In a Snellville, Georgia, home on October 15, 2013, a devastating act of violence claimed the life of 12-year-old Joseph McDonald, his mother, and his godbrother. The young boy, along with his mother, 34-year-old Angelina Benton, and his 19-year-old godbrother, Raynord Daniel, were fatally shot inside their residence on Anderson-Livsey Lane. A fourth individual, Benton's 23-year-old boyfriend, Justin Cato, was also shot but survived his injuries.
The male victim, Joseph, was a student and was tragically killed alongside his family members in what appeared to be a senseless act.
The investigation almost immediately focused on 33-year-old Robert Bell. Bell, along with his wife, had been taken in by Benton just two weeks prior to the killings. Benton had met the couple at her church and offered them a place to stay after learning they had fallen on hard times. This act of kindness was tragically betrayed, as authorities quickly identified Bell as the primary suspect in the triple homicide. Following the shootings, Bell fled the area, sparking a multi-state manhunt.
After nearly six weeks on the run, Robert Bell was captured by U.S. Marshals and Gwinnett County Sheriff's deputies on October 24, 2013, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Investigators were able to track him down through a series of digital clues. A pickup truck reported stolen from a location less than half a mile from the crime scene shortly after the murders was discovered in New Orleans. Furthermore, a Craigslist ad that Bell had posted a week before the killings, seeking a job as a church bass player in New Orleans, provided a crucial link to his whereabouts. The ad also contained a link to a YouTube video of Bell playing the bass guitar, further aiding in his identification and capture.
