EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Judge Robert H. Bell has passed away. He was 79.
Bell died peacefully on June 8, according to Metcalf & Jonkhoff Funeral Service.
After starting his career as Ingham County’s assistant prosecuting attorney in 1969 — and later as 55th District Court judge three years later — Bell was selected as West Michigan’s U.S. district judge by former President Ronald Reagan.
Bell presided over the case of Marvin Gabrion, a man who was sentenced to death in the early 2000s for the murder of Rachel Timmerman in Newaygo County.
READ MORE: Court says appeals of death penalty in murder of Cedar Springs woman can continue
Bell was laid to rest June 17 in Williamston.
Read Bell’s full obituary online.
