Jury begins deliberating in case of 'most wanted' man accused of killing Weymouth mom
DEDHAM – Defense lawyer Neil Madden called Cornel Bell's killing of his ex-girlfriend Michelle Clarke a "momentary, impulsive act." Prosecutor Carolyn Healy said he was driven by jealousy when he stabbed Clarke 15 times in a premeditated attack.
Madden and Healy, a Norfolk County assistant district attorney, delivered their closing arguments Wednesday in the murder trial of Bell, 50, who is charged in the August 2017 killing of Clarke at her Lake Street apartment in Weymouth. He has been held without bail since his arrest in late 2019.
Bell testified in his own defense Wednesday, wrapping up several days of testimony. He admitted on the witness stand to stabbing Clarke. He said he "lost it" and can't remember much of attack.
In her closing arguments, Healy laid out a detailed timeline of the early morning of Aug. 19, when she said Clarke, 33, left her job as a bartender in Dorchester. Bell, her ex-boyfriend and a patron of the bar, then showed up at her apartment, Healy said.
Healy said Bell was "stewing" for several hours over being told he wasn't welcome at the bar because he had previously sprayed a beer in Clarke's face.
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She said Bell went into Clarke's apartment and into her bedroom, surprising her. She was on the phone with her mother at the time. Healy said Bell stabbed her 15 times in the chest before fleeing to his apartment in Dorchester to pack, then went to Cape Cod and took a bus to Florida, where he has family.
Hearing the commotion, Clarke's mother called police and asked them to do a well-being check, and they found her dead, Healy said.
"This isn't an act of love or trying to get back together," Healy said. "He stabbed her over and over again. That's something that he meant."
Bell was added to the State Police's most-wanted list in September 2017, followed by his indictment in October 2017. Police arrested him at a Florida construction site in September 2019.
State Police later said Bell has a “long history of violent crime” and was wanted on two warrants under different aliases – one for assault with intent to murder in 1997 and the other for armed robbery in 2002.
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Madden, Bell's attorney, said his client did kill Clarke, but that there is no evidence of premeditation or extreme cruelty, as required for first-degree murder.
"What was premeditated about this? Nothing," Madden said. "This was an instantaneous thing. This came about so fast."
Madden said Bell was in crisis following the death of his father, and was "desperate" for support from Clarke.
"This was a situation that became overwhelming to him," he said.
Bell said Clarke knew he was at her home, and that she was holding the knife when he went inside and heard her talking on the phone.
Clarke left behind a son, who was 6 years old at the time of her death. She worked as a medical assistant at the employee health and wellness center at Linden Ponds, a Hingham retirement community.
Read our earlier coverage of the Cornel Bell case
Aug. 2017: 33-year-old Weymouth woman dead in apparent homicide
Aug. 2017: Slain Weymouth mom was 'fiery,' 'resilient,' ex-boyfriend says
Aug. 2019: Family still in fear 2 years after Weymouth mother's death
Sept. 2017: Weymouth murder suspect makes State Police most wanted list
June 2022: Former 'Most Wanted' man in court for alleged killing of Weymouth woman
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Reach Jessica Trufant at jtrufant@patriotledger.com.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Jury begins deliberations in case of Weymouth mother stabbed 15 times
