Murder in the Midlands: Larry Gene Bell and the 28 Days of Terror that Shook South Carolina

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History Press, 2007 - Biography & Autobiography - 153 pages
In the summer of 1985, Shari Faye Smith and Debra May Helmick were kidnapped and murdered by Larry Gene Bell. A cloud of fear hung over the entire state of South Carolina for twenty-eight days. Former South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) forensic photographer Lieutenant Rita Y. Shuler leads us through the twenty-eight days of terror and shocking events of one of the most notorious double murders and manhunts in South Carolina history. Shuler shares her own personal interactions with some of the key players in this famous manhunt and investigation. Also included are Bell's chilling calls from area phone booths to the Smith family, along with his disconcerting interviews and bizarre actions in the courtroom, which show the dark, evil and criminal mind of this horrifi c killer. This case has been featured on the Discovery Channel's FBI Files, episode ?Cat and Mouse, ? and in the CBS movie Nightmare in Columbia County, which can still be seen on Lifetime TV. It currently runs as the episode ?Last Will? on Court TV's Forensic Files.

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About the author (2007)

Lieutenant Rita Y. Shuler was supervisory special agent of the Forensic Photography Department with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) for twenty-four years. She interfaced with the attorney general's office, solicitors and investigators, providing photographic evidence assistance in the prosecution of thousands of criminal cases. Her interest in photography started as a hobby at the age of nine with a Kodak brownie camera. Before her career as forensic photographer, she worked in the medical field as a radiologic technologist for twelve years. Her interest in forensic science evolved when she X-rayed homicide victims to assist with criminal investigations. Shuler received her specialized law enforcement photography training at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy in Columbia, South Carolina, and the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Shuler holds a special love for South Carolina's coast and is a devoted crabber and runner. She resides in Irmo, South Carolina.