In the late spring of 1985, a palpable sense of fear gripped Lexington County, South Carolina, following the abduction and murder of 17-year-old Sharon Faye 'Shari' Smith. On May 31, just days before she was set to graduate from Lexington High School, Shari was kidnapped from the driveway of her home. Her father was only yards away when the unthinkable happened. This brazen act marked the beginning of a horrifying ordeal for the Smith family and the entire community.
Shortly after Shari's disappearance, her family began receiving a series of cruel and taunting phone calls from her abductor. The distorted voice on the other end of the line toyed with their emotions, initially claiming Shari was alive and well. The torment escalated when a letter arrived, penned in Shari's own handwriting, which turned out to be her last will and testament, composed under duress. The calls continued, with the killer providing chilling details of Shari's last moments and eventually leading investigators to her remains in Saluda County. She had been suffocated.
The investigation into Shari's murder became one of the largest manhunts in South Carolina's history. The perpetrator was identified as Larry Gene Bell. A crucial piece of evidence that led to his capture was an indentation of a partial phone number found on the paper Shari had used to write her will. This clue, along with other forensic evidence, pointed directly to Bell. He was arrested on June 27, 1985. It was also discovered that Bell had murdered 9-year-old Debra May Helmick, who was abducted on June 14 of the same year. During one of his calls to the Smith family, he had inadvertently confessed to this crime as well.
Larry Gene Bell's trial for the kidnapping and murder of Shari Smith was a harrowing affair. He exhibited bizarre behavior in court, but the evidence against him was overwhelming. He was found guilty and sentenced to death. Bell was also convicted for the murder of Debra May Helmick. After years of appeals, Larry Gene Bell was executed on October 4, 1996, bringing a close to a case that had terrorized a community and left an indelible scar on the hearts of two families.
