Ifejika joyce
A five-time convicted murderer executed in Florida on Tuesday, July 15, used his last words to thank those responsible for his impending death as he became the 26th person executed in the US this year.
Michael Bernard Bell, 54, was pronounced de@d at 6:25 p.m. after receiving a lethal injection at the Florida State Prison, said Bryan Griffin, a spokesperson for Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Surprisingly, Bell, who was sentenced to death for the fatal shooting of two people outside of a bar in 1993, used his final breaths to show gratitude.
“Thank you for not letting me spend the rest of my life in prison,” he said.
Thank you for not letting me spend the rest of my life in prison – 5-time convicted k!ller thanks executioner before his de@th
The killer woke up bright and early for his final day at 6:30 a.m. and ate his last meal consisting of classic breakfast foods: an omelet, bacon, home fries, and orange juice.
Bell was convicted in 1995 and sentenced to death for the murders of Jimmy West and Tamecka Smith.
In December 1993, Bell spotted a car driven by West that was previously owned by a man who had k!lled his brother.
So, he called on two other friends and armed himself with an AK-47 for what he thought would be the vengeful assassination of his brother’s k!ller. Instead, he gunned down West and Smith, who had no affiliation with his brother’s death, in the car outside a bar, officials said.
Bell also opened fire on a nearby crowd before fleeing the scene. West died at the scene, and Smith succumbed to her injuries en route to the hospital while a third passenger escaped unharmed.
He was arrested later that year with three extra murders tacked onto his record. In 1989, he shot and killed a woman and her toddler son. Then, just four months before the bar slaughter, he also killed his mother’s boyfriend, officials said.
Bell’s execution marks the 26th in the US this year. He is also the eighth person to be put to death in Florida
Chisom Orjiogbu
