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William Dwane BELL
Classification: Murderer
Characteristics:
Robbery
Number of victims: 3
Date of murders: December 8,
2001
Date of arrest: 7 days after
Date of birth: 1978
Victims profile: William
Absolum, 63, Mary Hobson, 44 and Wayne Johnson, 56
Method of murder:
Shooting
/ Beating
Location: Auckland,
North Island, New Zealand
Status: Sentenced to life in prison with a 30 year non-parole
period in
February 2003, the longest non-parole
sentence ever passed in New Zealand
In the early hours of December 8,
2001, Bell entered the Panmure RSA clubrooms, where he
had been fired from a job as a bartender three months
earlier. After entering the building he brutally killed
the club president, a club member and an employee. He
also seriously injured another club employee.
His co-offender was Darnell Tupe, who
had gone with him to the club but remained outside while
Bell went into the club and committed the murders.
For committing the killings Bell was
handed a 30 year non-parole prison sentence at
Paremoremo Prison - the longest non-parole sentence ever
passed in New Zealand. Bell was initially jailed for a
minimum non-parole period of 33 years, which was reduced
by three years on appeal.
On 10 December 2007 Bell was admitted
to Auckland Hospital for severe head injuries that were
initially described as life-threatening, but have since
been described as moderate to superficial. Dean Joseph
Shepherd has since been accused in court as being the
attacker.
William Dwane Bell
(born 1978) is a convicted New Zealand murderer who is serving a 30 year
non-parole prison sentence at Paremoremo Prison, the longest non-parole
sentence ever passed in New Zealand.
Criminal case
On Sunday morning, 8 December 2001, Bell entered the
Panmure RSA clubrooms, where he had been fired from a job as a bartender
three months earlier. He killed the club president, a club member and an
employee. He also seriously injured another club employee. His co-offender,
Darnell Tupe, had gone with him to the club but remained outside while
Bell committed the murders inside. Bell was initially jailed for a
minimum non-parole period of 33 years but that was reduced by three
years on appeal.
Injury
On 10 December 2007, Bell was admitted to Auckland
Hospital suffering severe head injuries initially described as life-threatening,
but subsequently described as moderate to superficial. Fellow murderer
Dean Joseph Shepherd has admitted assaulting Bell.
Wikipedia.org
Killer admits stabbing at
Paremoremo
By Andrew Koubaridis
July 14, 2009
Convicted murderer Dean Joseph Shepherd has pleaded
guilty to a frenzied attack on RSA triple-killer William Bell who was
stabbed through the left eye with a weapon made by sharpening the
workings of a lever arch folder.
The attack happened on December 10, 2007 at Auckland
Prison's maximum security Delta Block as Bell was when using a pay phone
in a telephone room.
Shepherd, 48, pleaded guilty yesterday at the
Auckland District Court to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily
harm.
He had been due to stand trial on the charge.
Shepherd, who is serving a life sentence for murder,
walked into the telephone room about 2.45pm carrying a red plastic
bucket. He put it on a table and started his cleaning duties around the
room.
According to court documents, he then began pacing
around in and out of the room as he "mentally prepared himself for the
attack".
When he returned to the room he reached into the
bucket and pulled out two sharp metal instruments that seemed to have
been made from the workings of a lever arch folder - they had been
sharpened at one end, with the other end wrapped in white bandages to
form a handle.
Shepherd walked up to Bell and, after pausing for a
moment, lunged at him, stabbing him in the left eye with one of the
implements.
The impact of the strike forced Bell off the chair
and down on to the floor.
The documents said Shepherd jumped on top of Bell "in
a frenzied rage" and hit him on the back of the head with the metal
instruments and his fists as he attempted to get to Bell's eyes.
Bell was screaming for help as he protected his face
from the attack. Prison guards had to forcefully pull Shepherd away to
stop the attack.
Bell was treated in Auckland Hospital for a puncture
wound penetrating through his left eyelid resulting in internal bleeding
on his head, a fractured eye socket and numerous contusions to his scalp
and face.
When police asked Shepherd for an explanation of why
he did it he declined to answer.
Prosecutors have indicated they will seek a sentence
of preventive detention for Shepherd.
However, his lawyer, Shane Cassidy, argued since
Shepherd was already serving a life sentence that would mean the
preventive detention option would be "relatively defunct".
Shepherd was remanded in custody until today when
there will be legal argument on whether preventive detention applied to
a life prisoner. He will be sentenced on September 11.
Bell killed William Absolum, 63, Mary Hobson, 44 and
Wayne Johnson, 56, during a robbery at the Mt Wellington-Panmure RSA.
He was sentenced to life in prison with a 30 year
non-parole period - New Zealand's longest sentence.
Shepherd was jailed in 2006 for the murder of Darunee
Aphiromlerk. After arguing with Ms Aphiromlerk about money he tied her
up in a duvet and threw her into the Waikato River.
Record sentence for RSA murders
Feb 13, 2003
The man convicted of
the RSA triple murders has been locked
away for at least 33 years, with no hope
of parole.
And prosecutors hope
William Dwane Bell will never get out
after murdering three people at an
Auckland RSA.
The 25-year-old was
convicted of the murder of Wayne Johnson,
Mary Hobson and Bill Absolum and the
attempted murder of Susan Couch at the
Mt Wellington-Panmure RSA after going on
an all-night drink and drugs spree.
Crown prosecutor
Simon Moore said Bell had indicated that
he has preferred P - pure
methamphetamine - and that he was
smoking very heavily in the weeks prior
to committing the offences.
"He told me he was
smoking several bongs of P every day,"
said Moore.
Bell was also jailed
for 25 years for the attempted murder
and robbery of Couch, who will suffer
from the bashing for the rest of her
life.
Couch issued a
statement saying she hopes the sentences
help deter others who might have evil
intentions but she says it is a "hollow
sort of victory" as the damage has been
done and can never be undone.
Dozens of RSA members
were at the High Court in Auckland to
see the man who killed their friends
receive a sentence that was five years
longer than any other non-parole period
handed down in a New Zealand court. He
will be at least 58 years old before he
will have the opportunity to be free
again.
Justice Judith Potter
told the High Court in Auckland that
Bell showed a callous indifference for
what he had done and absolutely no
remorse. Potter described Bell as a
cold-blooded and ruthless killer and
said the families of the victims will
never overcome the trauma of the
killings.
"His own explanation
in evidence was that it was only the
money that counted. It perhaps best
summarises his attitude to his victims,"
Potter said.
The murders occurred
on December 8, 2001, when Bell, wielding
a shotgun, and his accomplice Darnell
Tupe, 24, attempted to rob the clubrooms
of cash takings from the previous
evening.
Bell persuaded Couch,
37, to open the door before beating her
almost to death.
During the robbery,
Bell shot dead club member Wayne Johnson,
56, and beat to death club president
William Absolum, 63, and cleaner Mary
Hobson, 44.
Moore told the court
that Bell used particular cruelty in
committing systematic execution-style
killings. He said Bell used cold blooded
violence that was gratuitous and
unnecessary.
Moore said the
injuries were horrific and extreme and
Bell showed no remorse. He also told the
court Bell had a long criminal record
and was likely to offend again.
By the time he stood
trial for the multiple murders at the
age of 24, Bell had accumulated a record
of 102 offences - many of them very
serious. The list included aggravated
robbery, assault, firearms charges,
impersonating police, burglary and car
theft.
"There are no
mitigating features for Mr Bell," said
Moore.
Bell's accomplice
Darnell Tupe, 24, was found guilty of
three counts of manslaughter and one of
aggravated robbery but was found not
guilty of attempted murder. Tupe was
sentenced to 12 years with a minimum
non-parole period of seven years.
Justice Minister Phil
Goff welcomed Bell's 33 year sentence
and says it shows the courts are
carrying out the wishes of parliament,
which last year passed new sentencing
laws.
However, National's
justice spokesman Tony Ryall still wants
answers about the way probation officers
and the police dealt with Bell, who was
on parole before the killings.
And United Future
spokesman Marc Alexander says sentences
are starting to match up to the enormity
of the crime, but life should still mean
life and Bell should be left to die in
prison.
Outside the court,
Johnson's brother was advocating an
alternative sentence.
"He should be shot
and thrown on the tip," Earl Johnson
said.
