A lot of people might not think the Bell Witch story is “true crime.” It sounds like folklore or a classic ghost tale. But it is true crime for one simple reason: John Bell was murdered. Welcome to another 31 Nights of Frights on True Crime Sleep Stories.
In 1820, on the Bell family farm along the Red River in what is now Adams, Tennessee (Robertson County), John Bell died in his bed. If you believe it was the Bell Witch (the voice the neighbors called Kate), then a supernatural being killed him. If you don’t believe in witches or ghosts, then a person put poison in his medicine cabinet and gave him a fatal dose while he slept. Either way, a man died and someone, or something, did it. That’s the definition of true crime. This is the rare case where the supernatural and the murder aren’t competing explanations. They’re the same story. Whether it was a ghostly witch or a human hand that put the poison in that vial, John Bell was murdered in his own bed.
Most of what we know about the Bell Witch haunting comes from his son Richard Williams Bell’s 1846 manuscript, later published in 1894. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did. Sleep well.

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True Crime Sleep Stories is hosted and created by Kelli Brink, produced with the support of our dedicated team. Subscribe, rate, and review us on your favorite podcast platform to help us keep telling these haunting tales. Visit patreon.com/kellibrink for exclusive content and to join our community. Thank you for listening, and we'll meet you in the shadows next time. Until then, stay safe out there, and lock your doors.
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