PUNTA GORDA — A prosecution witness for a Charlotte County case failed to show up for a Tuesday hearing on an allegation his brother was keeping him from testifying.
However, the prosecutor in the case said she didn’t know whether William Grant ignored a subpoena or didn’t receive it in the first place due to conditions following Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Authorities attempted to locate Grant — the brother of accused shooter Nicholas Jerome Bell — after he previously agreed to testify for the prosecution in September.
However, the State Attorney’s Office alleged Grant missed a meeting and phone records indicate that family members have asked Bell to defy a subpoena to testify.
Bell, 45, is facing charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery causing great harm, and possessing firearms as a convicted felon.
Authorities allege that he shot another man outside of his home on Coulton Avenue in 2022, after first striking him with a bat.
The man later died from his injuries, though Bell has not been charged with homicide. He was previously charged with attempted homicide, though that charge was later nixed.