News Details
2nd UPDATE - Triple Homicide
2nd UPDATE - (Lawrenceville, Georgia, September 26, 2013) The reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in this case has been increased to five thousand dollars. This reward is provided by Crime Stoppers Atlanta. Tipsters may remain anonymous and can provide tips by visiting www.crimestoppersatlanta.org, or by calling 404-557-TIPS (8477). Detectives have received several tips already, but nothing that indicates specifically where Bell might be. Detectives have not been able to narrow down which city or state Bell might be in.
A photo of the suspected murder weapon is attached. It is a Bushmaster XM-15, which is similar to an AR-15. It is not technically an assault rifle; it is only capable of semi-automatic fire. Detectives do not know what other weapons Bell may have access to. He should still be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone encountering Bell should call 911.
UPDATE - (Lawrenceville, Georgia, September 18, 2013) GCPD Homicide Unit detectives have asked that the following information be released. The suspect, Robert Bell, may be traveling to Chicago, IL; Albany, GA; Crossville, TN. Detectives believe that all of the victims, including the 12 year old Joseph McDonald, were intentionally shot. The deceased victims were each shot multiple times. Detectives still do not know the suspect’s motive.
Detectives have asked that this information be shared as widely as possible. Any media outlet with sister stations in the above mentioned cities or with national media ties are asked to pass this information along. Thank you for your help in this matter.
The 911 audio from this call is now available for release. One 911 call was placed by the surviving victim, Justin Cato. The other 911 call was placed by a neighbor who witnessed some of the events. The files are too large to email, but can be picked up on a disk at police headquarters (770 Hi Hope Road, Lawrenceville, GA 30046).
ORIGINAL RELEASE - (Lawrenceville, Georgia, September 16, 2013) Gwinnett County Police Department officers were dispatched to an aggravated domestic call at 4630 Anderson-Livsey Lane, unincorporated Snellville, at about 9:00 PM on September 15, 2013. The caller stated that a man was chasing a woman outside and firing a gun at her. Arriving officers found two people outside the home that had suffered gunshot wounds. Both were transported to a local hospital in serious condition. Angelina Benton (B/F, 34 years old) was the primary resident of the home and later died as a result of her injuries. Justin Cato (B/M, 23 years old) was shot in the leg but is expected to survive his injuries. He was able to call 911 from his cell phone a few minutes after the initial caller. Cato was Angelina Benton’s boyfriend.
The GCPD SWAT team responded to the scene due to suspicions that the suspect was still inside the residence. The suspect was not located, but the SWAT team did discover two additional bodies inside the home. Joseph McDonald (B/M, 12 years old) was the son of Angelina Benton and lived in the home. Raynord Daniel (B/M, 19 years old) was Angelina Benton’s godson and also lived in the home. Both were apparently deceased from gunshot wounds.
The suspect in this case has been identified as Robert E. Bell (B/M, 33 years old, 6’00” tall, 300 lbs.). Detectives have determined that the victim, Angelina Benton, allowed Bell and his wife, Danielle Hill-Bell (B/F, 22 years old, 5’03” tall, 215 lbs.) to move into the home about two weeks prior to this incident. This seems to have been a charitable act by Angelina Benton. The victims and the suspect were thought to be on good terms and at this point the motive for the murders is not clear.
Robert Bell has active warrants for three counts of felony murder and one count of aggravated assault. Bell’s vehicle, a black SUV, was recovered at the scene. A rifle similar to an AR-15 was located in the vehicle and detectives believe it may be the murder weapon. Bell’s current whereabouts are unknown. Anyone with information should please contact GCPD Homicide Unit detectives at 770-513-5300. Anyone encountering Robert Bell should call 911. He should be considered armed and dangerous.