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Florida man who killed 2 people outside a bar is scheduled to be executed

FLORIDA, JUL 15 – Michael Bernard Bell was Florida's eighth execution in 2025, contributing to a national total of 26 this year, the highest in a decade, amid expanded state execution methods.

  • Michael Bernard Bell was executed by lethal injection on July 15, 2025, at Florida State Prison for murders outside a Jacksonville bar in 1993.
  • Bell sought revenge after spotting what he believed was the car of his brother's killer, unaware it had been sold to one victim, Jimmy West.
  • He armed himself with an AK-47, called on two friends, opened fire on West, Tamecka Smith, and a third woman, killing West at the scene and Smith en route to hospital.
  • Bell was convicted in 1995, later sentenced to death, and despite appeals citing new witness testimony, courts unanimously upheld his guilt in a 54-page ruling last week.
  • Bell's execution marked Florida's eighth this year, making the state the leader in executions nationwide amid a broader rise noted by experts and legislation expanding execution methods.
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Florida man 26th person executed in the US this year, surpassing 2024 total

Michael Bernard Bell was the eighth person put to death in Florida this year, with a ninth scheduled for later this month.

·Boston, United States
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News Service of Florida broke the news in Tallahassee, United States on Monday, July 14, 2025.
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