The Crimes of Child Killer Mary Bell
Mary Bell was only 10-years-old when she began to murder young boys in her neighborhood.
Jane Doe: A True Crime Blog
Jane Doe: A True Crime Blog
Jan 14·5 min read
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Credit: Police Evidence File

Mary Bell was only 10-years-old when she began to murder young boys in her neighborhood. She was known for finding entertainment out of her victim’s pain but was only in prison for a few years before being let back out into the world.

Mary Bell was born in 1957, the child of a s** worker named Betty who was often absent from her family. She had Mary when she was only sixteen years old, with Mary believing that her father was Billy Bell, a criminal who was in jail for armed robbery.

Family members have stated that Betty was known for attempting to kill her daughter. It was framed as if Mary was ‘accident-prone,’ with the young girl falling from windows and overdosing on sleeping pills. Betty had attempted to give Mary away. Some state that it was for Betty’s entertainment, while others believe it was a symptom of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, which led Betty to simply want the attention that came with having an injured daughter.

According to Mary, her mother began to sell her out for s** when she was only four years old, although this claim has never been corroborated by any friends or family members. But given her upbringing, it was no surprise that Mary would grow to be an unusual child. She was quiet and manipulative, constantly on the edge of violence.

On May 11, 1968, Mary was playing with a younger boy when he fell off the top of an air-raid shelter. His parents believed that it was an accident, but with Mary’s future violence, questions still remained. The next day, three mothers came forward and told police that Mary had tried to choke their daughter, but no charges were placed against her.

Then only four days later, Mary’s streak of violence would only escalate. The day before she turned 11, Mary Bell would strangle four-year-old Martin Brown to Death. Immediately after the crime, she left the abandoned house where the killing took place and went to visit a friend, Norma Bell. But before she got there, two young stumbled across Martin Brown’s body.

Police were confused by the body. Other than a small amount of blood and saliva on Martin’s face, there were no obvious signs of a struggle. But there was an empty bottle of painkillers near the body, which led investigators to assume he had swallowed the pills.

His death was ruled an accident.

A few days after Martin’s death, an interested Mary Bell would show up at his family’s doorstep. When she asked to see him, his mother explained that her son was dead. Mary replied by saying that she knew that, but she wanted to see his dead body in the coffin.

From there, people started to become suspicious of the young Mary Bell.
Mary and her friend Norma later broke into a school nursery, vandalizing it and writing notes where they took responsibility for Martin’s death. The note promised to kill again.
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Credit: Police Evidence Files

Police assumed the notes were a prank, but they installed an alarm system anyway. When Mary and Norma returned a few days later, the police caught them. But because they were only loitering around, they were let go.

During all of this, Mary was constantly going around and telling her classmates how she was responsible for what happened to Martin Brown. She thrived off of being the center of attention, but because she was known for being a liar, no one took her seriously.

But then another young boy ended up dead.

Two months after the first murder, Mary Bell killed three-year-old Brian Howe. But this time, Norma also took part in the murder. They strangled the young boy before mutilating his body with old scissors.

When Brian’s family went out to search for him, both Mary and Norma offered to help search the neighborhood.

When Brian’s body was finally found, investigators were shocked when they found a razor blade cut the letter “M” on his torso. There was also a lack of force used in the attack that signaled to police that the killer they were searching for might have been a child.

Police went around the neighborhood, asking children if they saw anything suspicious on the day of the killing. Mary and Norma both stood out from the rest due to their obvious interest in the investigation. Norma was almost excited, while Mary was cold to the police, especially when they pointed out that the two of them had been seen with Brian the day of his murder.

Even on the day of Brian’s funeral, Mary couldn’t stay away. She was seen loitering outside the Howe’s house, laughing when she saw his coffin.
When police called her back in for a second interview, Mary was quick to come up with a story. She claimed that she saw a boy hit Brian while carrying a pair of scissors.

That small detail brought the downfall of Mary Bell. The scissors and mutilation were kept a secret from the press and public, a detail only known by Brian’s killer.

It didn’t take long before Mary and Norma gave in. They were both quick to turn on each other, but it was no use. Martin Brown’s death was soon connected and the girls were charged in the murders.

Mary Bell was found guilty of manslaughter, as psychiatrists were convinced that the young girl showed signs of being a psychopath and couldn’t fully be responsible for her actions.

Norma Bell was decided to be an unwilling accomplice who had simply fallen under Mary Bell’s spell. She was quickly acquitted of the murders.

Mary was sentenced to imprisonment at “Her Majesty’s pleasure,” a sentence that meant the prisoner could be released whenever it felt appropriate. She was released from prison in 1980, at the age of only 23.

She was given a new name, and eventually went on to have a child and grandchildren.
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Credit: Topham Picturepoint/Press Association Images

But even with her new identity, Mary Bell was never able to escape the press. She was constantly followed by tabloids, despite her multiple moves and attempts to stay out of the spotlight. But no matter what she did, she was always found.

Mary Bell and her daughter were eventually put under protective custody and given a secret address, allowing the family to be protected under court order.
Medium
Me: Probably sent her to live in Australia like that killer of the kid who they (2 boys) stole from a shopping center and killed.