Edward Harold Bell, a Texas serial killer died Saturday April 20, 2019. With his death, he leaves many unanswered questions about the unsolved murders that took place in the 1970’s. He called his victims “THE ELEVEN THAT WENT TO HEAVEN”

Confessions of a cold-blooded killer

Edward Harold Bell says he has killed as many as 11 girls. And he claims he was brainwashed to do it. Mr. Bell an admitted sex offender, convicted murderer and self-described serial killer, has given multiple chilling confessions from his locked prison cell of abducting and slaying teenage and adolescent girls in the 1970s, describing crimes even now unsolved.

In disturbing letters sent to Harris and Galveston county prosecutors in 1998 – but kept secret for 13 years – Bell claimed to have killed seven girls, including two Galveston 15-year-olds shot as they stood tied up and half naked in the chilly waters of Turner Bayou, according to excerpts and descriptions of Bell’s letters obtained by the Houston Chronicle.

In exclusive interviews, Bell, was a gaunt and pasty-faced at 72, told a reporter the tally of lives was not just seven, but 11, the “Eleven that went to Heaven.”

Bell claims a brainwashing “program” forced him to “be a flasher,” to “rape girls” and ultimately to kill.

Bell was already a Texas inmate serving a 70-year sentence for the murder of Larry Dickens, an ex-Marine from Pasadena, when in 2011 he told the Houston Chronicle that he had committed a string of other homicides. Bell described abducting and murdering girls as young as 12 who had disappeared from Galveston, Dickinson, Houston, Clear Lake and Alvin between 1971 and 1977.

As a result of discoveries in that investigation, featured in a 2017 documentary on A&E called “The Eleven,” Galveston prosecutors reopened the murder cases of Debbie Ackerman and Maria Johnson, two island girls whose abduction and deaths Bell described in detail in both letters and interviews. Bell admitted in a recorded interview that he had picked up the two girls on the day they disappeared at a Baskin Robbins on the island. In a letter, he described how he’d shot and killed them. And their bodies were found dumped as Bell described in an isolated bayou very near a pasture where Bell kept a trailer, public records and interviews show.

Bell was never charged with those two homicides, but he remained the prime suspect at the time of his death Saturday. He was also the suspect in several other unsolved murders, but no DNA evidence or weapons were located by the departments in charge of the 11 cold cases Bell described.

Many of the girls’ relatives joined Dickens’ family in opposing Bell’s efforts to win parole.

Galveston Police Officer Michelle Sollenberger, who reinvestigated the murders in recent years, posted on Facebook Saturday that she believed Bell’s death would bring some comfort. “Today these girls may finally rest in peace because their killer has gone to hell.”

Rita Brestrup, who lost her sister Maria Johnson in 1971, said she had no words for Bell but was glad that he “no longer walks this earth and will never be paroled.

Upon hearing of Bell’s death, Southern said: “I had hoped to one day to question him myself, but now God’s judgment is upon him!! I just wanted him to know that he will Never take anything else from me! My little Sister was my everything and he took her in the most vile and horrible way he could!!”

As a result of discoveries in that investigation, featured in a 2017 documentary on A&E called “The Eleven,” Galveston prosecutors reopened the murder cases of Debbie Ackerman and Maria Johnson, two island girls whose abduction and deaths Bell described in detail in both letters and interviews. Bell admitted in a recorded interview that he had picked up the two girls on the day they disappeared at a Baskin Robbins on the island. In a letter, he described how he’d shot and killed them. And their bodies were found dumped as Bell described in an isolated bayou very near a pasture where Bell kept a trailer, public records and interviews show.

Bell was never charged with those two homicides, but he remained the prime suspect at the time of his death Saturday. He was also the suspect in several other unsolved murders, but no DNA evidence or weapons were located by the departments in charge of the 11 cold cases Bell described.

Many of the girls’ relatives joined Dickens’ family in opposing Bell’s efforts to win parole.

Galveston Police Officer Michelle Sollenberger, who reinvestigated the murders in recent years, posted on Facebook Saturday that she believed Bell’s death would bring some comfort. “Today these girls may finally rest in peace because their killer has gone to hell.”

Rita Brestrup, who lost her sister Maria Johnson in 1971, said she had no words for Bell but was glad that he “no longer walks this earth and will never be paroled.

“I believe he took a life precious to me and my life has never been the same since. Maria’s death impacted my life more than any other single event. Nothing can take her memory away. A long-time Galveston resident, was one of the family members of the 11 girls. Southern became convinced through discoveries recently made that Bell was also responsible for the murder of her sister, Brenda Jones.

Upon hearing of Bell’s death, Southern said: “I had hoped to one day to question him myself, but now God’s judgment is upon him!! I just wanted him to know that he will Never take anything else from me! My little Sister was my everything and he took her in the most vile and horrible way he could!!”

Eleven girls died.

Some alone, others in pairs.

Decades have passed without answers – their murders are in cold case files in police departments in Galveston, Brazoria and Harris counties in Texas.

Enter Edward Harold Bell, a convicted killer serving a 70-year prison term for a murder of a Marine who tried to stop him when he exposed himself to a group of young girls. Bell, who is up for parole this fall, claims to have killed the girls – who were killed in the 1970’s in different areas of Texas.

Now, an A&E series will re-examine the case. The series will include interviews with Chronicle reporter Lisa Olsen, who broke the story, as well as the police detective, Fred Paige, now retired, who worked on the case.

In a description of the series, A&E says: “Olsen and Paige must try to piece together evidence that demonstrates a definitive link between the convicted killer and girls…before he has the possibility to walk free.”

Bell has been inconsistent over the years, denying the written confession when interviewed by law enforcement officials and then saying that he would provide details if he were to get immunity from prosecution, according to the Chronicle.

“The bottom line is Ed Bell has said these things (before). Is it fodder? I don’t know. I’ve never been able to prove anything he has said,” said then-Capt. Chris Kincheloe of the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office to the Chronicle.

Bell eluded police for about 20 years after he was released on bail following the murder of the marine, Larry Dickens. He was arrested at a yacht club in Panama in 1992.

Bell reportedly said in his confession that he killed several of the victims in pairs. His letter were not shared with a grand jury.

Former prosecutor Kurt Sistrunk, told the Chronicle, “I didn’t believe we had sufficient evidence that we could proceed to grand jury with, and without getting into specifics, that’s the decision that had to be made, no matter the temptations to proceed otherwise … It wasn’t for a lack of effort.”

Thanks for joining me!

Good company along our journey makes the way seem easier to find .

Always end your day with “I love you”….You never know if you will wake up!

04/19/2019 – I open this story saying that my heart is so sad that I even have this content to write about.  The subject today is “We Fall, We Break, We Fail…….But….then ….. WE RISE, WE HEAL, WE OVERCOME.

As we all go thru life, we never expect to lose a child or grandchild.  I am hoping that as you read this, you will find that you are not alone with your loss.  We do not expect to bury a child, but in this instance, in two separate families lost children to murder.

The story begins in 2007….Joseph Viramontes was a 9 year boy who lived with his grandparents.   He was getting to an age old enough to play youth football and his grandpa signed him up to play for the San Jose 49ers Youth Football.  Grandpa made the call and set up the meeting and Joseph was on his way to being a part of the team.

Joseph was a quiet boy.  Very shy.  He was happy to interact with the kids and make new friends and for many years he was a faithful part of the team.  Season after season, Joseph continued to play on the SJ 49ers and became a well known part of the sideline.

There came the day when Joseph got to old to continue to play youth football….and the pain began.

By this time, Joseph was 16 and now had turned to doing what most teenagers do at this age….running the streets and hanging out with friends.

As Joseph matures, he weaves a web of many different types of friends.  Typical life of a tween in San Jose, CA.  He tested the waters and began to dabble in smoking and alcohol.  He still lives with his grandfather and is leading a good life.  Staying out of trouble, but right on the cusp of going over the edge into Gang Banging, but he swore to stay out for the love of Grandpa Carlos.

Joseph was loved by many along the way and he gained many friends, but that one day…..it all went bad.  On March 25, 2017, Grandpa Carlos lost his world.  Joseph was all he had left to live for.

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — A man who was fatally shot at Saturday morning near a San Jose elementary school has been identified as 19-year-old Joseph Viramontes, according to police.

At 10:07 a.m. on March 25, officers were dispatched to the 900 block of Bard Street after someone called to say a person was on the ground with injuries and was not breathing, police said.

The location is on the same street as Toyon Elementary School.

Viramontes, a San Jose resident, was found suffering from at least one gunshot wound. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene, according to police.

Police are investigating the death as a homicide, although a motive or suspect has not been identified.

Viramontes’ death marks the city’s seventh homicide this year.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Sgt. Bert Milliken or Detective Raul Corral at (408) 277-5283. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (408) 947-7867.

By Bay City News/Image via Getty Images

****************************************************************************

NEVER GIVE UP – 2 YEARS LATER

It has been 2 years now.  Grandpa Carlos has not given up.  He still finds a way to get the word out there.  We are still looking for who did this.  See the links below for more information.

This Blog is for the sole purpose of keeping this story alive in Joes honor as he cannot speak out for himself.  If you have any information about who is involved with this senseless execution of a kid, please reach out to San Jose Police, San Jose, CA.

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Grandfather-Seeks-Answers-2-Years-After-San-Jose-Teen-Killed-507612761.html

Joseph Viramontes, 19, was found shot to death in March 2017 along the 900 block of Bard Street near Toyon Elementary School. San Jose police said they have not been able to identify any suspects or make any arrests in Viramontes’ murder. The last two years have been agonizing for Viramontes’ 74-year-old grandfather Carlos Partida, who raised him.

Two years after his grandson was shot and killed in San Jose, a distraught grandfather continues to search for answers in the case.

The last two years have been agonizing for Viramontes’ 74-year-old grandfather Carlos Partida, who raised him. Partida said he can’t eat and can’t sleep without hearing his grandson asking him to do something to find his killer.

A desperate Partida wants whoever killed his grandson to come forward so he can feel some sort of relief from the crushing pain.

“I can’t replace him,” an emotional Partida said. “I can’t bring him back. The only thing I can do is find this jerk that did this. It’s two years now and he’s running the streets free. Somebody knows something.”

Viramontes, who was nicknamed “Smiley,” was a beloved teammate in the San Jose 49ers youth football league for years.

He was shot sometime between Friday, March 24, 2017 and Saturday, March 25, 2017. Partida and Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers put out a reward in the case.

A grieving grandfather on Tuesday announced a monetary reward in the hopes of unearthing any information about the unsolved shooting death of his 19-year-old grandson.

Joseph Viramontes was found dead near Toyon Elementary School in East San Jose back in late March, but police have yet to identify a suspect or determine a motive.

Carlos Partida has offered $5,000 of his own money for any information regarding his grandson’s death, which still pains him to this day.

“If you got any kids, you don’t want to hear this from a detective or the police,” Partida said Tuesday, choking back tears. “You don’t want to hear this. It will tear you inside out. I got on my knees. I wanted my grandson back, but I couldn’t bring him back. It still hurts.”

Partida does not believe that the fatal shooting was a random crime. Rather, he thinks that whoever killed his grandson knew the teenager.

Partida and his daughter, Sara Partida, remained committed to finding closure.

“All I want is just justice to be done,” Sara Partida said Tuesday. “Whoever did this to my son please come forward. That’s all I ask.”

Viramontes played for the San Jose 49ers football team and was known simply as “Smiley,” according to his former coach Scott Silver.

“He was a great kid,” Silver said following Viramontes’ death. “The reason I called him that was because he was smiling all the time. He was very respectful and very pleasant to be around.”

The teenager was raised by his grandfather since he was an infant. About a year before Viramontes’ death, Silver received a call from the grandfather, who was worried about Viramontes.

“He just didn’t want him to get involved with the people drinking and what young kids do and are not supposed to be doing,” Silver said after Viramontes’ death.

Silver added that “no matter what trouble [Viramontes has] ever been in, what he was doing, he was a good kid.”

Anyone with information regarding Viramontes’ death is encouraged to call the San Jose Police Department or contact the Partida family or People can report information anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 408-947-7867. 

Carlos Partida pays respect to his grandson Joseph Viramontes on the 2nd anniversary of his death.

Monkey Mom

If this is your first time here, Welcome!! I love new readers and fans. If you have been here before…..glad to see you back!

Lorenzo Nava, born in 1998 to Julia Ramirez. He was her 1st born and she was so proud. Julia was a young mom, which meant that she was younger than most moms with kids Renzo’s age, but she kept up with them all providing a home for her boy.

Struggles were no stranger to this family. Julia being a single mom, worked hard to provide a stable environment for her family, but had some demons she was dealing with herself. At a young age, Julia dealt with addiction. She knew that this was not the way she wanted her life to go, but had a hard time leaving this alone so she checked herself into a program called “House on the Hill”. There she learned to be a mom without being dependent on drugs and alcohol.

Julia had great success at being a mother. Lorenzo made this easy. He was a good child. Around 10 years old, Lorenzo wanted to play football and they signed up for the San Jose 49ers Youth Football Team. A beloved team member he became. Lorenzo grew up in a modest apartment on the South side of San Jose. His mother worked nights so she could give 100% of her attention to her boy.

It’s hard for a single mother to make it work. As Renzo got older, he became a latch key kid. He could be trusted to do what he was told. But….this was not forever. As he hit his teens, he swayed away from what he knew was what his mother would like him to do. Being the stubborn kid he was, he backslid into the pool of wrong crowd from school and his downfall was trouble on the streets.

Julia begged and pleaded with him to change his ways. Lorenzo stayed true to loving his momma, but found himself on the wrong side of the law and got into trouble. Over the next few years, he spent his days in nd out of juvenile hall. He had a huge support system, but for the time being he found family in the streets of San Jose. His family had not failed….they tried to steer him to the right place.

In March 2017, Lorenzo said goodbye to his friend Joseph Viramontes. A victim of a senseless shooting. As the San Jose 49er Alumni gathered around Joes casket, they vowed to get right. Lorenzo graduated Highschool, worked at Starbucks and had a wonderful girlfriend. He was just getting off to a great start and just a few short months later in October 2017, Lorenzo Nava became another victim to gun violence.

South San Jose homicide victim identified

Fatal shooting occurred Sunday night west of Oak Grove High School

SAN JOSE — A man was shot to death in a South San Jose neighborhood Sunday evening, marking the city’s second homicide in a three-day span, according to police.

Officers were called at 6:57 p.m. to the 200 block of Tradewinds Drive, west of Oak Grove High School, for reports of a shooting. They arrived and found a man suffering from at least one gunshot wound.

The victim was rushed to the hospital, where he died from his injuries. His identity was not immediately released pending notification of his next of kin.

Rest in Peace Lorenzo Nava – On Sunday October 8th 2017 our life was drastically changed forever I got the call for my best friend Julia Ramierez mother of Lorenzo Nava that the unthinkable had happened a short time later I received the a second call from Yoli his girlfriend saying he had passed away.

Two arrested in 2017 San Jose killing

The deadly shooting occurs just days after a man was arrested on suspicion of killing his ex-girlfriend in East San Jose on Friday. There have been 27 homicides recorded in San Jose this year, compared to 37 at the same point in 2016.