Vigil for Franklin shooting victims to be held Tuesday night

FRANKLIN — The deaths of Nicole Hughes, 35, and her 18-month-old daughter Ariella Bell on Saturday have been ruled homicides by the Attorney General's Office.

The autopsy results, released Sunday night, indicate Hughes and her daughter were killed by multiple gunshot wounds.

The alleged perpetrator, Hughes' boyfriend, 42-year-old Jamie Bell, was found dead along the bank of the Merrimack River after an hourslong hunt Saturday. His cause of death, according to autopsy results, was that he died by suicide from a neck wound.

Hughes' 5-year-old daughter was shot in the arm and suffered a laceration to her back. She survived, and was transported to a hospital in Boston, according to Assistant Attorney General Adam Woods. 

A vigil will be held for Hughes and her daughter at Bessie Rowell Community Center on Tuesday, June 6, at 8 p.m.

First responders were initially called to the 124 Elkins St. residence around noon on Saturday, according to Woods. During the five-hour-plus hunt for Bell, state police, not the Franklin Police Department, issued updates on their Facebook page.

“He had been seen fleeing the area of 124 Elkins St. on foot. That search led to the earlier release today identifying him and providing photos,” Woods said during a press conference Saturday night at the Franklin Police Department.

“At 5:30 p.m. Mr. Bell was found deceased on the bank of the Merrimack River in Franklin, New Hampshire, in the area of River Street. It appeared at that time he had bled from his neck.”

According to Bell’s brother, Josh Cross, Bell and Hughes had been dating for between two and three years.

“This is a big surprise, I never thought this would happen,” Cross said in an interview Saturday, before hearing news of his brother’s death. “I’m in shock.”

This act of extreme violence was out of character, according to Cross and others who knew Bell.

“He was very laid back, he always smiled,” said Brandi Robie, Cross’ girlfriend. “He seemed like a genuinely good guy.”

“His brother and him grew up sort of down the road from me,” said Daniel Slate, husband of Bell’s cousin Krystal. “He was a super laid back, pretty calm, collected guy.”

“He’s had his moments,” Krystal said. “But he’s never been a hurtful guy. Nicole was the best thing that ever happened to him. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Cross said his brother did not have a history of violent behavior, but did say he had suffered from substance misuse and was a felon.

Bell had a criminal record. According to reporting from the Boston Herald, Bell was sentenced to 18 months in prison on drugs and weapon charges in 2019. Bell also faced charges in 2008 for burglary, driving under the influence, criminal mischief, simple assault and obstructing the report of a crime or injury.

“It’s not the first time he’s been in trouble,” Cross said Saturday as authorities searched for his brother.

During the search for Bell, who state police described as “armed and dangerous,” only a portion of Elkins Street and a few side streets were closed. Outside the area of Elkins Street, the only sign something was amiss was a lone police helicopter making laps around the city skyline.

When asked if there was a reason so few streets were closed during the search, Police Chief David Goldstein said, “That was basically based on the crime scene.”

How Bell obtained a firearm remains unknown. Woods said he could “provide no information on that” during the Saturday night press conference.

Woods also declined to answer whether a firearm had been recovered, citing the ongoing homicide investigation.

The Attorney General’s Office also declined to comment when asked if 124 Elkins St. was an address known to police, or whether Bell and Hughes had prior domestic issues.

“I can’t comment on the past,” Woods said. “We were aware that Mr. Bell and Mrs. Hughes were intimate partners.”