They argued about a water bill. Now, Milwaukee man will spend next 9 years in prison after killing sister, her girlfriend
It started with an argument over a water bill four years ago.
Things escalated quickly and ended with two women lying dead at Deandre Bell's feet. One of them was his sister.
Now, Bell will spend nine more years behind bars.
Bell took responsibility for the deaths of his sister, Meshala Pabai, 31, and Aubrianna Lancaster, 30, during his sentencing Thursday in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.
He also apologized to his family and Lancaster's, saying what happened that night "hurts me more than you know."
Melanie Bell wasn't sympathetic. She still harbors hard feelings toward her brother and expressed the fear that she also could have been a victim had she been there that night.
"It shouldn't have happened," Melanie Bell said. "I can't forgive you for that. These were innocent women ... with no weapons."
Why wasn't Deandre Bell given a longer prison sentence?
Bell, 36, initially was charged with two counts of first-degree reckless homicide and faced up to 120 years in prison, if convicted by a jury. He pleaded guilty in December to amended charges of homicide by negligent handling of a dangerous weapon and second-degree reckless homicide.
Circuit Judge Jeffrey Wagner sentenced Bell to nine years in prison on the homicide charge, along with six years of extended supervision. Bell also must serve four years in prison on the weapons charge, and five years of extended supervision.
The prison sentences will run consecutively, a total of 14 years. Bell was given credit for the 1,439 days he has spent in jail awaiting trial, so he'll have about nine years remaining.
A brother and sister lived together, supported one another
Pabai and Lancaster had been living together in North St. Petersburg, Florida, but decided to move to Milwaukee, where Pabai was raised and still had family.
Her return would prove potentially support-building for Bell, who had only recently had come out as gay. That was particularly helpful for Bell as he and Pabai had grown up in a Jehovah's Witness family.
Pabai and Lancaster moved in with Bell, who shared an apartment with his partner on the 3200 block of North 24th Place, in the Franklin Heights neighborhood.
Money was sometimes tight and was an ongoing source of friction, mainly from Bell, who was holding down a job as a manager at FedEx to cover expenses.
'My brother shot me and my girl'
Things came to a fever pitch on the night of Feb. 22, 2020.
The water bill was higher the usual. Bell confronted Pabai about it. He also told her she had to move out. Voices grew louder and more aggressive. Things then turned physical; shoves turned into slaps. Slaps became punches.
At some point, Bell grabbed a handgun and fired, according to a criminal complaint.
"This was by no means an intentional act," defense attorney Jeffrey Schwarz said.
Pabai was shot four times in the upper body. Lancaster, who was standing behind Pabai, was hit three times. Bleeding and dying from her injuries, Pabai somehow mustered the strength to call 911.
"My brother shot me and my girl," a labored Pabai is heard saying on the tape, according to the complaint.
Bell surrendered when police arrived.
Aubrianna Lancaster's family wanted her to come home, bypass Milwaukee
Andrea Lancaster described her granddaughter as an "intelligent and humorous girl" growing up. She never conceived of Aubrianna falling victim to such violence, and recalled wanting her not to move to Milwaukee.
She instead had hoped Aubrianna would make her way back to California, where the rest of her family lives.
Aubrianna Lancaster lived with Andrea Lancaster and her husband when the couple was awarded guardianship when Aubrianna was a child. Family called her "Banana," after a blow-up banana tree she had gotten on her first Christmas.
Aubrianna Lancaster ran away from home when she was 15 and didn't resurface until she was 18. Even then, the reunion was sweet.
"She apologized for being a brat," Andrea Lancaster said.
Aubrianna Lancaster's teenage daughter was developing into a woman and track athlete with a future. She felt her granddaughter needed to be there, in California, to witness it for herself.
But Aubrianna Lancaster wouldn't hear of it.
"We're devastated," Andrea Lancaster said. "Her family loved her so much, and now we no longer have her in our life."
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee man gets 9 years in prison for killing sister, her girlfriend
