Larry Gene Bell was born on October 30, 1949, in Ralph, Alabama. He grew up in a family with three sisters and one brother. The Bell family moved frequently during his childhood, which made it challenging for him to settle in one place.

Larry attended Eau Claire High School in Columbia, South Carolina, from 1965 to 1967. After high school, the family moved to Mississippi, where he graduated. Larry then trained to be an electrician. He returned to Columbia, married, and had one son.

In 1970, Larry joined the United States Marine Corps. However, his time in the military was short. He was discharged the same year because of a knee injury that he suffered when he accidentally shot himself while cleaning a gun.

In the following year, 1971, he briefly worked as a correctional officer at the Department of Corrections in Columbia for only one month. In 1972, he and his family moved to Rock Hill, South Carolina. Unfortunately, the couple divorced in 1976.

On May 31, 1985, Larry Gene Bell kidnapped 17-year-old Sharon Faye Smith at gunpoint in Lexington County, South Carolina. Her car was later found abandoned. During the following days, Bell called the Smith family from a payphone, falsely claiming that Sharon was safe and taunting them. Despite these calls, she had likely been killed within 12 hours of her abduction. Her body was discovered in Saluda County after Bell directed the family to the location.

On June 14, 1985, Bell kidnapped 9-year-old Debra May Helmick near Old Percival Road in Richland County, South Carolina. He killed her as well and later contacted the Smith family again, providing details about where he left her body.

In addition to the confirmed murders, Bell was also a suspect in other missing persons cases. He was linked to the disappearance of Sandee Elaine Cornett in Charlotte, North Carolina, in November 1984. She was last seen arriving home one evening, and when she did not show for work the next day, her neighbor reported her missing. Bell had been a co-worker of her former boyfriend and had attended a party at her home.

Bell was also suspected in the disappearance of 21-year-old Denise Newsom Porch, who was last seen in Charlotte, North Carolina, in July 1975. Bell lived nearby at the time but was never charged in connection with her case.

During a massive manhunt for him, Bell made several calls to the Smith family, speaking often with Shari’s sister, Dawn. He mistakenly called her by the wrong name during one call, showing his fixation on her. Eventually, he provided detailed directions to both victims' bodies and described how he murdered Smith.

On June 27, 1985, Bell was arrested. Forensic evidence helped link him to the crimes, including hair samples found in his apartment that were similar to Sharon Smith's. During his trial, Bell displayed strange behavior, refusing to directly answer questions and making bizarre comments.

Bell was sentenced to death and chose the electric chair over lethal injection. He was executed on October 4, 1996, at the age of 46. He did not have any final words before his execution.