PUNTA GORDA — A question of witness interference will be decided before a fatal shooting trial.
Prosecutors have accused Nicholas Jerome Bell of preventing his brother from testifying in his case, despite a previous agreement between the brother and the State Attorney’s Office.
Bell, 45, was arrested in 2022 after he allegedly shot a man outside his Port Charlotte home on Coulton Avenue.
The man was taken to a hospital for treatment, but later died from his wounds.
Deputies surrounded Bell’s home after the reported shooting, believing that he had barricaded himself inside, only to realize that he had left the area hours before.
Bell eventually surrendered to police in northern Florida and was extradited back to Charlotte County.
He is facing charges of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and possession of firearms by a convicted felon.
In the lead-up to an anticipated trial, prosecutors had made arrangement for a witness identified as Bell’s brother to travel to Punta Gorda to testify.