Reginald Bell is seen leaving Stapleton Criminal Court for Rikers Island following his arrest in 2008.Reginald Bell was sentenced to 20 years in prison — the same penalty his lawyer said he had previously rejected in a plea offer — for slaying a man in a dispute outside the defendant’s home more three years ago.
Last month, a jury in state Supreme Court, St. George, convicted Bell, 49, of first-degree manslaughter stemming from the Nov. 28, 2008, stabbing death of Graniteville resident Michael Helferty.
The panel acquitted Bell of a more serious second-degree murder charge.
Defense attorney, Mark J. Fonte, contended that Bell didn’t intend to kill Helferty, 20.
Ironically, the defendant had been hailed as a Good Samaritan five months before the incident when he chased off two pit bulls that were savaging his 90-year-old neighbor.
Fonte said the fatal chain of events was set in motion when Helferty and two friends went to Bell’s apartment to take home a woman who had been spending time with the defendant.
The argument spilled onto the street, and prosecutors contend Bell returned to his apartment to fetch a knife with a "T"-type handle. He went back outside and plunged the blade six to seven inches into Helferty’s chest, they said.
Fonte said Bell testified before a grand jury that he had the weapon in his possession to defend himself when he first went onto the street. The defendant contended that Helferty lunged at him, and he thrust out his hands to protect himself. Helferty impaled himself on the blade, Bell maintained.
Afterward, the defendant went on the lam and was captured three days later in Baltimore.
Five months earlier, Bell had been lauded for rushing to help 90-year-old Henry Piotrowski, who was being mauled by two pit bulls in his backyard on July 1, 2008. Bell called 911, then ran the animals off with a kitchen knife. Piotrowski died of his wounds the next month.
Bell did not testify during the trial.
Fonte said his client opted for trial after nixing a plea offer with a 20-year sentence. He potentially faced up to life in prison had he been convicted of second-degree murder.
Prosecutors today recommended a 20-year sentence, contending that Bell remains a danger and is unlikely to be rehabilitated, said a spokesman for District Attorney Daniel Donovan.
"The defendant took another human life," Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Fogel told the court. "Michael Helferty was 20 years old when the defendant killed him. He had the rest of his life ahead of him."
Assistant District Attorney Paul A. Capofari also prosecuted the case.
"Although it seems like a harsh sentence, given good time credit and the time he has already served, he’ll be out in 14 years," said Fonte.
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