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.
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.
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.
The three men suspected of killing Wilma Upsall of Leiters Ford were in Fulton Superior Court this (Tuesday) morning. Judge Wayne Steele conducted the initial hearing and set a pre-trial hearing for January 10th and a Jury Trial for April 3rd. The three had not guilty pleas entered for them.
