Pearl River Man Sentenced in Reservation Murder

Jackson, MS - A Pearl River man was sentenced today to 380 months in prison for the use of a firearm during the murder of another tribal member, announced U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger of the Southern District of Mississippi and Robert A. Eikhoff, Special Agent in Charge, of the F.B.I. Mississippi Field Office.

According to court documents, Brian Keith Bell, 56, of the Pearl River Community used a handgun to shoot the victim at a tribal home in the Bogue Chitto Community of the Choctaw Indian Reservation which resulted in the death of the victim.

In April of 2024, a federal grand jury indicted Bell on charges of second-degree murder and the use of a firearm during a crime of violence. On September 10, 2025, Bell was found guilty of second-degree murder, and the use of a firearm during a crime of violence at trial. During the trial, the jury heard testimony that, following a verbal altercation, Bell used a handgun to shoot the victim in the chest.

U.S. Attorney Kruger commended the work of the Choctaw Police Department of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and the Federal Bureau of Investigation who investigated the case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Payne and Brian K. Burns.