Chicago man accused of posing as meter reader to kill

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Willie’s Bell – Photo courtesy of Chicago Police Department

Chicago resident Willie Bell, 44, allegedly disguised himself as a meter reader in order to kill a man who was dating the same woman as him, before blowing up the victim’s home, last year. Bell was recently denied bail this week at Cook County court in Illinois.

“The acts of this defendant were cold, calculated and preplanned,” said Judge James Brown during the bond hearing on Tuesday, according to the Chicago Tribune. ”The only reasonable order would be an order of no bail.”


Bell has been charged with first-degree murder and concealment of a homicide in the death of 48-year-old Timothy Lawrence. According to prosecutors, Bell and Lawrence were dating the same woman. Facebook postings by Bell leading up to the day of the killing show him becoming more jealous about the situation.

A surveillance video was released last year of Bell purchasing a reflective vest and safety helmet at a local Home Depot. A security camera from Lawrence’s home shows Bell arriving at his home wearing the work gear a week later. An hour later, he is seen leaving the house with a bandaged hand wearing a shirt that says ‘I’m that dude,” as reported by DNAinfo Chicago.


According to the Chicago Tribune, prosecutors say he then got into Lawrence’s 2004 Buick LeSabre and used the dead man’s credit card to buy gas at a nearby station.

Bell returned to Lawrence’s home on Sept. 14, 2015, carrying several cans of gas at about 12:30 a.m. About 15 minutes later, police received a 911 call saying that Lawrence’s home was on fire. The home exploded as a result of the fire while the fire department was on their way to extinguish the blaze. Authorities found Lawrence’s charred remains with a gunshot wound to his head, prosecutors said.

According to DNAinfo, police eventually arrested Bell when they linked cellphone records to Lawrence’s house and his DNA to Lawrence’s car.

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