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.
The Death of Bell's Brother and His Vow of Revenge
The chain of events leading to Bell's best-known murders began in June 1993. Bell's younger brother, Lamar Bell, was killed during a shootout with Theodore Wright. Authorities determined that Wright had acted in self-defense, making Lamar Bell's death a justifiable homicide rather than a criminal murder.
Michael Bell refused to accept the matter as finished. According to testimony later presented in court, he repeatedly told friends and relatives during the following months that he intended to kill Wright. His desire for revenge became a central part of the prosecution's case because it demonstrated that the December killings were preceded by months of threats and planning rather than arising from an unexpected confrontation.
Preparing for the December 1993 Attack
On December 8, 1993, one day before Jimmy West and Tamecka Smith were killed, Bell obtained a powerful semiautomatic rifle. Because Bell was a convicted felon and legally prohibited from possessing a firearm, his girlfriend purchased the weapon for him. The purchase included an AK-47-style rifle, a 30-round magazine, and approximately 160 rounds of ammunition.
The following night, December 9, Bell saw a distinctive yellow Plymouth that he associated with Theodore Wright. What Bell did not know was that Wright had sold the vehicle to his half-brother, Jimmy West. The mistake proved fatal. Believing he had located the vehicle connected to his intended target, Bell left the area, returned with two friends, and brought the loaded rifle with him.
The Murders of Jimmy West and Tamecka Smith
Bell located the yellow Plymouth in the parking lot of a Jacksonville liquor lounge and waited. Eventually Jimmy West emerged from the lounge with Tamecka Smith and another woman. West entered the driver's side of the vehicle while Smith was getting into the passenger side.
Bell approached with the loaded rifle and opened fire at extremely close range. Court findings stated that West was struck by twelve bullets. Tamecka Smith was struck by four bullets. West died at the scene. Smith was critically wounded and died while being transported for emergency medical treatment. The third woman managed to duck down and escaped the gunfire without being shot.
The violence did not stop after West and Smith had been hit. Bell continued firing toward the front of the liquor lounge, where a group of people had been standing. A security guard later testified that several people were directly in the line of fire and were forced to dive to the ground. Bullets were also fired into a neighboring residence where children were present. Remarkably, no additional deaths resulted from the barrage.
After leaving the scene, Bell went to his aunt's home. According to evidence presented at trial, Bell made a statement indicating that he believed he had successfully taken revenge by killing a relative of Theodore Wright. The statement further supported prosecutors' contention that the shooting had been motivated by retaliation for Lamar Bell's death.
Trial and Death Sentences
Bell was indicted on September 29, 1994, on two counts of first-degree murder for killing Jimmy West and Tamecka Smith. His trial began in 1995. Multiple eyewitnesses placed Bell at the scene and described the shooting. The prosecution also presented evidence concerning his repeated threats against Theodore Wright and the purchase of the AK-47 immediately before the murders.
Bell claimed that he had acted in self-defense, asserting that he believed West was reaching for a weapon shortly before he began shooting. The jury rejected that explanation. On March 9, 1995, Bell was found guilty of both first-degree murders. Eight days later, the jury unanimously recommended the death penalty for each killing.
On June 2, 1995, Bell received two death sentences. Among the aggravating circumstances recognized by the trial court were his prior violent felony record, the calculated and premeditated nature of the murders, and the enormous risk his gunfire created for numerous other people in and around the lounge.
Additional Murder Convictions
Bell's legal exposure did not end with the West and Smith convictions. Authorities subsequently charged him with the three earlier killings. He faced charges involving Michael Johnson and the September 1989 deaths of LaShawn and Travis Cowart.
On September 21, 1995, Bell pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree murder arising from those cases. He received 25-year sentences for the additional murders. Bell later disputed responsibility for those three killings through his attorneys and maintained that circumstances surrounding his guilty pleas were improper, but the convictions remained intact. Court records indicate that he did not appeal or pursue collateral relief from those three murder convictions.
Known Victims
- LaShawn Cowart — Killed September 25, 1989, in Duval County/Jacksonville, Florida. Cowart had reportedly been Bell's girlfriend. Florida records state that Bell shot her during an incident involving a vehicle. He later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in her death.
- Travis Cowart, age 2 — Killed September 25, 1989, in Duval County/Jacksonville, Florida. Travis was LaShawn Cowart's two-year-old son and was shot during the same attack that killed his mother. Bell pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
- Michael Johnson — Killed in Jacksonville in August 1993. Florida Commission on Capital Cases records list the offense date as August 18, 1993; a later 2025 court filing gives August 19, 1993. Johnson was the boyfriend of Bell's mother and was shot to death on the front porch of his home following an argument involving Bell's mother. Bell pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
- Jimmy West, age 23 — Killed December 9, 1993, outside a liquor lounge in Jacksonville, Florida. West had purchased Theodore Wright's yellow Plymouth, causing Bell to mistakenly associate him with the man Bell intended to kill. Bell fired twelve rounds into West at close range. West died at the scene.
- Tamecka Smith, age 18 — Killed December 9, 1993, outside the same Jacksonville liquor lounge. Smith was entering the passenger side of West's vehicle when Bell opened fire. She suffered four gunshot wounds and died while being transported for medical treatment.
Appeals and Execution
The Florida Supreme Court affirmed Bell's convictions and death sentences in 1997, and the United States Supreme Court declined to review the case in 1998. Bell spent the following decades pursuing state and federal post-conviction challenges. His attorneys raised numerous issues involving trial representation, witness testimony, prosecutorial conduct, and the reliability of evidence used against him. The courts repeatedly rejected efforts to overturn the West and Smith convictions or death sentences.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Bell's death warrant on June 13, 2025. Additional litigation followed, including claims involving witnesses whose accounts had allegedly changed decades after the trial. The Florida Supreme Court rejected Bell's final state challenge on July 8, 2025, concluding that the new claims did not justify overturning his convictions or stopping the execution. The United States Supreme Court also declined to intervene.
Michael Bernard Bell was executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke on July 15, 2025. He was 54 years old and was pronounced dead at approximately 6:25 p.m. His execution brought to an end a criminal case spanning more than three decades.
A Series of Five Killings
Bell's record encompasses five murder victims in three separate episodes: LaShawn and Travis Cowart in 1989, Michael Johnson in August 1993, and Jimmy West and Tamecka Smith in December 1993. All five victims were killed by gunfire, but the circumstances varied considerably. The Cowarts were killed years before Bell's capital case, Johnson's death followed a domestic dispute involving Bell's mother, and the final double murder grew out of Bell's determination to avenge his brother.
The December 1993 attack was particularly devastating because the central victims had not caused the death Bell was attempting to avenge. Jimmy West happened to possess a car formerly owned by Theodore Wright, and Tamecka Smith was simply with West when Bell opened fire. The mistaken identification transformed Bell's revenge plan into the murders of two unintended victims and exposed many other innocent people to gunfire. Together with his convictions for the earlier three deaths, the case established Michael Bernard Bell as the convicted killer of five people between 1989 and 1993.
