Jury’s verdict: Death
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Convicted mass murderer Anthony Bell deserves to die by lethal injection for killing his wife and four in-laws in a May 2006 shooting spree, a jury recommended late Thursday.
Jurors deliberated for just under two hours before returning with the verdict shortly before 9 p.m.
When state District Judge Todd Hernandez read the jury’s recommendation, Bell — dressed in orange-and-white striped prison clothes for the first time in the trial — stood straight and stared in the judge’s direction.
There were no outbursts in the courtroom during the reading of the verdict, but many family members of the victims had smiles and tears on their faces when the word “death” was pronounced.
Bell, 27, was convicted a week ago on five counts of first-degree murder and a count of attempted first-degree murder in the shooting spree that began at the Ministry of Jesus Christ Church, where he killed four in-laws, and ended at an apartment parking lot where he fatally shot his wife, Erica Bell.
The same jurors who convicted Bell recommended he be sentenced to death. Jurors had a choice of whether to recommend a sentence of death or life in prison.
“There was only one just verdict in this case and the jury had the courage to render it,” prosecutor Mark Dumaine said in an interview late Thursday after the trial.
“And we had a family patient enough to wait for it,” he said.
“I’m happy,” Jeffery Howard, son of murder victims Gloria and Leonard Howard, said after the trial. “My father taught me to believe in the system, and the system worked. Mr. Bell is going to burn now.”
Prosecutor Aaron Brooks said he felt satisfied for the victims and their families.
“This family can finally get a sense of closure,” Brooks said.
Defense attorneys Margaret Lagattuta and Greg Rome declined to comment on the verdict following the trial.
During testimony Thursday, jurors appeared to be most moved by the victim-impact statements made by family members of the murder victims.
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2 wrongs will not make a right. Bell should stay in prison for the remainder of his life. The lord commands thou shall not kill... so whoever kills Bell will also be a killer.
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The Lord has spoken with the voices of the just! Bell should die and soon. The Lord commands thou shalt not murder and Bell did so. Now and forever is his time to pay.
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Lewell: I know that I do not want my tax money paying for him to live forever in prision...
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Bell It's time to pay the piper
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I hate to say this, but it's the "Honest to God Truth - Don't Put Out What You Can't TAKE!"
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When people do such awful things as Bell did, we sometimes get the feeling that he should be in hell, this is my feeling now. The most compelling thing about God, is His mercy, not His goodness, even though he did these things if he asks God for His mercy it will be granted. That's why he's God and I not, I have a lot of praying to do!
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at the end nobody wins everybody lose.mr. bell goes to death row, everybody love ones will never come back to this world, the kids will not be with their mother or father. at the end its no winner.
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It doesn't matter if he lives or dies he still will pay and so will the taxpayers of louisiana. If he is on deathrow for years appealing and appealing, that's tax dollars and if he spends the rest of his life in jail, that's tax dollars. It is more to house an inmate on death row than to house one with a life sentence. All I can say is justice is served and God Bless the family my heart goes out to them.
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I would like to comment on the person comment below about if they kill Bell then they will be a killer as well" that is not so the bible clearly states that you reap what you sow just like the bible had harsh laws the world has them to..and if you live by the sword you die by the sword....all Bell can do now is repent of the horrific acts the he committed and then live on for God otherwise if he stays in the same mind frame he is doomed for HELL. He deserves everythign that's coming to him because he had no right to kil those people the way that he did..he took 5 innocent lives away from their families and that's not right. Mr Bell had ample enough time to think about what he did especially when he took his wife to another location and killed her so he was man enough to commit the murders and I hope he's man enough to do the time and watch justice be served it's his turn to die in the hands of another. In life we all make choices whether it;s good or bad and the choices we make determines our futures and at the age 27 he has determined his future......I feel sorry for the fsmilies of the victims and Anthony Bell but sorry I have no sorrow for him.
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and now it's time for him to pay for his actions. We all must reap what we sow whether it was a good seed sown or a bad seed sown,......whatever seed it is it must come up again as long as you live you can believe that.REPENTANCE is his only chance now.........TRUE REPENTANCE...God is merciful and he's sovereign and only God forgive sins of this multitude.......
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GLORY BE TO GOD! I am the granddaughter of two of the victims. Now we as a family can move forward. We only asked that justice be served and it has. And now I can focus on my mission to help others so this will not happen to them. My family did not die in vain...they will continue to live through us. It was painful and hard but GOD got us through this and we forever praise him. We fought the fight with my loves ones looking down on us. The message to learn from this is to help others and not look the other way! GOD BLESS!!
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IT Should be like it was in the old days, Lets put him in front of a fireing squad....
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I know what this monster did was nothing of GOD but I definitely don't believe in captial punishment either because it's nothing of GOD. They should have spared his life so he could suffer each and every day in prison for what he did. GOD has his way with people and I think GOD could have worked on this animal in prison and could have used him as well but it's all said and done now. How can you find closure when a loved one was murdered with innocent young kids' left behind. You can't you can only lean closerer to GOD for strength and wisdom.
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well i feel like this what he didi was wrong and no i dont belive in the death sentence, the only thing he, and his mom , and family can do at this point is pray.
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I'm glad for the verdict but he'll never be executed. Even the smoothest and simplest of death sentence prosecutions are appealled for years. In a case where the defendant represented himself, maintained that he was mentally retarded, and the defense atty's were reappointed and given 2 days to prepare a defense against the death penalty.....he'll never see the day. He'll be on death row the rest of his life; "living" in name only.
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You people need to learn how to write before you start to express your opinions.
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I believe that this absolutely was a terrible act. It sickens me. But what sickens me more is that the families of these tragedies can smile as a man is condemned to die! How can one revel in the face of death? No matter what he has done, Bell does not deserve to be killed. No one deserves that. And before you say it, you're right, his victims didn't deserve to be killed either. But blood does not wash away blood... And, before I go, one last comment: out of curiosity, what race were the victims and their families?
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