FORT WORTH, Texas - The Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office announced on January 20th that 20-year-old Labertrand Bell has pleaded guilty to two counts of capital murder and was sentenced to two life terms, one without the possibility of parole.
The charges stem from a series of fatal shootings in Fort Worth and Forest Hill in 2023. According to prosecutors, Bell went to a residence in Fort Worth on July 18, 2023, to purchase drugs. While inside the home, Bell shot and killed two men identified as 19-year-old Jesus Rodriguez and 19-year-old Manuel Alejandro Guzman Jr.
Before Bell was identified and arrested in that case, authorities say he committed a second capital murder weeks later. On Aug. 7, 2023, Bell went to a house in Forest Hill with two co-defendants to gamble. During the gathering, Bell and the co-defendants allegedly robbed those present. Prosecutors said Bell then shot and killed 45-year-old Corey Wallace before fleeing the scene.
The co-defendants were identified as Artis Raymon Womack, whose trial is scheduled for April 2026, and Darieon Dewayne Williams, whose trial is scheduled for June 2026. All three defendants were teenagers at the time of the offenses.
The investigation involved both the Forest Hill Police Department and the Fort Worth Police Department. Prosecutors credited the agencies for their work in solving the cases.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Lloyd Whelchel and Madeline Jones. Caleb Blank served as the district attorney’s investigator.
