Awanda Thomas, 58, was found dead in her Augusta, Georgia home on November 2, 2021, the victim of a violent attack that included severe blunt force trauma and a gunshot wound to the head. The body was discovered at her Martin Road residence after what investigators described as a brutal assault.

Police investigators quickly focused on Thomas’s son, 40-year-old Donte L. Bell Sr., after learning the confrontation followed a family dispute. Thomas had reportedly begun eviction proceedings against Bell and his family, who had been living with her. According to court filings, Bell attacked his mother with a rusty metal pipe in front of other family members, then locked her in a bathroom and shot her.

Bell was arrested and charged with murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and possession of cocaine. At a bond hearing prosecutors described prior family violence charges against Bell. The judge denied bond, calling him a danger to the community and a flight risk.

Did anyone in Augusta know Thomas or her family and have information that could shed more light on what led to this deadly confrontation?