By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Greg Bell, a former boyfriend of Tia Hutson, was arrested this week and charged with her murder, which occurred more than a year ago in Saint Jo.
Bell, 56, was indicted on Nov. 13 in the death of Hutson who was 50 at the time of her death. The 97th District Attorney’s office reported the Texas Rangers arrested Bell for first-degree murder on Nov. 14 and took him to the county jail where he remained on Thursday with $750,000 bond. He also had seven other Class C misdemeanor warrants for various complaints.
The grand jury indictment stated Hutson’s death was caused by “striking on her head with a hard object.”
This was the first murder in Saint Jo since 1986 and it shocked the small town, which is generally a quiet, rural city. A neighbor found Hutson in her home severely beaten and raped on Aug. 5, 2022. Six days later she died from her injuries.
Hutson’s son, Trevor Riley, called Bell’s arrest a “first step,” that relieves a lot of stress for his family. The family moved out of Saint Jo due to fear of any suspect.
“I’m sure the Bell family is feeling some measure of the horror and loss that we felt, my heart goes out to them. For those of us left behind, the Christian thing to do is to let go of our anger and fear and try to forgive. It’s up to the justice department to remember that my mom doesn’t have that opportunity.