A Neshoba County man has been convicted of second-degree murder and using a firearm during the crime, following a three-day jury trial in Jackson, Mississippi. The verdict was announced on September 10, 2025, by Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon and Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the FBI’s Jackson Office.
Court documents state that Brian Keith Bell, age 56, from the Pearl River Community of the Choctaw Indian Reservation, used a handgun to shoot and kill another member of the tribe. Bell was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2024 on charges of Murder in the Second Degree and Use of a Firearm in a Crime of Violence.
The trial was presided over by United States District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III, who set sentencing for November 14, 2025. Bell faces up to life imprisonment and is currently held in federal custody.
Acting United States Attorney Lemon stated: “Acting United States Attorney Lemon commended the work of the Choctaw Police Department of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and the Federal Bureau of Investigation who investigated the case.”
The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Payne and Brian K. Burns.
