A Duncanville woman, Lilandria Bell, who was charged with Murder and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, has been acquitted by a Lamar County jury. The jury found that the 34-year-old acted in self-defense when she fatally shot Alicia Turner and wounded Jakellia Turner in the 300 block of East Grove Street.
Defense attorney Bryan Corrigan of Rockwall argued in court that Turner had been brandishing a machete during the incident and that it had resulted from a love quarrel. "Obviously, we're very pleased with the verdict," Corrigan commented.
The jury's deliberation lasted 70 minutes, during which Corrigan elaborated that the confrontation arose due to a romantic relationship involving the man present with Bell at the time of the incident. Alicia Turner had also been involved with this man, and her discovery of Bell with him triggered her anger and jealousy, eventually leading to an attack on Bell.
Corrigan explained, "Bell is still friends with this guy, and the woman who's deceased found them there and got very angry and jealous and ended up attacking my client, even though my client had not been seeing him for several years."
According to the defense, Bell shot Alicia Turner with a legally registered firearm after she believed she was being threatened with a police baton. In fact, Turner was wielding a machete at the time.
Bell took the initiative to call 911 after the incident and admitted to the shootings, remaining at the scene until her subsequent arrest, as confirmed by Police Chief Richard Salter.
The incident occurred on August 12, 2022, on East Grove Street, near Prairie Street. At the time, Paris Police had reported that Lilandria Shiaire Bell confessed to shooting and killing 39-year-old Alicia Marie Turner in the yard of a residence and also for injuring Alicia's daughter, Jakellia Turner, with a gunshot to the legs. Jakellia survived her injuries.
