Mike Bell had been a resident of Concordia, Kansas and would have been a member of the CHS Class of 1955 if he had finished school. Mike had been tried and convicted of shooting and killing a Denver police officer after being chased and crashing in a stolen car. He was, he was tried, convicted and sentenced to death and was placed on death row in the Colorado State Penetentiary in Canon City. His sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. Life Magazine later had an article regarding Mike's life, his crimes and his apparent role as a model prisoner after his death sentence was commuted. However, on May 1, 1971, during the annual Canon City Blossom Festival, Mike and another inmate attempted an escape from the prison. Tower guards saw them as they tried going over an outer wall. Warning shots were fired and ignored, then both men were shot and killed.
Mike Bell had been a resident of Concordia, Kansas and would have been a member of the CHS Class of 1955 if he had finished school. Mike had been tried and convicted of shooting and killing a Denver police officer after being chased and crashing in a stolen car. He was, he was tried, convicted and sentenced to death and was placed on death row in the Colorado State Penetentiary in Canon City. His sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. Life Magazine later had an article regarding Mike's life, his crimes and his apparent role as a model prisoner after his death sentence was commuted. However, on May 1, 1971, during the annual Canon City Blossom Festival, Mike and another inmate attempted an escape from the prison. Tower guards saw them as they tried going over an outer wall. Warning shots were fired and ignored, then both men were shot and killed.
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