Olivia Burke
A killer who spent 30 years on death row chillingly thanked the people orchestrating his execution before taking his last breaths.
Michael Bernard Bell, 54, was given the lethal injection on Tuesday (15 July) at Florida State Prison, making him the 26th person in the US to face the ultimate punishment this year.
He was convicted of the first-degree murder of both Jimmy West, 22, and Tamecka Smith, 18, in 1995, two years after he fatally shot the pair during a botched revenge plot.
After his brother was gunned down, Bell had vowed to seek vengeance on the alleged assailant and he plotted the murder for months, purchasing an AK-47 rifle and a 30-round magazine, according to court documents.
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He later spotted what he thought was the killer's car outside of a liquor store in Jacksonville and lay in wait until he emerged, although it was a case of mistaken identity.
West, Smith and another women were actually the ones in the vehicle and when they emerged, Bell fired a total of 16 shots, with authorities saying he 'sprayed bullets' towards the shop without care for the dozens of bystanders.
West and Smith suffered fatal injuries, but the other woman managed to survive after dodging the gunfire by ducking down.
Bell was sentenced to death for the double murder, while he was then also charged with another count of first-degree murder for killing his mother's boyfriend in 1993.
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He was also hit with two other counts of second-degree murder for killing a woman and her two-year-old son in September 1989, according to People, all of which earned him a 25-year prison sentence.
Yesterday, after spending three decades on death row, Bell finally faced the weighty consequences for his crimes.
He was pronounced dead at 6.25pm after a lethal injection was administered by officials at Florida State Prison.
When asked whether he had any final words to share before taking his final breaths, Bell replied: "Thank you for not letting me spend the rest of my life in prison."
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A last minute appeal lodged last week by Bell's legal team was rejected by state judges, the Florida-Times Union reports, due to the 'overwhelming evidence' of the 54-year-old's guilt.
On the day of his execution, prison officials said he woke up at 6.30am before consuming his last meal: an omelet, bacon, home fries and orange juice.
Bell then met with a spiritual advisor, but did not have any other visitors, according to reports.
His death marks the eighth execution to take place in Florida this year. The ninth is scheduled to take place later this month.