On a chilly evening just two days before Christmas in 2011, a young man named Jonathan Bell left his mother's home in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. At 22 years old, he was on his way to exchange gifts with a girl he was seeing. His mother, Tina Bell, gave him a hug, unaware that it would be their last.
Later that night, as Jonathan walked along the 4900 block of West Sheldon Street, only blocks from the warmth and safety of his home, he was approached by two men.
It was approximately 9:40 p.m. when the men announced a robbery. In a tragic turn of events, Jonathan apparently tried to flee and was shot in the back.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but the single gunshot wound proved to be fatal. His mother was overcome with disbelief when she was notified of his death, having just seen him a couple of hours earlier, full of life and holiday spirit. Police described Jonathan as a 'good kid' and a 'hard worker' who was about to start a new job. They emphasized that he was an innocent victim and not involved in any illicit activities.
Despite the efforts of the Philadelphia Police Department's homicide unit, the case of Jonathan Bell's murder remains unsolved. The two men who accosted him that night have never been identified or apprehended. His death was one of 318 homicides in Philadelphia in 2011, and his case is one of many from that year that continues to await a resolution, leaving a family to grapple with a loss that is particularly poignant around the holiday season.
