Michael Bernard Bell

Serial Killer

Michael Bernard Bell: Five Murders and a Fatal Revenge Plot in Jacksonville

Michael Bernard Bell was a Florida murderer convicted in connection with five killings committed in Jacksonville between 1989 and 1993. His victims included a woman and her two-year-old son, his mother's boyfriend, and two young people who were killed during a carefully prepared but misdirected revenge attack. Bell's most notorious crime occurred on December 9, 1993, when he armed himself with an AK-47 rifle and went looking for Theodore Wright, the man Bell blamed for the death of his younger brother. Bell instead killed 23-year-old Jimmy West and 18-year-old Tamecka Smith, neither of whom was responsible for his brother's death. Bell was ultimately convicted of two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of West and Smith and received two death sentences. After those convictions, he pleaded guilty to three additional second-degree murder charges involving LaShawn Cowart, her two-year-old son Travis Cowart, and Michael Johnson. Those cases established that Bell had been responsible for fatal shootings years before the attack for which he was sentenced to death.

The 1989 Murders of LaShawn and Travis Cowart

The earliest murders attributed to Bell occurred on September 25, 1989, in Duval County. LaShawn Cowart, who had reportedly been Bell's girlfriend, and her two-year-old son, Travis Cowart, were killed by gunfire. Florida capital-case records state that Bell was traveling with the mother and child when he stopped, got out of the vehicle, and opened fire on them. An accomplice vehicle then arrived and picked him up. Both LaShawn and her young son died in the attack. Bell was not convicted of their murders at the time. The case remained separate from the prosecution that later placed him on Florida's death row. After Bell had already been convicted of the 1993 murders of Jimmy West and Tamecka Smith, prosecutors charged him in connection with the Cowart killings. On September 21, 1995, Bell pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for both deaths and received 25-year prison sentences.

The Murder of Michael Johnson

Bell's next known homicide involved Michael Johnson, the boyfriend of Bell's mother. Florida capital-case records date Johnson's killing to August 18, 1993, although a later 2025 court filing describes the murder as occurring on August 19, 1993. The Florida Commission on Capital Cases lists August 18 as the official offense date. According to the state's account, Johnson and Bell's mother had been involved in an argument. Bell subsequently went to Johnson's residence and confronted him. Johnson was shot and killed on the front porch of his home. As with the Cowart killings, Bell was formally prosecuted for Johnson's death after his conviction for the December 1993 double murder. Although initially charged with first-degree murder in the Johnson case, Bell ultimately pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. ...

Confirmed Victims: (5)

Lashawn Cowart , Date of Death: 1989-09-25

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