Colette Anise Wilson, 13, never arrived home near Alvin after attending a summer band camp. Edward Harold Bell calls his victims, who all disappeared from Texas, the 'Eleven that went to Heaven'. The murders are believed to be the work of multiple serial killers using the location as their dumping ground. The man ran back to his truck and left. According to reports, Harris County prosecutors never looked into the allegations and misplaced the letters from him. Madge is survived by her daughter Joy Boudreau (and husband Greg) from . Sue went into the bathroom in the master bedroom to finish getting dressed. 1,890,000 TO SEEK NORTHWEST JOBS Legion Confers on Post-War Employment Plans. New A&E Documentary Examines 11 Unsolved Murders of Texas Teenagers [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. [1] According to his claims, his father, an oil field worker, frequently moved the family to various towns surrounding the Houston area, and allegedly suffered physical abuse both from him, his scoutmasters at the Boy Scouts and one of his cousins. He told the reporter that he was actually responsible for eleven murders, calling them the "eleven that went to Heaven". 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. Suzie Bowers, who disappeared from Galveston in 1977, is thought to be a further victim. 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." Sue had always considered herself strong and self-reliant . A self-professed serial killer who claimed to have killed 11 young girls died in a Texas prison on Saturday, leaving many mysteries unsolved, according to the Houston Chronicle. Texas killer's claim that he murdered 11 young women under scrutiny in Missing Since: October 1978. She could not have been more wrong. The Killing Fields is a 25-acre patch of land a mile from Interstate Highway 45 in League City. . 10 Celebrities With Surprising Connections To Horrific Murders ", Bell's letters suggest that he believes that he was "programmed" into becoming a murderer. Kidnapper convicted in Texas City teen's 1986 disappearance - Chron Additionally, he made a purchase at a surf shop they frequently frequented. Her body was found in a thicket in Brazoria County in January 1973. 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. Lang told the man that he better leave because the police were on their way. Harris County medical examiner's records reveal Kimberly Pitchford, a sixteen-year-old, didn't return home after a driver's ed course. One, nevertheless, is thought to be Brenda Jones, who went missing in Galveston in 1971. Their abductor tied them up, stripped them from the waist down and left their bodies in a river. In an interview, Pruns said he once visited a property where Bell kept horses, raccoons, various critters, and a travel trailer painted to look like a red caboose. He might have claimed a second victim that afternoon, but the rifle suddenly jammed. They were last seen accepting a ride from a man driving a white van; he happened to own one at that time. Bell graduated from the City College of New York and led a successful career in real estate development before teaching at GSAPP. The facility located about . 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. Bell is fluent in German and has worked as a diesel mechanic, tugboat operator, physical education teacher, and traveling salesman. Along with Panama, he also had lived in Mexico and other parts of Central America. He also invested in a surf shop that they were known to visit. The longtime D.C. broadcaster and community leader, who was the first African American to host a daily sports talk show in the . Did a Convicted Texas Murderer Reveal He Was a Serial Killer? - Yahoo! 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. Edward Harold Bell, Alleged 'Eleven in Heaven' Serial Killer, Dies in She forced the intruder from the bathroom and then drove him out of the house at gunpoint with a gun from her nightstand. son. She went through page after page, but never saw anyone that resembled the intruder. Bell sent prosecutors in Texas letters containing his confession in 1998 but they have remained secret until now. 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. Harold Elmer Fues (1904-1949) - Find a Grave-reminne She felt that once that happened, they would all be able to go on with their lives. Just three months after Ackerman and Johnson disappeared from Galveston, so did two fourteen-year-old Webster girls named Sharon Shaw and Rhonda Johnson. Sadly, on July 13, 2012, Dorothy passed away at the age of eighty-four. Edward Harold Bell, a convicted killer who in 2011 admitted to killing two Galveston teenagers in the 1970s, died Saturday. Gloria Gonzales went missing in October of 1971 (her body was found near Wilson's). He has been seen only once since then, when entered Sue's home in Bryan in September 1984. The cases of all eleven girls remain open and unsolved. 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. Published on October 17, 2017 12:53 PM . By 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. In 1993, Bell was convicted for the 1978 murder of Larry Dean Dickens, according to The Orlando Sentinel. Five murders occurred in 1971 and six more occurred from about 1974 to 1977. 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. Bell, a convicted killer serving 70 years for a 1978 slaying near Houston and who was under investigation in the unsolved deaths of several missing girls has died after collapsing at a Texas prison. Since the early 1970s, 30 bodies have been uncovered within the area. The victims were all teenage girls, and each of their murders have remained unsolved for decades. His defense claimed that Larry was a "mean" and "unstable" man who attacked Bell and threatened to kill him. After learning of his admissions, some detectives went back and looked at their evidence in those cases. mother. O P I N I O N . They placed him under arrest, and the FBI, along with the Panama City Police Department, brought Bell back to the United States. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Four months passed without further clues to his identity. Let the Houston Public Media newsroom help you start your day. Genealogy for Edward Bell (1860 - 1902) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. This photo provided Sept. 28, 2011, by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Edward Harold Bell. He could have gone on to kill many more young women and continued to flash his junk at innocent children. As he got in it and drove away, she fired and hit it. Her body was found in January 1973. He assumed the identity of a dead cousin named Cecil Boyd and told people to call him "Wally.". 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. Edward Harold Bell, 79, a serial sex offender and self-described serial killer, was serving time for the murder of ex-Marine Larry Dickens, whom he shot to death on Aug. 24, 1978 in Pasadena, Tex. Enter Edward Howard Bell, a convicted killer serving a 70-year prison term for a murder of a Marine who tried to stop him when he exposed himself to a group of young girls. [3], Edward Harold Bell was born on May 26, 1939, in southern Texas. He identified another of his victims as a reddish-blonde girl named "Pitchford," kidnapped near Glufgate Mall in Houston. On April 20, 2019, he died from heart failure at the Wallace Pack Unit, aged 79. . I didn't want statutory rape on top of the flasher charge." Bell, a convicted killer serving 70 years for a 1978 slaying near Houston and who was under investigation in the unsolved deaths of several missing girls has died after collapsing at a Texas prison. 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. Both cases were dropped. 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. This template will categorize articles that include it into Category:Stubs. He is an actor and writer, known for Gymkata (1985), The Greatest American Hero (1981) and Vindication. Edward Hunter Ludlow (1810 - November 27, 1884) was an American physician and real estate broker. He said he was "brainwashed" into killing Debbie Ackerman and Maria Johnson in the letters. 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. My father tried to brainwash me into killing myself.". They were last seen accepting a ride near an island ice cream shop from a man driving a white van. One said he had recently met Bell during a business trip to Panama City, Panama. In anger, she tried to attack him, yelling, "I hate you! He owned a pasture just a few minutes' drive from the store where they were last seen. Her body was found in a thicket in January 1973. Serial killer Edward Harold Bell's chilling confessions: 'I murdered 11 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. Ed Bell - Tripod However, no charges were ever filed against him in theirs or any other cases. In the A&E series, Bell denied having "killed anybody," including Dickens. Details: Bryan, Texas, is the type of place that people have in mind when they dream of escaping the big city. He agreed to report to another in-patient treatment program at the University of Texas Medical Branch to avoid prosecution. Edward Harold Stibbs (1876 - 1944) - Genealogy Dawna says that everywhere she goes, she sees Bell. Bell's case is far more complicated than it initially may seem. [7], On December 2, 1992, the television show Unsolved Mysteries aired an episode about the murder of Dickens. It was there that Bell met Doug Pruns through a mutual friend. Edward Harold Bell, in prison for murder, responds to a theory from two investigators that he might be a serial killer responsible for numerous murders of young women in and around Galveston in . They turned around and began to follow him. Especially since, as seen in the A&E series, he later denied everything he wrote years ago. On August 24, he went out to cut the lawn. Robert Edwin "Bay" Tomlinson, 97, of Victoria, Va. went to be with the Lord on February 26, 2023. This photo provided Sept. 28, 2011, by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Edward Harold Bell. Despite being shot multiple times, Larry tried to go after Bell and stop him again. People watching The Eleven may wonder who Edward Harold Bell is, and if he is responsible indeed for what he claimed he did. This article is a stub. Five murders occurred in 1971 and six more occurred from about 1974 to 1977. She continued firing at him as he ran down the driveway and toward his truck. He got out and pointed his rifle at one of the officers. In 2017, A&E produced a docuseries called "The Eleven." 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. His confession matched details of the crime scene. Prisoner Edward Harold Bell has retracted his confession. After a brief chase, they ended up on a dead-end street. From the 208th District Court. Holding many offices in the Masons, teaching country western dancing, participating. Bell v. State. In July and September 2011, Bell was interviewed by a Houston Chronicle reporter. Meanwhile, Dawna Dickens, Larry's sister, was returning home from cheer practice and saw the man walk from her garage to his truck, get a rifle, and walk back up her driveway. Through the mid-to-late 1970s, Bell was repeatedly arrested for flashing and masturbating in front of young girls in Lubbock, Pasadena, Plainview, Bacliff, Houston and Gretna, Louisiana, but was either never charged or the cases were dropped altogether. 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.. That guy was Larry Dickens, who was attempting to stop Edward Harold Bell from exposing himself to children. At that very instant, the officers heading to the scene recognized his truck. Murders of Rhonda Johnson and Sharon Shaw - Wikipedia The show featured fellow Texan Matthew McConaughey as Larry Dickens in his first acting role. He gave the remaining victims their initials, hair color, and the year they were murdered. son. She first thought that he was one of Larry's friends looking for their address. In January 2013, he became eligible for parole, however, it was denied. Several investigators reviewed their evidence in those cases after they learned of the confessions. Some detectives asserted that they had long held the conviction that he was a serial killer and had discovered proof to support his allegations. The assault victim was given the name "Sue" and was filmed in silhouette to protect her identity. Holding many offices in the Masons, teaching country western dancing, participating in motorcycle events, mem Adams testified that Bell was very calm and had no marks on his face. She got a good, close look at him. Matthew later discussed his Unsolved Mysteries . Their abductor tied them up, stripped them from the waist down and left their bodies in the bayou. The two head wounds and the back wound were all fatal. Edward Bell | Unsolved Mysteries Wiki | Fandom Bell provided the names of four of those girls; Colette Wilson, Debbie Ackerman, Maria Johnson, and Kimberly Pitchford. To employ every one who wants to work in the . Harris County medical examiner's records and newspaper archives show Kimberly Rae Pitchford, a 16-year-old who lived near Hobby airport, never returned home after taking a driver's education class at Frank Dobie High School in Houston. Advanced Search Bell is considered a suspect in the murders of several young women near Galveston in the 1970s. (According to Blum House, the episode also starred Matthew McConaughey in his first-ever role, playing Dickens). He was arrested again in the rape of a Jennie Sealy mental patient he met outside the hospital. Kim Pitchford went missing in January of 1973. Finally, Dorothy got them from Larry and gave them to him. In fact, he said, there . Another viewer claimed that Bell had lived in Panama for several years. She assumed that he was a first-time burglar. When they opened up the back door of the police car, she immediately knew that he was Larry's killer. Scream. Lena Madge Crain | Obituaries | johnsoncitypress.com Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! He owned a meadow not far from the shop where they had been last seen. 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. Some investigators claimed they long believed he was a serial killer and found evidence to corroborate his claims. father. According to her, it started off like any other morning. Four of Larry's siblings have also since passed away. She says that he was strong and very special to all of them. 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. He claimed that he was responsible for the 1971 murders of Debbie Ackerman and Maria Johnson, and provided details as to where their bodies were dumped and how they were killed, according to The Houston Chronicle. He also listed former scoutmasters, a cousin, and three of his ex-wives as part of "the program." Bell, a convicted killer serving 70 years for a 1978 slaying near Houston and who was . Lang was still watching from the window and witnessed the man shoot her son five times; Larry staggered back towards the garage. She noticed that there were several children playing in the intersection of Moore and Apple, next to their house. By Adam Carlson. As he walked toward Larry, Larry backed up toward the house. [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. Kimberly Rae Pitchford, 16, disappeared after taking a driving class before her body was found in 1973. He was eventually arrested in Panama just months after an episode of Unsolved Mysteries aired, renewing public attention on his case. In the interview he stated the girls wanted him to have sex with them because they were tired of the younger boys. He came back and put his pants back on. Another man was convicted of their murders, but some investigators now believe he is innocent. Amazon.com: Murderers In Texas: The Shocking True Stories of Killing 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. Lang told her son to give the man back his keys. In fact, he said, there were seven others, all . 3. 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. However, in neither theirs nor any other case were any charges ever brought against him. Sue had always considered herself strong and self-reliant. She told him that she was going to call an ambulance, and not to move again. As Newsweek points out, Edward Harold Bell confessed to 11 girls, but like Hedrick, he was never charged due to a lack of evidence. Bell says he murdered 11 young girls in Houston and the counties of Galveston, Webster and Dickinson - five in 1971 and six more from 1974 to 1977. "One thing they wanted me to do for sure was rape a girl," Bell said to the Houston Chronicle. Real Name: Edward Harold Bell ", Bell believed the "program" to be far-reaching, having allegedly included family members and people he's dated. The Help. Matthew McConaughey in his first-ever role. Resources like these are made possible by the generosity of our community of donors, foundations, and corporate partners. All four of the female victims disappeared near Bell's apartment. Eerie theory 'linking' Robert Abel to Texas Killing Fields murders By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. His granddaughter Anna Hall Roosevelt was the mother of First Lady of the United States Eleanor Roosevelt. He claimed to not know the names of the other victims. One suspect was convicted murderer Edward Harold Bell, who was 72 years old in November 2011. Texas killer dies, questions still remain about girls' death Harold Bell. Bell was a well-known sex offender in the 1970s. As she opened up the newspaper one morning, she saw a picture of the intruder. Unsolved Mysteries Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. Texas Killing Fields : r/UnresolvedMysteries - reddit He then began to flee on foot. His actions caught the attention of 26-year-old Larry Dean Dickens, a Marine with a young daughter, who rushed in and got hold of the man's keys in an attempt to prevent him from fleeing. His revelations was met with mixed feelings by some of the victims' family members, who were left unsure whether the killer was being genuine or was just using a ploy, due to his requirement that he be given legal immunity in exchange for a full confession. He quietly liquidated his assets, and with more than $140,000 in his pocket, disappeared. Because of the trauma of the situation, Dorothy felt unable to identify him. April 20, 2019. At this time, Bell was eighty-years-old, frail, and pasty. Death of Edward . Harris County, Texas. One girl was the thirteen-year-old daughter of a Lubbock police officer. Bill left for work and her three-year-old was in the living room watching Sesame Street. After living on a ranch in Terlingua for some time, Bell, who worked as an itinerant pharmaceutical salesman, sold the ranch for an office in downtown Houston. The man who wrote the letter, Edward Harold Bell, was never questioned by the police. Furthermore, he had a trailer near the bayou where their bodies were found. They commanded him to pull over, but he kept driving. Edward "Buck" Harold Koontz, Jr, 79, of Masontown, WV, passed away, January 9, 2021 at Morgantown Health & Rehabilitation. Shockingly, Bell was not done; he went back to his truck and retrieved his high-powered M1 rifle. If you are a true crime fan, you have probably heard of the Texas Killing Fields. [2] There, he became acquainted with Doug Pruns, a surfer who made custom boards out of his shop based in the area, who allowed him to become a silent partner in the business, despite his reservations about his friend's behavior. [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. When the trial date came about, Bell did not appear. [5] On the other hand, other family members and some investigators considered the claims to be credible, as Bell's criminal past, proximity to the crime scenes at the right dates and mentioning details not known to the public made him a viable suspect in their eyes. 0. The dispatcher radioed the suspect's description as police units headed to the scene. The killer says he murdered Debbie and Maria in the letters. On February 14, 1993, Panama police located Bell at a yacht club in Panama City and placed him under arrest. He also invested in a surf shop that they were known to visit. 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. Bell claimed that his victims were from Houston, Galveston, Webster, and Dickinson. Status; Detected Status Living Status; Identified: Deceased . Another six young girls were killed in the area in the mid-to-late Seventies. HAROLD BELL Obituary (2021) - West Palm Beach, MA - New York Times The victims were all teenage girls, and each . 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. Investigators Lise Olsen and Fred Paige are on a mission to examine the confessions of inmate Edward Harold Bell. Police reports showed that in February of 1972, Bell was arrested after flashing a fifteen-year-old and he was driving a 1971 white Ford van. Edward Hunter Ludlow - Wikipedia Through their diligent efforts, they came up with the following list of potential victims: Collette Wilson went missing from Alvin, Texas, in June of 1971. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. After his death was announced, Galveston Police Officer Michelle Sollenberger wrote on Facebook, Today these girls may finally rest in peace because their killer has gone to hell, the Chronicle reports. 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. 11:17 GMT 27 Sep 2011. However, some of the investigators involved in the case now believe that his confession was coerced and that he was wrongly convicted. "I was going to let the state kill me," he said. Within twenty minutes of the murder, Bell was in the hands of the police and on his way to face Dorothy and Dawna. Edward Michael Bell. She vanished after taking a driver's ed class in Houston. Dorothy came out and Dawna asked her if he was dead.
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