Roy Bell Sentencing Hearing Set for Today

Roy Bell
Roy Bell
A man convicted of murdering former Knox resident Wilma Upsall will be sentenced in Fulton County Superior Court this afternoon.

Judge Wayne Steele found Roy Bell guilty during a bench trial on Aug. 27. Bell was found guilty on six counts: Murder, Murder in the Commission of Another Crime (Burglary), Murder in the Commission of Another Crime (Robbery), Burglary, Robbery and Criminal Confinement.

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Judge Rules in Roy Bell Bench Trial

Roy Bell
Roy Bell

A judge in Fulton County has ruled in the bench trial of a murder defendant accused of brutally slaying an elderly Knox woman. Roy Bell is guilty of murder, robbery and criminal confinement. Fulton Superior Court Judge Wayne Steele says the state proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt. The charges stem from the November 22, 2011 murder of Wilma Upsall at her daughter’s home near Leiters Ford. Court documents indicate Bell admitted breaking into the home, finding her sitting on the couch in her robe and house slippers and tying her to a chair with a telephone cord while he and two friends ransacked the residence. They decided to kill Upsall because they were afraid she would be able to identify them. Upsall’s daughter found her slumped over dead in a chair when she came home. Bell was arrested two days later at a home in Monterey. The judge set Bell’s sentencing for Monday, Sept. 16 at 1:15 p.m. Eastern. He faces the possibility of life in prison without parole. WKVI’s Anita Goodan was in court for today’s proceedings and will have a complete wrap-up later this afternoon, on the air and online at WKVI.com.

Roy Bell Accused of being the Shooter in Upsall Shooting

Roy Bell

The question now is who pulled the trigger in the slaying of Wilma Upsall of Leiters Ford? That’s a question investigators are trying to determine and according to some news sources, the finger is pointing at Roy Bell of Rochester.

WSBT-TV reported yesterday that court documents point to Bell as the shooter of Wilma Upsall when she was tied to a chair. She was shot multiple times.  The court documents, according to the WSBT report, said one of the accused, Jason Miller, of Plymouth, told investigators that he and William Scroggs, of Delong, were outside when they heard the shots and that Bell told them later that Upsall had seen his face.

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