American documentary-style series which reveals how forensic science is used to solve violent crimes, mysterious accidents, and even outbreaks of illness. The show is broadcast on truTV, narrated by Peter Thomas, and produced by Medstar Television, in association with truTV...
and the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
's The FBI Files
The FBI Files
The FBI Files is an American television docudrama series that originally ran from 1998 to 2006. It was carried by the Discovery Channel cable network and produced by New Dominion Pictures of Suffolk, Virginia...
.
Other media
A year after Smith's death, her sister, Dawn Elizabeth Smith, was crowned Miss South Carolina (1986). Dawn Smith Jordan has written a book on the family's story throughout the ordeal, Grace So Amazing: A True Story of God's Grace in the Midst of Life-Shattering Tragedy and also recorded a song, "Sisters," dedicated to her sister.A second book about Bell's killing spree, Murder in the Midlands by Larry Gene Bell and the 28 Days of Terror that Shook South Carolina, was also written about his killing spree.
Audio pertaining to the murders was sampled on the album Hide the Kitchen Knives
Hide the Kitchen Knives
Hide the Kitchen Knives is an album by The Paper Chase.-Track listing:#I Did a Terrible Thing#Where Have Those Hands Been?#I'm Gonna Spend the Rest of My Life Lying#A Nice Family Dinner for Once#Don't You Wish You Had Somemore...
, by The Paper Chase
The Paper Chase (band)
The Paper Chase was an alternative rock band formed in 1998 by well known producer/engineer John Congleton in Dallas, Texas, signed to Kill Rock Stars and Southern Records. Their Albums "God Bless Your Black Heart" and "Now You Are One Of Us" have been released on vinyl by the Austrian label Trost...
.
See also
- List of individuals executed in South Carolina
- Capital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United States, in practice, applies only for aggravated murder and more rarely for felony murder. Capital punishment was a penalty at common law, for many felonies, and was enforced in all of the American colonies prior to the Declaration of Independence...
External links
- US Executions since 1976. Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved on 2007-08-17.