Larry Gene Bell (October 30, 1949
[Shuler, Rita Y. (2007). ''Murder in the Midlands: Larry Gene Bell and the 28 Days of Terror That Shook South Carolina''. The History Press. .] – October 4, 1996) was an American
serial killer
A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone:
*
*
*
*
* (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...
who abducted, raped, and murdered at least three women and girls in the
Carolinas
The Carolinas, also known simply as Carolina, are the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina considered collectively. They are bordered by Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the southwes ...
from 1984 to 1985. In addition to this, Bell remains the prime suspect in at least one disappearance. Convicted for the two murders in South Carolina, he was
sentenced to death
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...
and executed in 1996.
Background
Bell was born in
Ralph, Alabama, and had three sisters and one brother. The family reportedly moved frequently. Bell attended Eau Claire High School in
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-mo ...
from 1965 to 1967. The Bell family moved to
Mississippi
Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
, where he graduated high school and trained as an electrician. He then returned to Columbia, married, and had one son.
Bell joined the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
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 is the most populous city in York County, South Carolina, United States, and the List of municipalities in South Carolina, 5th-most populous city in the state. It is also the 4th-most populous city of the Charlotte metropolitan area, be ...
in 1972, and the couple divorced in 1976.
Victims
Confirmed
On November 18, 1984, Sandee Elaine Cornett, then aged 26, was last seen arriving home at 6:30 p.m. in
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...
. The following day, when she failed to show up for work, her neighbor reported her missing. Bell was considered the main suspect, as he was reportedly her previous boyfriend's co-worker at
Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Charlotte Douglas International Airport is an international airport serving Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, located roughly west of the city's central business district. Charlotte Douglas is the primary airport for commercial and m ...
and had attended a party at her home. He denied abducting and killing her but made statements, including drawing a map, that suggested where her body was buried.
In February 2025, the
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) is the police department of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States, which includes the Charlotte, North Carolina, City of Charlotte. With 1,817 offic ...
released a statement in which they formally identified Bell as Cornett's killer, despite the fact that her remains have not been found. She remains listed as a missing person on various databases, but her case is officially cleared.
Bell kidnapped 17-year-old Shari Faye Smith at gunpoint from the end of her driveway on Platt Springs Road in
Lexington County, South Carolina
Lexington County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 293,991. Its county seat and largest community is Lexington, South Carolina, ...
on May 31, 1985. Her car was found abandoned at the curb near the mailbox. Over the next few days, Bell called the Smith family regularly from a payphone to tell them that Smith was fine and to taunt them. In fact, she likely was killed within 12 hours of her abduction. Her body was found in
Saluda County, South Carolina
Saluda County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 18,862. Its county seat is Saluda, South Carolina, Saluda. The county was formed from no ...
after Bell called the Smith family and gave them directions to her remains. He also forced Smith to write a "Last Will and Testament" before he murdered her and taunted her family by telephone.
[Dowling, Paul. "Last Will." '']Forensic Files
''Forensic Files'', originally known as ''Medical Detectives'', is an American documentary television program that reveals how forensic science is used to solve violent crimes, mysterious accidents, and outbreaks of illness. The show was origin ...
''. 26 July 2003. Television.
Then, on June 14, Bell kidnapped 9-year-old Debra May Helmick near Old Percival Road in
Richland County, South Carolina
Richland County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 416,147, making it the second-most populous county in South Carolina, behind only Greenville County. The county seat and larg ...
, killed her, and again called the Smith family to tell them where he had left her body.
Suspected
Bell was also suspected in the disappearance of 21-year-old Denise Newsom Porch who was last seen in
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...
on July 31, 1975. Seven years after her disappearance, in 1982, her family had her proclaimed legally dead. Bell is a potential suspect in the Porch case since he was a former electrician who, in 1975, resided around 300 yards away from the Yorktown Apartments where Porch worked as a manager. He was never formally charged in connection with her disappearance.
Arrest and trial
During the largest manhunt in South Carolina history, Bell made eight telephone calls to the Smith family, often speaking with Shari's sister Dawn. During one of his phone calls with Dawn, he accidentally let it slip that, "All I wanted to do was make love with Dawn," instead of "All I wanted to do was make love with Shari." Dawn and Shari had a striking resemblance, and so it is thought he mistook Shari for Dawn. Bell's fixation on Dawn only grew as time passed, and made many more calls. During one, Bell eventually gave exact directions to the locations of both of the bodies and described to the family how he had killed Smith.
On June 27, 1985, Bell was arrested after forensics was able to find indentations of an incomplete phone number on the stationery of the letter that was sent to Smith's family. Filling in the missing digits led the
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
to a couple who hired Bell for some work and had him house sit for them while they were away.
Six hairs "microscopically similar" to Shari Smith's hair were found in Bell's apartment. 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 illness in order to receive a more lenient sentence.
Execution
Bell chose to die by the
electric chair
The electric chair is a specialized device used for capital punishment through electrocution. The condemned is strapped to a custom wooden chair and electrocuted via electrodes attached to the head and leg. Alfred P. Southwick, a Buffalo, New Yo ...
instead of
lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person (typically a barbiturate, paralytic, and potassium) for the express purpose of causing death. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but t ...
. Bell died by electrocution on October 4, 1996, at the age of 46. He had no final words. There were no more electric chair executions in the state until 2004, when
James Neil Tucker was executed for the double murders of Rosa Oakley and Shannon Lynn Mellon.
Media
Docudrama
*The television movie ''Nightmare in Columbia County'',
[The county name is fictitious, although there is a Columbia County in ]Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...
, which is 100km west of the incidents; the incidents took place in both Lexington and Richland counties in South Carolina in the vicinity of the city of Columbia, South Carolina. This is similar to the October 31, 1986 television movie "Vengeance: The Story of Tony Cimo," based the 1982 murder of Rudolph Tyner (Michael Beach
Michael Anthony Beach (born October 30, 1963) is an American actor. He has appeared in the films '' Lean on Me'' (1989), ''One False Move'' (1992), ''Short Cuts'' (1993), ''Waiting to Exhale'' (1995), ''A Family Thing'' (1996), ''Soul Food'' (19 ...
) by Donald Henry Gaskins
Donald Henry "Pee Wee" Gaskins Jr. (born Donald Henry Parrott Jr.; March 13, 1933 – September 6, 1991) was an American serial killer and rapist from South Carolina who stabbed, shot, drowned, and poisoned more than a dozen people. Before his c ...
(Brad Dourif
Bradford Claude Dourif (; born March 18, 1950) is an American actor. He is known for voicing Chucky in the ''Child's Play'' franchise (1988–present), portraying Gríma Wormtongue in ''The Lord of the Rings'' film series, and his Academy A ...
) in a scheme where Tony Cimo (Brad Davis) worked with Gaskins and others to kill Tyner, convicted of killing Cimo's parents. Gaskins' name was changed for the film since he was on death row at the time and the state Department of Corrections did not approve his personality rights to be used. also known as ''Victim of Beauty: The Dawn Smith Story'', aired December 10, 1991. The movie portrayed the events of the Smith murder with a focus on the involvement of Shari's sister Dawn, who later qualified for
Miss America 1987
Miss America 1987, the 60th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 13, 1986 on NBC Network.
Although an entry representing the city of Memphis had been victorious in the pageant of 1947, ...
representing the state, in the case.
[
* Investigation Discovery's ''I, Witness'', titled "The Smith Sisters", season 1, episode 2, aired on January 4, 2017. This 42-minute docudrama reflects the story from the Dawn Smith Jordan's perspective.]
Documentaries
*TruTV's ''Forensic Files
''Forensic Files'', originally known as ''Medical Detectives'', is an American documentary television program that reveals how forensic science is used to solve violent crimes, mysterious accidents, and outbreaks of illness. The show was origin ...
'', "Last Will", season 7, episode 42, aired July 26, 2003.
*Investigation Discovery's ''On the Case with Paula Zahn
''On the Case with Paula Zahn'' is an American Television documentary, documentary and news program broadcast on Investigation Discovery since October 18, 2009. The program explores in-depth stories of crime mysteries and interviews with involve ...
'' titled "One Month of Terror", season 7, episode 10, aired February 24, 2013.
See also
*Capital punishment in South Carolina
Capital punishment is a legal penalty in the U.S. state of South Carolina.
History
Between 1718 and 2024, more than 680 people have been executed in South Carolina. Since the 1976 nationwide overturn of the ban on capital punishment, South Caroli ...
*Capital punishment in the United States
In the United States, capital punishment (also known as the death penalty) is a legal penalty in 27 states (of which two, Oregon and Wyoming, do not currently have any inmates sentenced to death), throughout the country at the federal leve ...
*List of people executed in South Carolina
The following is a list of people executed by the U.S. state of South Carolina since capital punishment was resumed in the United States in 1976.
Since the 1976 U.S. Supreme Court decision of ''Gregg v. Georgia'', a total of 49 people have been e ...
*List of people executed in the United States in 1996
Forty-five people, all male, were executed in the United States in 1996, thirty-six by lethal injection, seven by electrocution, one by hanging and one by firing squad. The last execution by hanging in the United States occurred this year. The sta ...
*List of serial killers in the United States
A serial killer is typically a person who kills three or more people, with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defines serial murder a ...
Notes
References
External links
US Executions since 1976
''Clark County Prosecutor''; retrieved August 17, 2007.
''Nightmare in Columbia County'' (1991)
imdb.com; accessed July 7, 2020.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Larry Gene
1949 births
1985 murders in the United States
1996 deaths
20th-century executions by South Carolina
20th-century executions of American people
American murderers of children
Executed American serial killers
Executed people from Alabama
People convicted of murder by South Carolina
People executed by South Carolina by electric chair
People from Tuscaloosa County, Alabama
United States Marines