A Holly Hill man on trial for the 2006 death of his grandmother displayed a variety of emotions during a full day of testimony Tuesday.

Willie Bell Jr., 37, has been charged with murder in the death of 78-year-old Anna W. Bell, known to family and members of the community as "Miss Amy."

"He's accused of a crime he did not commit," said Bell's attorney, Peggy Hines, during her opening statements. "What I can tell you is that what they are accusing Mr. Bell of is horrible."

As Hines spoke, the 37-year-old Bell held his head in his hands, wiping his eyes with a tissue.

On March 9, 2006, Anna Bell's charred body was discovered by firefighters among the ruins of her single-story Dolomite Road home near Holly Hill.

Anna Bell's car, a 1998 burgundy Ford Contour, was missing after the fire. It was recovered in Augusta, Ga., where an individual said Willie Bell sold him the car.

First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe told jurors that prosecutors believe Willie Bell is responsible for the fire and Bell's death, describing the Holly Hill man as having a "cold, evil, malignant heart, the heart of a man who would kill his grandmother."

"That is the definition of that man," Pascoe said, pointing at Willie Bell. "It's the defendant's day in court. But it's not just the defendant's day in court, it's Anna Bell's day in court."

For most of the day, Bell sat passively while testimony continued, although he did occasionally respond.

"Do you see the man who you said would get angry when he was on crack?" Pascoe asked Bell's high school buddy, James Gilmore, who then pointed at Bell.

"That man right there, the one smirking and smiling, the one having a good time? That man right there?"

Gilmore testified that he and Bell were working on a construction job the day before Anna Bell's body was discovered in the burned home.

"You were with Willie Bell the night before, you saw Miss Bell that afternoon. How was she?" Pascoe asked.

"Fine," Gilmore said.

"Did he ever ask you to ask Miss Bell for money?"

"Yeah, he wanted me to ask her for $5 for gas, but I didn't need gas."

At this, Bell shook his head, staring at Gilmore.

Perhaps the most graphic and contested testimony of the day came during the questioning of Orangeburg County Deputy Coroner George Bonnette.

The former EMT and 11-year-veteran of the coroner's office came under fire from defense attorney Doug Mellard concerning his opinion that Anna Bell suffered severe head injuries at some point on March 9.

"Do you know what caused that trauma?" Mellard asked.

"No, I don't," Bonnette said.

"Did the fire burn any of the back of the head?"

"To me, it looked like blunt-force trauma."

Out of the jury's presence, the defense team contested the entry into evidence of State's Exhibit 10, which is a close-up photograph of Bell's upper body after firefighters found her that morning.

Circuit Court Judge James Williams admitted the photograph over objections by Mellard, who argued the graphic image was "highly prejudicial."

With jurors outside of the courtroom, Bonnette testified the photograph showed possible injuries suffered by the victim.

"You can see the nose, the skull where part of it is missing," Bonnette said. "You can't see it in the photograph but the back of the skull is missing."

Williams allowed the photo into evidence, saying it had "evidentiary value." When the image was presented to the jury, several members shook their heads at the raw nature of the image.

The trial is scheduled to resume today. Bell could be facing life in prison if convicted.

T&D Staff Writer Richard Walker can be reached by e-mail at rwalker@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5516. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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