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In this off-season episode, I'm joined by Bobbie Holmes of Killer Stories, who tells me (and you) the story of American double murderer Larry Gene Bell.
Larry Gene Bell kidnapped 17-year-old Shari Smith on May 31, 1985, and murdered her shortly after. He then taunted Shari's family by making several phone calls and forcing Shari to write them a letter before she was killed.
A couple of weeks later, Larry kidnapped 9-year-old Debra Helmick and murdered her in a similar fashion. Once more, he taunted Shari's family after doing so.
After his arrest on June 27, 1985, Larry Gene Bell was given the death penalty. He chose the electric chair over lethal injection and was finally executed on October 4, 1996.
You can find and support 'Killer Stories' here:
https://linktr.ee/KillerStories
Intro music:
David John Brady - 'Throw Down the Gauntlet'
https://linktr.ee/davidjohnbradymusic
Bobbie's References:
Blanco, J. I. (n.d.). Larry Gene Bell. Murderpedia. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://murderpedia.org/male.B/b1/bell-larry-gene.htm
DeGroot, N. (2020, December 27). Larry Gene Bell: The Murders of Shari Smith and Debra Helmick. Talk Murder With Me. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://www.talkmurderwithme.com/blog/2020/12/26/larry-gene-bell
Jin, L. (2020, November 11). Kidnapper Forces Victim to Write Last Will and Testament Before Killing Her. Medium. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://lizjin.medium.com/kidnapper-forces-victim-to-write-last-will-and-testament-before-killing-her-da39bff5cc0b
Mitra, S. (2022, March 29). Shari Faye Smith and Debra Helmick Murder: Is Larry Bell Dead or Alive?The Cinemaholic. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://thecinemaholic.com/shari-faye-smith-and-debra-helmick-murder-is-larry-bell-dead-or-alive/
State v. Bell. (1990, February 26). Justia Law. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://law.justia.com/cases/south-carolina/supreme-court/1990/23163-2.html
