In the winter of 2019, the life of 25-year-old Kristian Kristi Bell was tragically cut short in what would become a grim and unsettling double homicide case in Coffee County, Georgia. A white female with blonde hair and green eyes, Kristian was a mother to a young son and was described by friends as an outgoing person with an amazing heart. Her family grew concerned when she ceased her regular communication, having last been seen around January 20, 2019, in the vicinity of Nicholls.
The search for Kristian came to a devastating end on February 9, 2019, when her body, along with that of 35-year-old Steven James Ward, was discovered buried in a makeshift grave on a property off Deep Woods Road near Nicholls. The discovery was prompted by a tip from a woman who had been living at a home on the property. An investigation revealed that both Bell and Ward had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Prior to the official identification, Bell's father had visited the home and found some of his daughter's personal belongings, including a pink suitcase, heightening fears for her safety.
The ensuing investigation led to the arrest of three men in connection with the double homicide. Joseph James Osburne Burch, 25, of Waycross, and Dedrick Allen Johnson, 29, of Nicholls, were both charged with two counts of concealing the death of another person. The third suspect, 21-year-old Christopher Lane Jones, was apprehended in San Diego County, California, with the assistance of the United States Marshals Service. Jones faced a litany of charges, including two counts of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, two counts of concealing the death of another person, and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
The legal process culminated in the conviction of Christopher Lane Jones. After a jury deliberated for just 35 minutes, he was found guilty of two counts of malice murder and two counts of concealing the death of another. For his role in the deaths of Kristian Bell and Steven Ward, Jones received a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, followed by a consecutive life sentence and an additional 20 years.
