"My father thought if he beat you real bad, it would send chemicals into your bloodstream," Bell said. 3. That summer, twenty-six-year-old Larry Dickens was visiting his mother and sister in Pasadena, a suburb of Houston. Convicted Texas killer dies in prison after alleging involvement with I believe he took a life precious to me and my life has never been the same since, she said. Man admits to killing as many as 11 girls across Southeast Texas In Bell's truck, police found the murder weapons and pornography. The grief "welled up" in her again. Referring to them as the "eleven who went to heaven." Possible serial killer Edward Harold Bell is due to be released from parole in the fall of 2017. [3], Edward Harold Bell was born on May 26, 1939, in southern Texas. It was there that Bell met Doug Pruns through a mutual friend. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. The case was featured on a 1992 episode of Unsolved Mysteries that also earned Matthew McConaughey his first TV acting credit for playing Dickens in the re-enactment of the crime. HAROLD BELL OBITUARY. The assault victim was given the name "Sue" and was filmed in silhouette to protect her identity. He claims to be responsible for the killing of young girls including 15-year-olds Debbie Ackerman and Maria Johnson who disappeared while hitch-hiking in Texas in 1971. Mr Dickens' mother watched from her house as Bell shot her son four times with a pistol and then shot him again with a rifle. He believes that Bell has changed his name and is living somewhere where the people around him do not know how dangerous he is. Bell also claimed that a "brainwashing program" forced him to be a flasher, to rape girls, and to kill. Dawna said that the wounds will never heal and the hurt of losing Larry will always be there. For the next twelve years or more before he was arrested for the murder of Larry Dickens, Bell trolled for girls and exposed himself across Texas and Louisiana in vehicles he often altered and swapped. Dawna screamed and cried. Blue Bell Hill, Chatham, Kent, UK (Carcinoma of Stomach & Gastric Ulcer) . Edward allegedly endured physical abuse from his father, scout leaders at the Boy Scouts, and one of his cousins. He assumed the identity of a dead cousin named Cecil Boyd and told people to call him 'Wally.'". Bell also owned a field near where two middle school students, Georgia Geer, 14, and Brooks Bracewell, 12, were last seen in Dickinson in 1974. [2] His claims were never conclusively verified, and he died behind bars in 2019, having recanted his previous claims. Gloria Gonzales went missing in October of 1971 (her body was found near Wilson's). She immediately called the police and reported him. Harold Wilmerding Bell. Recently added to YouTube. Serial killer Edward Harold Bell's chilling confessions: 'I murdered 11 . Investigators Lise Olsen and Fred Paige are on a mission to examine the confessions of inmate Edward Harold Bell. However, Galveston prosecutors refused to present his written confessions to a grand jury. 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. 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. 'People Were Afraid Of Him' Killer's Death Leaves Hope For New A Houston Chronicle reporter spoke with Bell in July and September of that year. On April 20, 2019, he died in prison from undisclosed causes at age eighty-two. They were last seen accepting a ride from a man driving a white van; he happened to own one at that time. Per the A&E series, in his first letter, sent to the Galveston County District Attorney in 1998, Bell claimed that he had been brainwashed into becoming a killer. Edward Hunter Ludlow (1810 - November 27, 1884) was an American physician and real estate broker. But in September 1984, the illusion of small-town security was shattered for a local couple, "Sue" and "Bill". By In July and September 2011, Bell was interviewed by a Houston Chronicle reporter. She first thought that he was one of Larry's friends looking for their address. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Edward Harold Bell v. The State of Texas--Appeal from 208th District Michael Lloyd Self | Unsolved Mysteries Wiki | Fandom A&E's The Eleven Examines Possible Serial Killer Edward Bell - PEOPLE.com Matthew McConaughey's Unsolved Mysteries Episode Is a Hidden Gem Ariel Ackerman, the wife of Debbie's brother, Daniel, told The Police News, "In the wake of this . The other two primary suspects are Edward Harold Bell and Mark Stallings. Deed records showed that Bell owned a pasture just a few minutes drive from the store. HAROLD EDWARD BELL MAY 14, 1939 - JUNE 29, 2006 Howard Edward Bell was of Cherokee decent. Investigators Think They Know Who Killed Eleven Girls Around Galveston in the 1970s, Killer who claims he murdered 11 girls may have lied: documentary, Texas killer's death leaves unanswered questions in girls' slayings, "People Were Afraid of Him" Killer's Death Leaves Hope for New Information. Dawna looked at their driveway and saw Larry laying there. Not knowing is heartbreaking." Texas killer's claim that he murdered 11 young women under scrutiny in The State of Texas, Relatives unsure of killer's claim in Texas deaths. Bell is an eccentric and violent convict who remains in a Texas prison today for another murder. Edward Harold Bell . Named Texas' most wanted fugitive in the 1980s, Bell was featured on the T.V. The City of Galveston is putting up $70,000 for a project in the downtown cultural arts district and another $30,000 for a project that could go anywhere in the city. 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. "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. [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. Texas killer dies, questions still remain about girls' death degree at Texas A&M University, where he played in the Aggie Band. Although another man was found guilty of their killings, several investigators now believe that he was innocent. He allegedly shot them, then dumped their remains close to a deserted bridge. [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. His marriage finally ended, as did contact with his children. Larry gave him the keys, and then he fired the final shot at him. In 1998, Bell wrote several letters to prosecutors in both Galveston and Harris counties, claiming that he had killed seven teenage girls in their jurisdictions between 1971 and 1977. Dickens ran outside and grabbed the keys from Bell's . Edward Harold Bell calls his victims, who all disappeared from Texas, the 'Eleven that went to Heaven'. Self was denied parole in 1994 and eventually exhausted his appeals. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. [12] Despite these gruesome claims, the letters were "kept secret" until 2011, when they were finally revealed by retired Galveston homicide detective Fred Paige to the public in an attempt to uncover any potential leads that could verify Bell's accounts. 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. Harold Bell Obituary (2006) - Modesto, CA - Modesto Bee - Legacy.com Watch The Eleven Season 1 | Prime Video - amazon.com Columbia GSAPP sadly shares the loss of Professor Emeritus Harold "Hank" Bell, who passed away on May 26, 2021, at the age of 94. In fact, he said, there . His confession matched details of the crime scene. 20 Best Unsolved Mysteries Episodes - Looper.com Bell identified another victim as "Pitchford", who was later determined to be sixteen-year-old Kimberly Rae Pitchford. Michael Hagerty is the senior producer for Houston Matters. Adams took Bell back to the scene where Dawna and Dorothy identified him. [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. The show featured fellow Texan Matthew McConaughey as Larry Dickens in his first acting role. Five murders occurred in 1971 and six more occurred from about 1974 to 1977. v. THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee . 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. Despite being shot multiple times, Larry tried to go after Bell and stop him again. This photo provided Sept. 28, 2011, by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Edward Harold Bell. She told him that she was going to call an ambulance, and not to move again. Instead, for the next 14 years, Bell roamed coastal towns in Mexico and Central America, guiding dive trips and living aboard a sailboat. [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. "The police killed Larry Dean Dickens and blamed me," Bell claimed, despite all evidence to the contrary. She lives in fear that he is going to come back for her or hurt someone else. Matthew McConaughey in his first-ever role. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice confirmed to ABC13 Eyewitness News Edward Howard Bell died Saturday while in their custody. He remained the key suspect in the murders. She ran to him as Bell turned around and drove off. Lang told her son to give the man back his keys. Additionally, he made a purchase at a surf shop they frequently frequented. 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.. is asked why Bell's letter didn't spur on a more intense investigation, the former D.A. 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. O P I N I O N . Bell is currently considered a suspect in the murders of several young women near Galveston in the 1970s. Especially since, as seen in the A&E series, he later denied everything he wrote years ago. 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 . At that same time, his mother, Dorothy Lang, was standing at the kitchen window. [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. I have not killed anyone.". 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. While his wife Allison . The facility located about . 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. HAROLD BELL Obituary (2021) - West Palm Beach, MA - New York Times He has been seen only once since then, when entered Sue's home in Bryan in September 1984. Despite the fact that some thought he was a publicity-seeking "kook," others were certain he was the murderer. Harold Bell, in his eighth decade, continues to lead a unique life. Their bones were recovered in a bayou in 1976 and weren't identified until 1981. Edward Harold Stibbs (1876 - 1944) - Genealogy He also claimed that he did not mean to kill Larry, and that he had accidentally tripped on his rifle when he shot him. In 1998, he sent letters to Harris and Galveston County prosecutors in which he confessed to killing seven young girls. He got out and pointed his rifle at one of the officers. She went through page after page, but never saw anyone that resembled the intruder. 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. 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. Fearing for the safety of her child, she instinctively attacked. Furthermore, he had a trailer near the bayou where their bodies were found. Another victim from 1971 was thirteen-year-old Colette Wilson, who vanished after leaving a band camp. Harris County, Texas. series Unsolved Mysteries. Two viewers recognized Edward Bell and called in with tips when this story aired. Letters. As she opened up the newspaper one morning, she saw a picture of the intruder. All four of the female victims disappeared near Bell's apartment. He agreed to report to another in-patient treatment program at the University of Texas Medical Branch to avoid prosecution. Ian Smith, Melissa Bell and Annie Jones will return to Neighbours. 'Fool, this is the heavyweight champion': D.C. broadcaster Harold Bell The driver, Bell, then forty, parked and started looking around the area. In a prison interview with Houston Matters in 2017, Bell claimed he had admitted to the murders because he had been suicidal. 1,890,000 TO SEEK NORTHWEST JOBS Legion Confers on Post-War Employment Plans. Bell identified another of his victims as a reddish-blond Houston teen named 'Pitchford,' kidnapped near Gulfgate Mall. Both confessed to killing women in this area. He was an avid hunter and a champion horseshoe player. After a brief chase, they ended up on a dead-end street. Bell reportedly was confronted by Dickens as he stood next to his car in front of a group of young girls wearing . Tags artists in Galveston artwork in Galveston galveston Galveston cultural arts commission. He came back and put his pants back on. Edward Bell, who confessed to local killings, dies She got a good, close look at him. Larry Dickens, Lang's twenty-six-year-old son, ran over to the man's truck and took the keys from the ignition while his mother called the police. However, Dawna agreed to do so. The Spokesman-Review from Spokane, Washington 6 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 . Edward Harold Bell, 82, was being investigated over his . Did a Convicted Texas Murderer Reveal He Was a Serial Killer? - Yahoo! 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. Search in titles only Search in Other Serial Killers only. Paradise Lost. Most victims were 11 to 16-year- old but he repeatedly avoided arrest and prosecution. She then saw him fire at something on the ground. Results: Unresolved. Show 6 article text (OCR) THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW 6 Fri., April 27, 1945. Kim Pitchford went missing in January of 1973. Another six young girls were killed in the area in the mid-to-late Seventies. As he got in it and drove away, she fired and hit it. 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. 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. 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. She continued firing at him as he ran down the driveway and toward his truck. Adelaide Bell. All eleven potential victims linked to Edward Bell were found at the Killing Fields. Lena Madge Crain | Obituaries | johnsoncitypress.com And he claims he was brainwashed to do it. Holding many offices in the Masons, teaching country western dancing, participating in motorcycle events, mem They were last seen accepting a ride near an island ice cream shop from a man driving a white van. The Eleven | TVmaze Kimberly Rae Pitchford, 16, disappeared after taking a driving class before her body was found in 1973. Bell graduated from the City College of New York and led a successful career in real estate development before teaching at GSAPP. Scream. [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.. Actor: Gymkata. 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. [7], On December 2, 1992, the television show Unsolved Mysteries aired an episode about the murder of Dickens. He got out and walked toward the children. EDWARD HAROLD BELL, Appellant. Self's conviction was shrouded in confusion as Edward Harold Bell confessed to killing 11 girls during the 1970s. Apr 20, 2019. She pointed Bell out to him. When Bell climbed out of the vehicle, he was nude from the waist down and walked over to a nearby . Her body was found in a thicket in Brazoria County in January 1973. Edward Howard Bell collapsed at the Wallace Pack Unit in Navasota on April 20, 2019. Harris County prosecutors reportedly never investigated the claims and lost the letters from him. [2] Bell would also claim in later interviews that his father encouraged him to do violent crime, ranging from robbing banks and raping girls, in addition to encouraging him to kill himself. He also claims his three ex-wives were part of this 'programme'. However, the events of September 6 would test her character in ways she never imagined. 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. Your subscription will be migrated over. Edward Harold Bell, a convicted killer who in 2011 admitted to killing two Galveston teenagers in the 1970s, died Saturday. [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 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 . But was he really their killer? In anger, she tried to attack him, yelling, "I hate you! She does not believe that he expected her to fight back. However, she did not hit him. "One thing they wanted me to do for sure was rape a girl," Bell said to the Houston Chronicle. He fired a shot in the air, then shot Larry several times in the chest. Real Name: Edward Harold Bell Flasher Convicted of Killing Man Who Tried to Stop Him He's spent more than 20 years in public radio and television and dabbled in minor league baseball, spending four seasons as the public address announcer for the Reno Aces, the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Paige interviewed two witnesses who saw Ackerman and Johnson accepting a ride near a Baskin-Robbins from a man driving a white van. The man grabbed his jeans from the truck, put them on, and then reached back into the vehicle to produce a gun. 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 . 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 paper reports. Four of Larry's siblings have also since passed away. Bell was a well-known sex offender in the 1970s. Another is believed to be Gloria Gonzales, who vanished in October 1971; her remains were found in close proximity to Colette's. She was shocked to see that he was nude from the waist down and masturbating. Officer Curtis Adams was responding to the scene when he saw a suspect in a red truck matching the description he was given over his radio. She then saw a red-and-white GMC pickup truck driving up near it 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. He owned a pasture just a few minutes' drive from the store where they were last seen. Clarke & Staples Funeral Homes - Robert Edwin Tomlinson When the trial date came about, Bell did not appear. My father tried to brainwash me into killing myself.". Antelope Valley Press Classification 1000 Obituary notices and memorials These ads appeared in the Antelope Valley Press Tuesday, July 4, 2006 BELL, Harold Edward May 14, 1939 - June 29, 2006 Howard Edward Bell is of Cherokee decent. [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. You can help Serial Killer Database Wiki by expanding it. This photo provided Sept. 28, 2011, by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Edward Harold Bell. Some investigators claimed they long believed he was a serial killer and found evidence to corroborate his claims. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! He described how he murdered them and the deserted bridge where the bodies were recovered. "I was going to let the state kill me," he said. She felt that when he got off the plane, he seemed arrogant, which infuriated her. Bell's admission of two murders eventually grew to describe "the eleven who went to heaven," meaning that these 11 1970s unsolved murders could have found an answer. The victims were young girls from the Texas counties of Houston, Galveston, Webster and Dickinson. Throughout this time, he made a living through giving dive trips to American tourists and gold panning. In 1998, Edward Harold Bell wrote multiple letters to prosecutors in Galveston and Harris counties, confessing to the murders of numerous young women. Prisoner Edward Harold Bell has retracted his confession. Dorothy came out and Dawna asked her if he was dead. Nothing can take her memory away.. Tips that finally led to his arrest poured in after Bell became the subject of a 1992 "Unsolved Mysteries" episode. Prosecutors in Galveston, though, declined to show a grand jury his written admissions. By Lise Olsen . Texas murderer Edward Howard Bell dies while serving murder sentence After the airing of the episode a man recognized Bell as someone he had recently conducted business with in Panama City. But in September 1984, the illusion of small-town security was shattered for a local couple, "Sue" and "Bill". Death of Edward . Bell's first documented arrest occurred in 1966. Edward had 6 siblings: William Harold, John Harold and 4 other siblings. [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. Dorothy had him lay on the ground in their driveway. In 2017, A&E produced a docuseries called "The Eleven." 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. 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. Extra Notes: Results: Captured. Obituary of Edward Harold Koontz | Field Funeral Home He was eighty-two years old at the time of his death. That guy was Larry Dickens, who was attempting to stop Edward Harold Bell from exposing himself to children. Edward Harold Bell (May 26, 1939 April 20, 2019)[1] was an American sex offender, murderer and the first fugitive to be featured in the Texan rendition of America's Most Wanted. Check out our guides to the best free shows on YouTube and the best sites for watching free movies online. Five Things You Didn't Know about "The Eleven" - TVOvermind Elizabeth Edwards "collapsed in a ball" in an airport parking lot and tore off her shirt in a fit of anger, the witness said. [2], In spite of these claims, Bell's life was considered enviable by family and friends alike, as he graduated from the Columbus High School in Columbus and later earned a physical education degree at the Texas A&M University in College Station, where he also played in the university's Aggie Band. Reports revealed that Ackerman and Johnson's abductor tied them up, stripped them from the waist down, and left their bodies in the bayou exactly as Bell had claimed. In the interview he stated the girls wanted him to have sex with them because they were tired of the younger boys. The Eleven, airing Thursday at 9 and 10 p.m. on A&E investigates 11 murders that occurred in rural Texas in the 1970s. Isaac Bell, III. In 2000, he died in prison without ever receiving a new trial. Pictured is the Dickinson pasture owned by Edward Harold Bell in the mid 1970s. Next, according to Bell, he seduced a seventeen-year-old patient in Room 417. 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. He and Judy retired and spent the last 20 years in the . I didn't want statutory rape on top of the flasher charge." Edward Harold Bell was convicted of murder and sentenced to 70 years in prison for the death of Larry Dickens. 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.