Bell was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1993 murders of Jimmy West and Tamecka Smith. He was subsequently found guilty of the 1989 murders of Lashawn Cowart and her two-year-old son, Travis, and the 1993 murder of Michael Johnson. 

In a letter to DeSantis, Michael Sheedy, FCCB executive director, acknowledged the tragic deaths of Bell’s victims. “Their families and friends experienced terrible suffering at the time of the crimes and have had to live with painful loss ever since. May they find comfort in God,” wrote Sheedy.

The state is responsible for protecting the lives and safety of its citizens and imposing appropriate punishment for crimes. In the carrying out of justice, Sheedy urged that Bell’s life be spared. “There is a way to punish without ending another human life: life-long incarceration without the possibility of parole is a severe yet more humane punishment that ensures societal safety, allows the guilty the possibility of redemption, and offers finality to court processes,” advised Sheedy.

The Catholic Church teaches that all human life, given by God, is sacred. This sacredness is not contingent upon one’s guilt or innocence. The death penalty attacks the inviolability of the human person and perpetuates the cycle of violence that is prevalent in our culture. Given our modern penal system, executions are unnecessary.

Before Bell’s scheduled execution, Catholics will gather in multiple locations across Florida to pray for him, for the family of his victims, and for DeSantis as he considers the request to stay the execution.

Full text of letter to DeSantis 

The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops is an agency of the Catholic Bishops of Florida. It speaks for the Church in matters of public policy and serves as liaison to the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government. The archbishop and bishops of the seven (arch)dioceses in Florida constitute its board of directors.