Delithro and Mechelle Bell, a married couple, are dead after an apparent murder-suicide . KTRE is reporting that for reasons unknown, Delithro Rodriguez Bell shot and killed his wife, Mechelle Evette Hall-Bell, before killing himself on a road in Tyler, Texas. The deadly shooting occurred in the 23000 block of County Road 244, just off of Highway 31, near Bethel Baptist Church.
According to law enforcement, a witness stated that a man walked up to a woman and shot her to death before turning the gun on himself. Police were dispatched to the scene just after 10 a.m., where they found a weapon and the bodies of two African-American people: a man and a woman. Both victims had a gunshot wound to the body . The two deceased individuals were identified as 41-year-old Delithro Rodriguez Bell and 35-year-old Mechelle Hall Bell.
After recovering the bodies from the isolated road, they were sent for an autopsy to confirm the manner of death. People who knew the couple say they had been married since 2008 and lived in the Jackson Heights area — an area not far from where the tragedy took place. Recently, the couple separated due to marital problems. Friends and family remember the former football player who once played for the Chapel Hill Bulldogs fondly, and are shocked by their sudden deaths.
A former classmate of Delithro Bell told the Tyler Morning News that he kept in contact with him through Facebook, and that Delithro Bell was an upstanding member of the community.
A cursory look at their Facebook page shows a solid and loving couple who once enjoyed traveling together — a far cry from the sad events that have now devastated the community and the family. As news of the disturbing tragedy gains national attention, their loved ones struggle to understand how things could have gone so wrong.
Here are some comments from distraught friends and family.
“Why Why Whyyyyyy! Delithro its never that bad, aint nothing God cant handle!!!”
“Love U Rest In Peace”
“Praying for both families these to where so sweet RIP”
“Rest in Peace. Prayers going up for the entire family”
“My heart is broken…. RIP my friends!!!”
“Prayers are with the families!! I recruited and signed Delithro out of Tyler Chapel Hill HS to UH in 1991 (?) – great memories of him and his family!”
According to KET-NBC , the Bell murder-suicide case marks the first homicide for Smith County in 2015. Check back as we receive updates to this tragic story. This week, the Inquisitr reported on the death of Anna Moses, another mother who was found dead in her Texas home. Police believe her death is a homicide.
[Photo Credit: Facebook]