Documented in film, crime T.V. shows and now captured in this book; read about Larry Gene Bell and his reign of terror in South Carolina. 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 horrific 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. 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. Murder In The Midlands Larry Gene Bell and the 28 Days of Terror that Shook South Carolina By Rita Y. Shuler The History Press Copyright © 2007 Rita Y. Shuler All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-59629-250-5 Contents Acknowledgements, Author's Note, 28 Days of Terror, The Smith Trial, The Helmick Trial, September 1996, Execution, June 2002, Bibliography, About the Author, CHAPTER 1 28 days of terror My early morning four-mile run felt good. I've always loved mornings, the start of another day to love life. It was already seventy-five degrees and another picture-perfect day at Edisto Beach, South Carolina. Edisto Beach is one of the last unspoiled beaches on South Carolina's coast with a laid-back atmosphere and Southern charm. There was an extreme heat wave going through South Carolina, with temperatures hitting one hundred degrees for the last several days. This was one of my getaway R&R weekends away from work. I was 160 miles from SLED headquarters in Columbia, and everything was right with my world. Just the day before, Friday, May 31, 1985, even though the temperature was one hundred degrees, the sky had been a beautiful vivid blue, not a cloud anywhere. The conditions for crabbing were perfect. I had spent most of the day on Bay Creek Inlet holding onto a line with a chicken back hooked on the end with a metal shower curtain hook, pulling in blue crabs. I caught about four dozen of those big boys. It was a good day's catch. Today would be another good day for crabbing, but first I had to make a supply run to the corner IGA grocery store. I needed to get more chicken backs for bait and, of course, beer and ice. Crabs always seem to bite better when there's beer around. My only thought right then was to get back to the crabs, so I rushed to the IGA, jumped out of my Jeep and hurried to the door. I did a quick glance at the newspaper rack right outside the door and stopped dead in my tracks. The bold headlines of the State newspaper read, "Missing Teenager Feared Abducted," and accompanying the headline was a photo of Sharon "Shari" Faye Smith. I leaned down, grabbed it out of the rack and started reading: Car found in driveway, door open, and engine running. Sheriff Deputies and volunteers conducted an air and ground search of a wooded area of rural Lexington County Friday for a 17-year-old high school senior feared abducted after her car was found abandoned in the driveway of her family's home in the rural community of Red Bank on Platt Springs Road, ten miles from Lexington, South Carolina. Shari's parents found Shari's blue Chevette at the end of their driveway around 3 p.m. Friday. The door was open and the engine was running. Bare footprints were found leading from the car to the mailbox, but no return tracks to the car were found. Lexington County Sheriff James Metts stated, "Nobody saw anything. We have no clues. She vanished." Sheriff Metts requested the assistance of the South Carolina Law Enf