Belmont resident pleads guilty to possessing weapon used in double murder

CONCORD — Justin Gebo, of Belmont, pleaded guilty to two federal gun charges, one involving a weapon used in the murder of a woman and her young daughter.

Gebo, 29, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to two counts of illegally possessing a firearm. He is prohibited from owning a gun while under indictment, and being a felon. Gebo is scheduled to be sentenced on the charges in U.S. District Court on June 11.

According to a press release issued by Jane Young, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Hampshire, Gebo had taken possession of two weapons in early 2023: a 17 Design and Manufacturing multicaliber rifle, model 17DM-15, and a Ceska Zrojovka model Scorpion Evo 3, S2, 9 by 19mm short-barreled rifle with an attached arm brace.

The Ceska Zrojovka rifle is thought to have been used in a double murder in Franklin on June 3, 2023. On that day, Nicole Hughes, 35, and her 1.5-year-old daughter Ariella Bell were found to be shot to death in their home on Elkins Street. The suspected killer was Jamie Bell, 42, who was found dead on the bank of the Merrimack River. An autopsy concluded he died from a self-inflicted incision to his neck.

According to the release, the charge of being a felon in possession of a weapon carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Possessing a weapon while under indictment carries a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

The investigation was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from NH State Police and the Laconia Police Department.