Update: Bell Released On Bond
From Staff Reports
New Journal and Guide
Mychal Bell, the only member of the Jena 6 to be tried for involvement in the beating of a white classmate, was freed from jail on Thursday, September 27th after the County Prosecutor said he would not seek to try the young man again as an adult. Bell, who faced some 15 years in prison for aggravated second degree battery, was released on $45,000 bail.
Advocate staff photo by LIZ CONDO
Rev. Al Sharpton talks with Melissa Bell, left, her son, Mychal, and Marcus Jones, Mychal Bell’s father, Thursday at the LaSalle Parish Courthouse after the teen was released on bond. Mychal Bell, one of the Jena 6, had been in jail since December.
Bell will return to court next week where he will face the same charges, this time, as a juvenile. Bell was convicted as an adult on the charges earlier this year, but a State Appeals Court overturned the lower court's decision.
Bell's release came a week after an estimated 20,000-30,000 people from around the nation staged a massive demonstration to highlight the excessive punishment imposed on Bell, who is now 17, but was tried when he was 16 years old.
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