In the summer of 1981, a heartbreaking tragedy unfolded in Indianapolis, Indiana, forever marking the date of August 21st. On this day, two-year-old Berkina Rochelle Bell, a young female, was killed. Her life was cut short in an act of violence that also claimed the lives of her mother, Bertha Mae Kirby Bell, who was 26, her three siblings, Bertina Michelle, 4, King Edward II, 6, and one-year-old Kingston Edward, as well as her 54-year-old grandmother, Mary Alice Kirby.
The person
responsible for this devastating loss was the children's own father, King Edward Bell. Described by those who knew him as a religious fanatic, Bell's actions were seemingly driven by a tumultuous relationship with his estranged wife, Bertha. She had recently moved out of their family home, a decision that appears to have preceded the horrific events that followed.
On that fateful day, law enforcement officers arrived at the Bell residence to a scene of unimaginable sorrow. The four young children were discovered in the basement, each having been shot in the head. In a chilling message left behind, the words 'Jesus take them all to heaven' were scrawled in chalk on a basement wall. At the scene, King Edward Bell was found holding a shotgun and repeatedly implored the responding officers to take his life.
King Edward Bell was taken into custody and faced six counts of murder for the deaths of his wife, mother-in-law, and four children. He was also charged with the attempted murder of his wife's boyfriend, whom he had critically wounded during the rampage. His subsequent trial was characterized by erratic behavior and multiple attempts to take his own life. He entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.
