James Bell, a 76-year-old lawyer in Saint George, South Carolina, was found unresponsive in his recliner at his home on New Year’s Day 2021. His wife of fifty years discovered him, and investigators determined he had been shot in the head rather than dying of natural causes.The revolver under Bell’s body had been fired twice, a detail that conflicted with an initial suggestion by his son, 51-year-old Jason Bell, that the death was a suicide.

Police say Jason tried to mislead investigators early in the inquiry and later admitted to taking his father’s gun from a drawer on December 31, 2020, after drinking heavily; prosecutors say he waited for New Year’s Eve fireworks to mask the shots and then shot his sleeping father.Defense statements later described the killing as a mercy killing, with claims James Bell suffered from a respiratory illness; prosecutors disputed that account.

Does anyone in Saint George have information about the Bells or the events on the night of December 31, 2020?