In the quiet neighborhood of South Knoxville, a burst of gunfire shattered the late-night calm on November 20, 2017, leaving a family in mourning and a community in shock. Inside a home on Fisher Place, where he had been staying with a relative for several weeks, 36-year-old James Kevin Bell, a male from LaFollette, was found dead from a gunshot wound.
The incident, which occurred shortly before 11 p.m., was not a random act of violence, according to Knoxville police, who quickly launched an investigation into the fatal shooting.
Within days, the investigation led to the arrests of two suspects. Lamone Price Simmons, 35, and Tykemien Todd Stewart, 18, were taken into custody and charged with the murder of James Kevin Bell. Both men were held at the Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility on a $500,000 bond. A grand jury later formally indicted Simmons and Stewart on charges of felony murder, first-degree murder, and attempted especially aggravated robbery, setting the stage for legal proceedings to bring justice for Bell's death. An arraignment for the two men was scheduled for December 11, 2018.
As the case moved through the court system, a significant development occurred in August 2019. Tykemien Todd Stewart, one of the accused, reached a plea agreement with prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of facilitation of first-degree murder. His sentencing was scheduled for August 23 of that year. While the resolution of Stewart's case marked a step forward in the pursuit of justice, the final outcome for Lamone Price Simmons remained to be determined by the courts. The plea deal accepted by Stewart suggested a complex series of events that culminated in the tragic and untimely death of James Kevin Bell, a man whose life was cut short in a senseless act of violence.
