Former Officer Recalls Haunting Scene in ‘Staged’ Murder Trial

[00:00:01] Speaker 1: Could you state your name, please, sir? My name is John Curtis Bell. And how do you spell your last name? B-E-A-L-L. [00:00:12] Speaker 2: And how are you employed? Currently? Yes, sir. Currently I work for Kraft Power. I work in Power Generation. [00:00:21] Speaker 1: You work for whom? [00:00:23] Speaker 2: Kraft Power, K-R-A-F-T. [00:00:26] Speaker 1: And what do you do for Kraft Power? [00:00:29] John Curtis Bell: I work on industrial generators for emergency power systems. [00:00:35] Speaker 1: Try to use a microphone to hear a little better. Sorry. You can pull that microphone. It should be pulled towards you so it will make it more comfortable for you to speak into it. Okay. So what do you do for Kraft Power? [00:00:50] John Curtis Bell: I work on industrial generators for emergency power systems. [00:00:55] Speaker 1: And how long have you been doing that? [00:00:58] John Curtis Bell: Currently a little over five years. [00:01:03] Speaker 1: And do you live in this area still or do you live elsewhere? I live in a surrounding county. All right. And before you worked for Kraft Power, for whom did you work? [00:01:19] John Curtis Bell: I worked a short period of time for Yates, which I rebuilt industrial hydraulic cylinders. And before that I worked slightly over five years at Pawnee County Sheriff's Office. [00:01:42] Speaker 1: Now what is your education level to be able to do all this hydraulic and power stuff? [00:01:47] John Curtis Bell: I went to school for industrial diesel, agricultural diesel engines. [00:01:53] Speaker 1: And when you were working for the Pawnee County Sheriff's Office, did you have this education already completed or not? [00:02:03] John Curtis Bell: I went to school at Nashville Auto Diesel College in Nashville, Tennessee. [00:02:06] Speaker 1: And so you worked for the Pawnee County Sheriff's Office from when to when? [00:02:19] John Curtis Bell: I can't quote exact dates. I want to say that I left the Sheriff's Office in early 2021. So somewhere 2016, 2017, I started my employment in Pawnee County. [00:02:42] Speaker 1: And what drew you to Pawnee County Sheriff's Office? [00:02:45] John Curtis Bell: That's the neighboring county from which I grew up in. I originally was attempting to go into the Coast Guard. And at that time, I did not weigh enough for my current height. So I looked elsewhere to serve my community and attempted employment at Pawnee County and was hired on. [00:03:07] Speaker 1: Okay, so when you came to Pawnee County, what was your job assignment when you first got employed here? [00:03:17] John Curtis Bell: When I first started at Pawnee County, I was a jailer. I worked over in the jail when it was located at its old location. [00:03:26] Speaker 1: Okay, so when you came to Pawnee County, were you a post-certified law enforcement officer at that point? [00:03:32] John Curtis Bell: Not at the time of fire. [00:03:34] Speaker 1: And so what made you decide to become a post-certified law enforcement officer? Yeah, I wanted to help people. And how long did it take you to become a post-certified law enforcement officer? [00:03:51] John Curtis Bell: I worked in the jail for two years before I was eligible to be sent to post. Upon completing post, I did, well, before post, Pawnee County put me through a pre, I don't remember the exact title, but they sent me through a series of training to make sure that I would be able to qualify being sent to post. After post, I completed FTO. That entire training process to be on patrol was approximately a year. [00:04:22] Speaker 1: Now, you said something before the training for post. Did you say FTO, or what did you say? [00:04:30] John Curtis Bell: FTO is the process that you go through as soon as you complete post. FTO is you're being served. You have a supervisor or a direct training officer that you're assigned upon completion of post. Typically, you have two to three FTO officers that put you through your training before you're allowed to be on patrol on your own. [00:04:56] Speaker 1: Okay, and in December of 2019, who was your FTO? [00:05:06] John Curtis Bell: My FTO was Deputy Whitsitt. [00:05:13] Speaker 1: And how long was he your FTO? [00:05:18] John Curtis Bell: Off the top of my head, I can't give you an exact amount of weeks. I want to say an estimated six to eight weeks. [00:05:29] Speaker 1: Were you a trainee? Is that before you were classified as? [00:05:39] John Curtis Bell: At that time, yes, sir. [00:05:41] Speaker 1: And what does the FTO do with regard to you as a trainee? [00:05:47] John Curtis Bell: So post-mandate, you learn the laws and the knowledge that you should have when it comes to what gives you the right to make arrest and how to further have officer safety in a classroom setting. The FTO process is a first-hand experience as to what it takes to be a successful police officer or sheriff's deputy, how to conduct yourself in a professional manner, be safe, make sure that you're aware of your surroundings at all times, learn the county, learn the roads of the county that you're working in, and supervise or observe other deputies at normal day-to-day actions and take from their operating procedures and apply them to your own once you're on your own. [00:06:45] Speaker 1: Now, on December 22nd of 2019, did you get called to a scene at 83 Brayville Court? [00:06:54] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir, I did. [00:06:56] Speaker 1: And do you know what county that's in? [00:06:58] John Curtis Bell: That is in Pauline County. [00:07:02] Speaker 1: And what, if anything, did you do after receiving this call? [00:07:07] John Curtis Bell: At the time, that was my very first night in a patrol car after my post-mandate. That was my very first night on patrol in the FTO program under Deputy Woodset. So, Deputy Woodset was the driving officer that night, and I was in the passenger seat being driven to this incident site. [00:07:31] Speaker 1: So, this is your very first night as I am on active patrol. Yes, sir. And you get called to this scene. [00:07:39] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir. [00:07:40] Speaker 1: What happens when you get to this scene? [00:07:43] John Curtis Bell: We met with, at the time of leaving, or at that time it was Captain Pace, who was at the residence. He informed us of where the incident took place inside the residence, and I proceeded to enter the residence through the front door. Upon going through the front door, do you want me to continue? Yes, sir. Upon going through the front door, me and Deputy Woodset observed blood on the inside of the front doorknob. And, as we were told by Captain Pace at the time, that the incident that took place that night happened downstairs in the lower level room. So, as I proceeded down the stairs, I witnessed some blood spatter, or blood smearing. There was blood on the railing of the stairs going down. And as soon as I took a left hand turn to the lower room, the individual was laying right there. Okay. [00:08:50] Speaker 1: What, if anything, did you notice about the person laying right there? [00:08:55] John Curtis Bell: I observed the individual having a gunshot wound to the head. He was lying feet at the doorway on his back. He had a McDonald's cup on his left side of his body that had ice still in it, and there was ice scattered across the carpet outside of the cup. And beside that, there was a McDonald's bag that had a bloody hand print on it, and there was a blood-covered gun that was in the individual's hands. [00:09:38] Speaker 1: And what, if anything, did you do when you observed all of this occurring? [00:09:46] John Curtis Bell: I turned my attention to Deputy Whitsitt because this is the first crime scene that I had ever stepped foot on. He told me just to observe and make sure not to make contact with any items that were in the room. And after observing what I did, I did notice a trash can that was off the side of the victim that had blood splatter on it. And there was also some blood splatter that was on the drywall. Once I observed what I did, Deputy Whitsitt told me to go relieve Deputy Hanna at the front door and have the crime scene log handed over to me so that I could check in any other individuals that entered and exited the residence. [00:10:46] Speaker 1: So, when you're on the scene, did you touch anything or move anything? No, sir. And when you got on the scene, what, if anything, did you observe in the way of people on the scene? [00:11:09] John Curtis Bell: It would be hard to state any further just due to the amount of time that has passed between the incident and now. Once I relieved Deputy Hanna at the front door and was checking people in and out of the scene, I did not go further down the stairs. I stayed at the doorway. Any other individuals that were inside the residence at the time of me being downstairs, I do not recall. [00:11:39] Speaker 1: Okay, when you got downstairs and you're in this room, was there any particular odor that you became aware of? [00:11:48] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir. It smelled like McDonald's as soon as I started going down the stairs. [00:11:56] Speaker 1: And was it strong or faint odor? [00:11:59] John Curtis Bell: It was very strong. As if you were pulling through a drive-through and you just rolled the window down and they're handing you your food. You can smell it predominantly. [00:12:09] Speaker 1: And were you able to notice if the bag you saw there had any food in it or? [00:12:21] John Curtis Bell: To my recollection, the bag had been as if it was in a position that somebody used it to balance themselves as they were standing possibly. The bag was squished, so the hand print I cannot further explain, but I did not want to get any closer to interfere with any possible evidence being contaminated. [00:12:46] Speaker 1: Did you touch that McDonald's bag at all? [00:12:48] John Curtis Bell: No, sir, I did not. [00:12:50] Speaker 1: So, you observed the blood, you see it on the, near this trash can and going down the stairwell, is that right? Yes, sir. And did you also notice it on the front door, did you say? [00:13:13] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir. There was blood on the front door and I recall that as if it were yesterday because as I was checking people in and out that were coming through the front door, I was asking individuals to stay clear of the front door knob due to the blood that was on it. [00:13:30] Speaker ?: I was asking people to stay clear of the front door and I was asking people to stay clear of the front door and I was asking people to stay clear of the front door and I was asking people to stay clear of the front door and I was asking people to stay clear of the front door. I was asking people to stay clear of the front door and I was asking people to stay clear of the front door and I was asking people to stay clear of the front door and I was asking people to stay clear of the front door and I was asking people to stay clear of the front door and I was asking people to stay clear of the front door and I was asking people to stay clear of the front door and I was asking people to stay clear of the front door and I was asking people to stay clear of the front door and I was asking people to stay clear of the front door and I was asking people to stay clear of the front door and I was asking people to stay clear of the front door and I was asking people to stay clear of the front door and I was asking people to stay clear of the front door. I was asking people to stay clear of the front door and I was asking people to stay clear of the front door and I was asking people to stay clear of the front door and I was asking people to stay clear of the front door. [00:14:17] Speaker 1: Mr. Bill, these exhibits I'm handing you have already been admitted into evidence. I just want you to look at them and make sure you can recognize them before I have you explain to the jury what they are. [00:14:47] Speaker ?: Mr. Bill, thank you. [00:15:17] Speaker 1: Are you able to recognize these photographs? [00:15:35] Speaker 2: Yes, sir. [00:15:35] Speaker 1: All right. Let's start with photograph number 71. You can recognize that. [00:15:47] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir, I do recognize that. [00:15:57] Speaker 1: Okay, now you had talked about a trash can earlier. Is that the trash can you were talking about right there? And there's the cup, and there's the feet of Mr. Akers. [00:16:07] Speaker 2: Yes, sir. [00:16:09] Speaker 1: Okay, and then this exhibit number 72, you look at that. That's a little closer version of the trash can. Is that correct? [00:16:24] Speaker 2: Yes, sir, it is. [00:16:25] Speaker 1: And then these items on the wall that I'm circling right here, can you tell what those are? Do you remember what those were when you saw them in person there? [00:16:35] John Curtis Bell: They appear to be blood splatters. [00:16:38] Speaker 1: Okay, and then this exhibit number 74 is another close-up picture of that. Can you see that? [00:16:50] Speaker 2: Yes, sir. [00:16:52] Speaker 1: Can you zoom in on that a little bit more, Mr. Burke? And this exhibit number 75, is that in the same sort of picture? [00:17:07] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir, it is. [00:17:08] Speaker ?: Right. [00:17:09] Speaker 1: Okay, and this exhibit number 73. This is even a closer version of that photograph. Is that correct? [00:17:23] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir. [00:17:26] Speaker 1: Now, I'm going to switch to another section, and this is state exhibit number 15. Can you tell me what this is a photograph of? [00:17:37] John Curtis Bell: That is the photo of the inside of the front door. [00:17:40] Speaker 1: And how is it that you happened to notice that there was blood on the front door handle? [00:17:47] John Curtis Bell: To be honest with you, sir, that was my first step onto a crime scene, so I was very aware of where I was placing my body. [00:17:56] Speaker 1: Okay, and so did you say you directed other people with regard to that door handle? [00:18:01] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir. As I have the crime scene log, I stood when that door was open, as people were coming in and out, and as people were passing that door, I informed them not to touch it. [00:18:14] Speaker 1: All right, sir. And state exhibit number 16. Now, that's the door handle again, is that correct? [00:18:24] Speaker 2: That is, sir. [00:18:25] Speaker 1: And that's a little bit closer. And then, state exhibit number 17, is that the picture of the door handle as well? [00:18:36] Speaker 2: Yes, sir, it is. [00:18:37] Speaker 1: And is that even closer than state exhibit number 16? [00:18:42] John Curtis Bell: It is a closer image, sir. [00:18:44] Speaker 1: Okay, and then state exhibit number 18. Is that even closer to the door handle? [00:18:55] Speaker 2: Yes, sir, it is. [00:18:56] Speaker 1: And what is this area right here on that door handle? Can you see what that is? And it's not like an angle of picture back. [00:19:10] John Curtis Bell: When you're referring to what area, could you point? [00:19:12] Speaker 1: Let me look at the picture and see if that makes it a little clearer for you. [00:19:15] John Curtis Bell: Are you referring to right here? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. That is the top of the door handle on the inside. [00:19:20] Speaker 1: That area there? [00:19:22] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir. [00:19:22] Speaker 1: What did that appear to be to you? [00:19:24] John Curtis Bell: It appeared to be a smoke substance, which appeared to be blood to me. [00:19:29] Speaker 1: All right. And state exhibit number 19? [00:19:43] John Curtis Bell: That is the same, sir. [00:19:45] Speaker 1: Okay. And state exhibit number 20. What is that, sir? [00:19:55] John Curtis Bell: To me, that is the better of the pictures to assist in the identification of the substance that was on that door, which I believe to be possibly blood. [00:20:07] Speaker 1: All right. Thank you. Okay. [00:20:17] John Curtis Bell: That is a view of the upper part of the stairs at this center partition. When you walk into the front door, the stairs go vertically to the top floor on the left, and on the right side coming in from the house of the front door are the stairs leading down to where the incident scene is directly to the left at the bottom of those stairs. [00:21:04] Speaker 1: And state exhibit number 22, is this that same stairwell but from a little bit different angle? [00:21:12] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir, it is. [00:21:15] Speaker 1: And state exhibit number 23, is that the same stairwell? [00:21:25] Speaker 2: It is, sir. [00:21:26] Speaker ?: Yes, sir. [00:21:26] Speaker 1: And you said that something at the stairwell caught your eye, and I'm going to show you state exhibit number 25 and see if you can recognize anything in that photograph that may have caught your eye that morning. [00:21:45] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir. [00:21:46] Speaker ?: Yes, sir. [00:21:46] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir. It was another substance that appeared to be blood to me at the bottom portion of the railing. [00:21:54] Speaker 1: And are you talking about this area right here? [00:21:59] Speaker ?: Can you see that or not? [00:22:01] Speaker 1: I cannot see. But are you? This area right here, is that what you're talking about? Yes, sir. And this area right here? Yes, sir. [00:22:11] Speaker ?: And this area right here? [00:22:11] Speaker 2: Yes, sir. [00:22:12] Speaker 1: And now I'll show you state exhibit number 24. Can I just make it a little clearer for you right here and right here? [00:22:25] Speaker 2: Yes, sir. [00:22:26] Speaker 1: And this state exhibit number 20A, right here, does that even make it clearer for you? [00:22:38] Speaker 2: Yes, sir. [00:22:39] Speaker ?: And the state exhibit number, I believe it's number 20. Is it 20 or 20 state? Yes, sir. [00:22:42] Speaker 1: And, you know, I'm going to ask that this witness be like to step off the witness stand and approach the jury box with these photos. The overhead display is very accommodating. The overhead display is very accommodating sometimes. [00:22:49] Speaker ?: But the... The overhead display is very accommodating sometimes. But the... [00:22:49] Speaker 1: The overhead display is very accommodating sometimes. But the... [00:22:51] Speaker ?: The overhead display is very accommodating. The overhead display is very accommodating sometimes. But the... The overhead display is very accommodating sometimes. The overhead display is very accommodating. The overhead display is very accommodating sometimes. The overhead display is very accommodating. Yes, sir. [00:22:56] Speaker 1: And, you know, I'm going to ask that this witness be like to step off the witness stand and approach [00:23:02] Speaker ?: the jury box with these photos. [00:23:02] Speaker 1: The overhead display is very... [00:23:03] Speaker ?: The overhead display is very accommodating sometimes. [00:23:03] Speaker 1: But the... All right. Well, he can step down and counsel can move however he came to for this purpose. And, if you would step down a little bit. And, unfortunately, the... [00:23:10] Speaker ?: The overhead display is very accommodating sometimes. [00:23:10] Speaker 1: The overhead display is very accommodating sometimes. But the... [00:23:12] Speaker ?: All right. [00:23:13] Speaker 1: Well, he can step down and counsel can move however he came to for this purpose. [00:23:14] Speaker ?: And, if you would step down a little bit. [00:23:15] Speaker 1: And, unfortunately, the... And, if you would step down a little bit. [00:23:17] Speaker ?: And, unfortunately, the exactness and intensity of the display on the screen is not as good as what [00:23:17] Speaker 1: is in the photograph. So, I want you to start with... [00:23:19] Speaker ?: I want you to start with... [00:23:20] Speaker 4: The overhead display is not as good as what is in the photograph. So, I want you to start with... The overhead display is not as good as what is in the photograph. So, I want you to start with... [00:23:24] Speaker 1: The overhead display is not as good as what is in the photograph. So, I want you to start with... The overhead display is not as good as what is in the photograph. And, unfortunately, the... The exactness and intensity of the display on the screen is not as good as what is in the photograph. So, I want you to start with... States Exhibit Number 17. And, I'll show it to the jury. And, just hold it up here and just walk down in front of this jury. And, show each of them this little frame. And, is that the doorknob you saw that you thought had one on it, sir? [00:24:05] Speaker ?: Yes, sir. [00:24:06] Speaker 1: That is the inside of the front. And, then, States Exhibit Number 20. If you could show that as well and walk down in front of the jury box with regard to that. And, then, States Exhibit Number 19. [00:24:24] Speaker ?: If you could get the same thing as that. [00:24:24] Speaker 1: And, then, States Exhibit Number 19. [00:24:25] Speaker ?: If you could get the same thing as that. And, then, States Exhibit Number 19. If you could get the same thing as that. And, then, States Exhibit Number 19. If you could get the same thing as that. And, then, States Exhibit Number 19. If you could get the same thing as that. And, then, States Exhibit Number 19. If you could get the same thing as that. And, then, States Exhibit Number 19. If you could get the same thing as that. And, then, States Exhibit Number 19. If you could get the same thing as that. And, then, States Exhibit Number 19. If you could get the same thing as that. And, then, States Exhibit Number 19. If you could get the same thing as that. And, then, States Exhibit Number 19. [00:24:37] Speaker 1: If you could get the same thing as that. And, then, States Exhibit Number 19. If you could get the same thing as that. And, then, States Exhibit Number 19. If you could get the same thing as that. And, then, States Exhibit Number 19. [00:24:43] Speaker ?: If you could get the same thing as that. And, then, States Exhibit Number 19. If you could get the same thing as that. And, then, States Exhibit Number 19. If you could get the same thing as that. And, then, States Exhibit Number 19. If you could get the same thing as that. And, then, States Exhibit Number 19. If you could get the same thing as that. And, then, States Exhibit Number 19. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. [00:24:58] Speaker 1: If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. [00:25:03] Speaker ?: If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. If you could get the same thing as that. [00:25:27] Speaker 1: If you could get the same thing as that. When did you leave that crime scene area? When did I leave? Yes sir. How long were you there approximately? [00:25:39] John Curtis Bell: I do not recall the exact time. I know I was there for a few hours. But it was late in the night. Maybe. Possibly shortly after two. [00:25:49] Speaker 1: Okay. Are you familiar with the crime scene log? Yes sir. And did you sign in on the crime scene log? I did sir. And did you sign out on the crime scene log? [00:25:59] John Curtis Bell: Yes sir, I did. [00:26:27] Speaker ?: Yes sir. And do you see your signature on that page? I do sir. I am the fourth from the bottom. Okay. [00:26:31] Speaker 1: You say it's the fourth from the bottom. Yes sir. [00:26:33] Speaker ?: Deputy Jay Bell. [00:26:33] Speaker 1: Deputy Jay Bell. Deputy Jay Bell. [00:26:35] Speaker ?: Right here. [00:26:35] Speaker 1: And it shows you. And it shows you. And it's signed in at the bottom. [00:26:40] Speaker ?: Yes sir. [00:26:40] Speaker 1: Deputy Jay Bell. And it shows you. And. And it's the fourth from the bottom. Yes sir. Deputy Jay Bell. Yes sir. [00:26:47] Speaker ?: And then. [00:26:47] John Curtis Bell: And then. [00:26:48] Speaker 1: It looks like it's the 118. [00:26:49] Speaker ?: Yes sir. And then. [00:26:49] Speaker 1: It looks like it's the 118. Yes sir. [00:26:51] John Curtis Bell: And then. It looks like you may have signed out. That is. [00:26:54] Speaker 1: Oh. 150 faster. Okay. [00:26:57] John Curtis Bell: So. I'll show you. [00:26:59] Speaker 1: I'm the fourth from the bottom. I'm the fourth from the bottom. [00:27:01] Speaker ?: Okay. [00:27:02] Speaker 1: You say it's the fourth from the bottom. Yes sir. Deputy Jay Bell. Right here. And it shows you. And. Signed in at one. Is that 118? [00:27:10] Speaker ?: Yes sir. It is. [00:27:12] John Curtis Bell: And then. [00:27:13] Speaker 1: It looks like you may have signed out. You can't help. That is. Oh. 150 faster. [00:27:18] John Curtis Bell: Okay. So. Almost two o'clock. [00:27:21] Speaker 1: Yes sir. In the morning. Yes sir. All right. [00:27:25] John Curtis Bell: You know. [00:27:26] Speaker 1: That's all the questions I have. Mr. Bill. [00:27:28] Speaker ?: He's with you. Counsel. [00:27:30] Speaker 1: Good afternoon. Mr. Bill. My name is Raymond Lale. And I along with Mr. Steele. represent Ms. Bowles in this case. [00:27:35] Speaker ?: It's okay to call you Mr. Bill at this point? Yes. Okay. Very good. Thank you. Um. So it's already been mentioned. This was your. You just out of training. You're with your officer. And he's like. Okay. [00:27:46] Speaker 4: Okay man. [00:27:47] Speaker ?: We're going to a serious scene. [00:27:47] Speaker 4: Yes sir. You would agree with me. They don't get much more serious than this. I would agree with you. And from your testimony. I believe you said. Mr. Bill. We're going to a serious scene. Yes sir. You would agree with me. They don't get much more serious than this. I would agree. And from your testimony. I believe you said. Okay. [00:28:03] Speaker ?: You're going to a serious scene. [00:28:03] Speaker 4: Yes sir. You would agree with me. They don't get much more serious than this. I would agree. And from your testimony. I believe you said. You would agree with me. You would agree with me. That they don't get much more serious than this. I would agree. And from your testimony. Tony. I believe you said. A couple of times. You recall this. As if it was yesterday. Parts of the scene. Yes sir. Okay. Because. You want to be a law enforcement officer. And here's your. First call. And it's. It's. The most important crime scene. Arguably. Correct. Okay. Um. And I believe you also said. You were very aware. Of where you were. In that house. Because of. Of the nature of the. The alleged. Incident. Yes sir. [00:28:55] John Curtis Bell: It's. Okay. To be sent a mandate. You have to earn that. As you get through. Employment. That was the very. Nature of. Me. Being there. On a crime scene. For my first time. Very aware. Of where I was. To make sure that. I did not make any mistakes. [00:29:12] Speaker 4: Very good. And. You sit here today. I know it's been seven years ago. But you do have a. You've indicated. You have a distinct recollection. Of what happened. Yes sir. And along those same lines. Some of your training. Is with regard to. Police reports. Because those are. Very important pieces of. Documentation in a case. Because. You may be called on years. Or weeks. Or days later. To recall. Like this. Years later. Yes sir. [00:29:44] Speaker ?: So. [00:29:44] Speaker 4: It's very important. To get. To get the police report. Correct. I would agree. It's also important. To do it. Very close in time. To the incident. So you don't forget anything. Yes sir. Right. And if you do. Remember something. Later on. Then you certainly. Can file a supplemental. To that report. If you remember something else. And you would. Label that a supplemental. And you would put it. With the original report. [00:30:07] Speaker ?: Correct. [00:30:08] Speaker 4: Yes sir. Okay. [00:30:10] Speaker ?: And how. Do you recall. That document. Yes sir. Okay. And how. Do you recall. [00:30:18] Speaker 2: That document. That was. [00:30:20] Speaker ?: The report. [00:30:21] Speaker 4: Yes sir. Okay. And how. Do you recall. [00:30:25] Speaker ?: That document. Yes sir. Okay. And how. Do you recall. That document. That was. The report. That document. Yes sir. [00:30:35] Speaker 2: Okay. [00:30:36] Speaker 4: And how. Do you recall. That document. [00:30:39] Speaker 2: That was. The report. That I. Typed up. After. Very good. [00:30:45] Speaker 4: Yes sir. Okay. Have you had a chance. To review this. Before. [00:30:50] Speaker ?: Before. [00:30:50] Speaker 4: Coming here today. Regarding your testimony. [00:30:52] John Curtis Bell: Yes sir. I read it. A few times. [00:30:55] Speaker ?: Before. [00:30:55] John Curtis Bell: Stepping in here. Okay. When was the last time. [00:30:58] Speaker ?: You read it. [00:30:59] John Curtis Bell: Maybe an hour. Hour. And a half ago. [00:31:02] Speaker ?: Okay. [00:31:02] Speaker 4: So you're familiar with. You've refreshed. Your recollection. Okay. And if you need. To refresh it again. I certainly have a copy. And I can. Provide that to you. Okay. Yes. Thank you. And. Your report indicates. That the date. On it was. 1222. Of 19. Correct. Correct. Okay. For a supervisor. To sign off. On your report. Correct. It does. Certainly. As a trainee. As a new officer. That's important. To get with a supervisor. To have his approval. Or her approval. Of your report. Yes sir. And you did that. And you did that. [00:31:39] John Curtis Bell: Like you're supposed to. Correct. All reports get signed off. By the supervisors. [00:31:43] Speaker ?: At the end of the shifts. Now. In your report. As you. Displayed some photos. To the jury earlier. Some exhibits. [00:31:50] Speaker 4: Yes sir. [00:31:51] Speaker ?: And you noticed. [00:31:51] Speaker 4: As you indicated. There was some blood. On the. Inside door handle. Of the. Of the home. Yes sir. Okay. Do you. Did you realize. That Ms. Bowles. Was. Was. [00:32:05] John Curtis Bell: Was. [00:32:06] Speaker 4: Was. Yes sir. [00:32:08] Speaker ?: Okay. [00:32:09] Speaker 4: Do you. Did you realize. That Ms. Bowles. Was. When she was. On the phone. With 9-1-1. 9-1-1. Asked her. To go. Make sure. The front door. Was unlocked. Were you aware. Of that. Yes sir. Okay. And. [00:32:27] John Curtis Bell: She also indicated. [00:32:28] Speaker ?: She had. [00:32:28] John Curtis Bell: Blowing her hands. Did you know that. [00:32:30] Speaker 4: No sir. I just documented. What I saw. Okay. So. If she had. [00:32:36] John Curtis Bell: Blowing her hands. If she opened. The front door. That's probably. How I got there. Right. In the front yard. Where. EMS was. After. [00:32:47] Speaker 4: She left. The residence. Okay. So. When you arrived. Did you. Did you ever go upstairs. Or no. No sir. Okay. So you were always. Downstairs. And. At some point. [00:33:01] John Curtis Bell: You were downstairs. [00:33:02] Speaker 4: Where Mr. Akers was. Correct. But in your report. You. You put some information. In your report. Regarding. Your impressions. From when you were down there. Correct. Yes sir. [00:33:13] Speaker ?: Okay. [00:33:20] Speaker 4: And. One of the things you indicate. Is. You noticed. The McDonald's cup. Line. Knocked over. By Mr. Akers left leg. And it's in your report. Yes sir. Do you have any clue. How that got knocked over. [00:33:32] John Curtis Bell: Yes sir. [00:33:33] Speaker 4: Okay. You didn't talk to any other officers. On the scene. About it. [00:33:37] John Curtis Bell: No sir. I just. [00:33:39] Speaker ?: Every. [00:33:39] John Curtis Bell: Everything in my documentation. Was just. What I witnessed. Yes sir. [00:33:43] Speaker ?: Yes sir. [00:33:43] John Curtis Bell: Yes sir. All right. [00:33:45] Speaker ?: And. [00:33:46] Speaker 4: With regard to the McDonald's bag. Mm-hmm. You didn't just indicate. That it had blood on it. You indicated that. It looked like. A bloody hand print. Yes sir. [00:33:58] Speaker 2: You remember that. [00:33:59] Speaker 4: Yes sir. [00:34:00] Speaker ?: Correct. [00:34:03] Speaker 4: And again. Because you've. Indicated. You really remember. Distinctly. This case. And we understand why. The last sentence. You have in paragraph. Number three. You say. There was a gun. That had a lot of blood on it. Laying in his hand. Yes sir. And you remember that. Yes sir. You didn't just say. A minuscule amount of blood. You said. A lot of blood. A lot. [00:34:29] John Curtis Bell: A lot to me. Would be. A majority of the. Of. The visual of the gun. Would have blood on it. And yes sir. There was. A decent amount of blood. Okay. Enough to where. To state it was a lot of blood. Okay. [00:34:44] Speaker 4: There's not some smear smudge. Yes sir. [00:34:46] Speaker 2: Correct. Okay. [00:34:48] Speaker ?: And did you stay with that. Until you left. Until somebody relieved you. From doing that. Yes sir. After my brief time downstairs. I can't tell you exactly. How long I was at. The bottom of the stairs. Deputy Woodson told me. To go relieve. Deputy Hannah. At the front door. [00:35:00] Speaker 4: We were at the front door. [00:35:01] Speaker ?: And we were at the front door. [00:35:01] Speaker 4: And we were at the front door. And we were at the front door. [00:35:03] Speaker ?: We were at the front door. [00:35:03] Speaker 4: And we were at the front door. And we were at the front door. And we were at the front door. And we were at the front door. And we were at the front door. And we were at the front door. And we were at the front door. And we were at the front door. And we were at the front door. So somebody relieved you. From doing that. [00:35:14] John Curtis Bell: Yes sir. After my brief time downstairs. I can't tell you exactly. How long I was at. The bottom of the stairs. Deputy Woodson told me. To go relieve. Deputy Hannah. At the front door. With the crime scene log. And that is where I stayed. Until Deputy Hannah. Came back to relieve me. At that point. I left the scene. Okay. Did you leave by yourself. Or did you go back into service. I went back into service. With Deputy Woodson. But I did not go back. Down the stairs. Once. I was relieved by. Deputy Hannah. I immediately. Took a side step. Outside of the residence. At the. Threshold of the door. And. Was no longer in the house. [00:35:51] Speaker ?: Okay. [00:35:56] Speaker 4: I just had one more. [00:36:10] Speaker ?: So. I think you testified. Ms. Bowles was. Hysterical. Would that be a. [00:36:15] Speaker 2: A. Correct way to say that. [00:36:17] Speaker ?: While. Standing at. At the. Threshold of the door. Um. I could hear. Ms. Bowles. In the living room. Um. Um. What sounded like very. Um. Um. Loud. Loud. upset. Crying. Yes sir. Crying. [00:36:33] Speaker 4: Screaming. Just. [00:36:35] Speaker ?: Yes. [00:36:35] Speaker 4: Yes sir. Okay. [00:36:37] Speaker ?: Did you. [00:36:37] Speaker 4: Did you. Did you. Have any. Interaction with her at all. I think you testified. Ms. Bowles was. [00:36:43] John Curtis Bell: Hysterical. Would that be. A. Correct way to say that. Well. While. Standing at the. Threshold of the door. [00:36:51] Speaker ?: Um. I could hear. [00:36:53] John Curtis Bell: Ms. Bowles in the living room. Um. What sounded like very. Um. [00:36:57] Speaker 4: Loud. Loud. Upset. Crying. Crying. Screaming. Interaction with her at all. No sir. Okay. I believe you indicated. In your report. She. Was taken by. The EMTs. To leave. [00:37:12] John Curtis Bell: She. When she. Exited. The residence. It was while EMS. Was. Parked. Out. Out in front of the residence. Uh. Whether she left in the. Ambulance. Or EMS. That I do not know. Uh. I was more concerned. As to making sure. Anybody coming in. And out of that. Threshold. [00:37:32] Speaker 4: Thank you. [00:38:02] Speaker 1: Mr. Bill, I'll show you what has previously been marked for identification of state's exhibit number 61, and I want you to pay close attention to this weapon here. Do you see that weapon there? [00:38:24] Speaker 2: Yes, sir. [00:38:25] Speaker 1: And is this the blood smear you're talking about right here that I'm circling right about in the middle of the bottom of the handle of the weapon? Is that the blood smear you're talking about there? [00:38:37] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir. There was. [00:38:39] Speaker 1: And did you have occasion, since you were right there looking at this weapon and the blood smears on the grip of this weapon, did you happen to notice the victim's left hand in the amount of blood or the amount of non-blood or no blood on his left hand? Did you happen to? [00:39:02] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir, I did. [00:39:03] Speaker 1: Did that impress you that there was no blood on his left hand but there was blood on the gun? [00:39:08] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir, I do recall that, but at the same time, I did not get close enough to get to the point to possibly put anything inaccurate in my report. I did not want to contaminate anything. [00:39:29] Speaker 1: So what you actually detailed in your report is specifically what you saw when you arrived on the scene. You were not doing an investigation. You were just reporting what you could visibly observe. Yes, sir. Is that correct? [00:39:44] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir. It was my first crime scene and I was there to document what I saw, but anything further was out of my position. [00:39:59] Speaker 1: Did this make you decide maybe you didn't want to do police work? [00:40:03] John Curtis Bell: No, sir. I continued to be on patrol for another two years. [00:40:08] Speaker 1: So why did you leave police work? [00:40:11] John Curtis Bell: The entire time at Paulding County, I was on night shift. I just attempted to get on to a day shift position and at that time, due to the economy, it was just hard to have other trained deputies come in and be on night shift. [00:40:27] Speaker 4: Do you have any idea when this picture was taken with regard to when you observed the gun and what you did your report? [00:40:53] John Curtis Bell: Once I was on scene, after I went and observed what I did, when I went back to the threshold of the front door, I remember crime scene getting on scene and they were downstairs at that time that I was at the front door documenting photos. Now, whether that exact photo was documented at that time, I don't know. [00:41:15] Speaker 4: You don't know when this photo was taken after you observed what you observed and what you put in your police report, right? Yes, sir. But you would agree with me, I was looking at that photo right there, that's not consistent with what you put in your report. Your report said he had a lot of blood on it. The gun had a lot of blood on it, right? [00:41:37] John Curtis Bell: From where I was standing, I could see the gun and the blood that was on it, but I did not get any closer to further examine. [00:41:48] Speaker 4: But it was more blood that's in that picture, right? [00:41:53] John Curtis Bell: No, sir. The photo's accurate as to how it was. [00:41:59] Speaker 4: Okay. So when you say the gun had a lot of blood on it, you made the little smudge there on the handle, is that what you're talking about? [00:42:06] John Curtis Bell: I recall there being blood on the gun, yes, sir. But as far as to say how much or how less, it's... [00:42:16] Speaker 4: Listen, I just want to get this right, okay? Yes, sir, I understand. I'm going off your report, and you've testified that your report is correct, and you did it correct, and you did it the same night, and the report says the gun had a lot of blood on it. All I'm saying to you is there's not a lot of blood on that gun unless you can tell me something different. [00:42:35] John Curtis Bell: I would use the word a lot in relative to the lack of blood that was on the individual's hand beside it. There was blood on the gun, and I visually at that time did not see any blood in the surrounding areas of where that blood was. So that's just the best that I can answer that. [00:42:58] Speaker ?: Okay. [00:42:59] John Curtis Bell: Fair enough. [00:43:01] Speaker ?: Thank you. [00:43:03] Speaker 1: Any degrees of red? No, you know, I'd ask if you'd be released. All right, sir, where'd you go? [00:43:08] John Curtis Bell: Thank you.