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New York Post
16-07-2025
- New York Post
5-time convicted killer put to death in Florida uses his last words to thank executioner
A five-time convicted murderer executed in Florida on Tuesday used his last words to thank those responsible for his impending death as he became the 26th person executed in the US this year — surpassing last year's grim total. Michael Bernard Bell, 54, was pronounced dead at 6:25 p.m. after receiving a lethal injection at the Florida State Prison, said Bryan Griffin, a spokesperson for Gov. Ron DeSantis. 4 Michael Bernard Bell, 54, was executed by lethal injection Tuesday evening. AP Advertisement Surprisingly, Bell — who was sentenced to death for the fatal shooting of two people outside of a bar in 1993 — used his final breaths to show gratitude. 'Thank you for not letting me spend the rest of my life in prison,' he said. 4 Bell was sentenced to death for the murder of two people outside a bar in 1993. Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Advertisement The killer woke up bright and early for his final day at 6:30 a.m. and ate his last meal consisting of classic breakfast foods: an omelet, bacon, home fries and orange juice. Bell, who killed five people — including a toddler — in his lifetime, only met with a spiritual advisor during his final hours. Despite his apparent appreciation for his death sentence, Bell's lawyer had requested that the execution be stayed — which the US Supreme Court had rejected. The court doubled down on its assertion that Bell should face the music with a 54-page opinion pointing to his guilt even as his legal team insisted they had newly discovered evidence about witness testimony. Advertisement 4 Bell was also convicted of killing a woman and her toddler son and his mother's boyfriend in separate incidents. Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Bell was convicted in 1995 and sentenced to death for the murders of Jimmy West and Tamecka Smith. In December 1993, Bell spotted a car driven by West that was previously owned by a man who had killed his brother. So, he called on two other friends and armed himself with an AK-47 for what he thought would be the vengeful assassination of his brother's killer. Instead, he gunned down West and Smith, who had no affiliation with his brother's death, in the car outside a bar, officials said. Advertisement Bell also opened fire on a nearby crowd before fleeing the scene. West died at the scene and Smith succumbed to her injuries en route to the hospital while a third passenger escaped unharmed. He was arrested later that year with three extra murders tacked onto his record. In 1989, he shot and killed a woman and her toddler son. Then, just four months before the bar slaughter, he also killed his mother's boyfriend, officials said. 4 Bell's last meal included typical breakfast foods. Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Bell's execution marks the 26th in the US this year, breaking 2024's morbid total with five more months left to go. He is also the eighth person to be put to death in Florida, a sharp uptick compared to just one last year. The Sunshine State has executed more people this year than any other state. On July 31, Edward J. Zakrzewski, II is set to be the ninth executed death row prisoner in Florida this year. He was found guilty in 1996 for the slaughter of his family after he tried to seek a divorce from his wife, whom he beat with a crowbar and machete before strangling her to death. He also killed their two young children, just 7 and 5 years old, with the same machete. With Post wires.
New York Post
15-07-2025
- New York Post
Florida man set to be the 26th person executed in the US this year, surpassing 2024's total
STARKE, Fla. — A man who fatally shot a man and woman outside a Florida bar as part of an attempted revenge killing is scheduled to be executed on Tuesday, which would be the 26th execution carried out in the U.S. this year. So far, 25 men have been executed in 2025, tying the number of executions in 2024 and 2018. In 2015, there were 28 executions in the U.S. Michael Bernard Bell, 54, is scheduled to receive a lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke, barring a last-day reprieve. 7 Death row inmate Michael Bernard Bell at an evidentiary hearing. Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images 7 So far, 25 men have been executed in 2025. AP He was convicted in 1995 and sentenced to death for the murders of Jimmy West and Tamecka Smith. Bell would be the eighth person put to death in Florida this year, with a ninth scheduled for later this month. The state executed six people in 2023, but carried out only one execution last year. Florida has executed more people than any other state this year, while Texas and South Carolina are tied for second place with four each. Alabama has executed three people, Oklahoma has killed two, and Arizona, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee each have killed one. In December 1993, Bell spotted what he thought was the car of the man who fatally shot his brother earlier that year, according to court records. Bell was apparently unaware that the man had sold the car to West. 7 Bell spotted what he thought was the car of the man who fatally shot his brother earlier that year, according to court records. Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images 7 Defense attorney Robert Norgard shows a document that Charles Jones signed after he plead the fifth while testifying during an evidentiary hearing. Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Bell called on two friends and armed himself with an AK-47 rifle, authorities said. They found the car parked outside a liquor lounge and waited. When West, Smith and another woman eventually exited the club, Bell approached the car and opened fire, officials said. West died at the scene, and Smith died on the way to the hospital. 7 Attorney Donald Mayer speaking with his client Henry Edwards. Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The other woman escaped injury. Witnesses said Bell also fired at a crowd of onlookers before fleeing the area. He was eventually arrested the next year. Bell was later convicted of three additional murders. 7 Charles Jones testifying at an evidentiary hearing. Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images He fatally shot a woman and her toddler son in 1989, and he killed his mother's boyfriend about four months before the attack on West and Smith, officials said. Attorneys for Bell have filed appeals with the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court. The lawyers argued in their state filing that Bell's execution should be halted because of newly discovered evidence about witness testimony. 7 Bell fatally shot a woman and her toddler son in 1989, and he killed his mother's boyfriend about four months before the attack on West and Smith, officials said. Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images But justices unanimously rejected the argument last week and pointed to overwhelming evidence of Bell's guilt in a 54-page opinion. Bell's attorneys filed a similar petition with the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday, but the panel has not yet issued a ruling.
