E-Paper
Who was Michael Bernard Bell? Florida executes 5-time convicted killer, these were his last words
Michael Bernard Bell, 54, was executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison.
Michael Bernard Bell, a man convicted of killing five people, was executed in Florida on Tuesday, July 15. Bell was the 26th person executed in the US in 2025, which already beats the total number of executions from last year.
Who was Michael Bernard Bell?
Michael Bernard Bell, 54, was executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison. He was pronounced dead at 6:25 p.m., according to Bryan Griffin, spokesperson for Governor Ron DeSantis.
Bell was sentenced to death for a 1993 double murder outside a bar. In a surprising final statement, he thanked those who made his execution possible, according to a New York Post report.
“Thank you for not letting me spend the rest of my life in prison,” he said.
On his last day, Bell woke up at 6:30 a.m. and had a breakfast of an omelet, bacon, home fries, and orange juice. During his final hours, he only met with a spiritual advisor.
Although Bell accepted his fate, his lawyer had tried to stop the execution. The US Supreme Court denied the request, issuing a 54-page opinion that reaffirmed his guilt. Bell’s attorneys claimed they had new evidence regarding witness testimony, but the court did not find it enough to stop the execution.
Bell was convicted in 1995 for the murders of Jimmy West and Tamecka Smith. In December 1993, Bell saw West driving a car that used to belong to a man who had killed Bell’s brother. Believing West was connected, Bell got two friends, grabbed an AK-47, and opened fire on the vehicle outside a bar.
Authorities said West and Smith had nothing to do with Bell’s brother’s death. Bell also fired at a crowd nearby before escaping. West died at the scene, while Smith died in the ambulance. A third person in the car survived.
Michael Bernard Bell was arrested later in 1994
Bell was arrested later in 1994. Police tied him to three more murders. In 1989, he shot and killed a woman and her toddler son. Just four months before the bar shootings, he also murdered his mother’s boyfriend, according to officials.
Bell’s execution is the eighth in Florida this year, compared to just one in all of 2024. Florida now leads the nation in executions in 2025.
Next up is Edward J. Zakrzewski II, who is set to be executed on July 31. He was convicted in 1996 for murdering his wife and two young children after trying to divorce her. He beat her with a crowbar and machete, then strangled her. He then used the machete to kill their 7- and 5-year-old sons, according to New York Post report.
