Shocking final words of death row revealed.
Michael Bernard Bell’s last words before his execution stunned the room—and not because he begged for forgiveness.
Inmate’s crimes profiled.
In December 1993, Michael Bernard Bell opened fire outside a Florida bar, killing two innocent people in what was later revealed to be a revenge mission gone wrong.
Bell believed he’d spotted the car belonging to the man who murdered his brother earlier that year—but the vehicle had since been sold to someone else.
Jimmy West and Tamecka Smith, who were completely uninvolved, were shot as they approached the car outside the bar with another woman.
West died at the scene, Smith passed away en route to the hospital, and the third woman managed to flee without injury.
Bell didn’t stop there—witnesses say he also fired at onlookers before disappearing into the night.
It wasn’t until 1994 that authorities finally tracked Bell down and arrested him for the fatal shooting.
Investigators quickly discovered that Bell’s bar shooting wasn’t his only crime—he had a murderous past dating back years.
Just four months before the Florida bar shooting, Bell had killed his mother’s boyfriend—marking his third known murder victim at the time.
By the time of his arrest, Bell was tied to five deaths across six years, painting a chilling portrait of violence and rage.
The trial and sentencing detailed.
Bell stood trial in 1995 and was swiftly convicted of the bar murders, earning a death sentence from the jury.
Prosecutors presented what the Florida Supreme Court would later call “overwhelming evidence” linking Bell to the killings.
Years later, Bell’s attorneys made a last-ditch attempt to save his life by citing newly uncovered witness evidence.
That appeal was denied unanimously last week, paving the way for the state to carry out the execution.
Executions in Florida explained.
Bell’s death marked Florida’s eighth execution this year—more than any other U.S. state, including Texas and South Carolina.
Nationally, his execution brought the 2025 total to 26—and the year’s barely past halfway.
The contrast is striking: just one person was executed in Florida throughout 2024, compared to eight in the first half of 2025.
Experts point to a sweeping executive order signed by Donald Trump upon reentering office urging states to enforce capital punishment.
“A number of these people have been in the system for a long time,” said John Blume, director of the Cornell Death Penalty Project.
Blume added, “The most cynical view would be: It seems to matter to the president, so it matters to them.”
Bell’s final words confirmed.
On the day of his execution, Bell ordered an omelette, bacon, home fries, and orange juice as his last meal.
He had no friends or family by his side—only a spiritual adviser visited him in the hours before his death.
The execution was carried out at Florida State Prison in Starke, where Bell had been housed on death row.
As is protocol, the warden asked Bell if he had any final words before the lethal injection began.
Bell’s chilling final statement: “Thank you for not letting me spend the rest of my life in prison.”
He was administered the lethal drugs and pronounced dead approximately ten minutes later.
Bell’s final words left many stunned, prompting fierce online debate over the ethics and impact of the death penalty.
His “thank you” to the state unsettled users on social media, with some calling it “psychotic,” others calling it “satisfyingly cold.”
Jimmy West and Tamecka Smith’s names continue to be honored by loved ones, who say they were “caught in a tragedy that never should have happened.”
Bell’s execution closes one chapter—but opens debate.
The state is not slowing down—Florida already has its ninth execution lined up before the end of July.
Critics say the speed of executions leaves little time to process new evidence or properly review cases.
As Florida pushes forward with more lethal injections, the nation is once again reckoning with how—and why—we carry out the death penalty.