Jackson Free Press

Attorney General Jim Hood told the Jackson Free Press Tuesday that he will personally prosecute George Bell III for the murder of Heather Spencer at the request of Spencer's mother, Linda Francomb.

On Sept. 11, 2007, Jackson police found Spencer's body in the North Jackson home of Bell's mother, Robbie Bell, after George Bell surrendered to police subsequent to a four-hour standoff. An autopsy revealed that Spencer died as the result of blunt-force trauma after a sexual assault. District Attorney Faye Peterson charged Bell with capitol murder in the case, alleging that he beat Spencer to death with a flashlight after raping her. He is in jail without bail and pled not guilty on Monday. Peterson later charged Robbie Bell as an accessory after the fact, and she is currently free on bond.

"The victim's mother asked that we get involved with it," Hood said Tuesday evening. Both he and Peterson said the attorney general's office taking over such cases is not unusual because they share jurisdictions. "I intend to do more of those," Hood said, adding that he enjoys prosecuting. Domestic violence is an area that the attorney general's office takes very seriously. "We're trying to do more to prevent those deaths," Hood said.

One of the police-bodyguards for incoming DA Robert Smith is Det. Kent Daniels, who filed paperwork to reduce a felony charge to a misdemeanor against Bell soon after he allegedly brutally beat her in June, and weeks before she asked that the misdemeanor charge be dropped. Hood said that has nothing to do with his taking over the case.

Previous Comments

ID

97331

Comment

Sounds like Hood wants to put Bell under the jail.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2007-11-28T09:52:50-06:00