Sterling Breynard Bell has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for firearms offenses connected to the murder of Kendra Roberts, whose body was found near Macon, Georgia, in 2016. The sentencing took place on October 1, 2025, before Chief U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May. Bell will also serve three years of supervised release and must participate in mental health and substance abuse treatment during that period.
U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg commented on the case: “The diligence of a federal special agent solved a murder and prevented the conviction of an innocent man. By using tools designed to test ballistics, the federal agent linked a gun seized from Bell to shell casings recovered from a murder scene two years earlier. The man initially charged [with] the murder was exonerated, and Bell was brought to justice.”
ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka highlighted the role of technology: “This case underscores the vital role that the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network plays in solving violent crimes. By linking the firearm used in this tragic murder to Sterling Bell, our agents demonstrated the power of technology in the pursuit of justice.”
According to information presented by prosecutors, Kendra Roberts was shot multiple times at close range on August 7, 2016. Her boyfriend was arrested for her murder but remained incarcerated for months while authorities continued their investigation.
Ten days after Roberts’s death, Clarkston Police Department confiscated a Glock 9mm pistol from Sterling Bell without knowing its connection to Roberts’s killing or that Bell had acquired it weeks prior by providing false information about his drug use.
In 2018, an ATF special agent used ballistic testing through NIBIN (National Integrated Ballistic Information Network) and confirmed that Bell’s weapon matched evidence from the crime scene. Further investigation revealed that Bell had schizophrenia and did not take prescribed medication.
Bell was arrested on federal firearms charges in October 2018; subsequently, charges against Roberts’s boyfriend were dropped. Bell later admitted responsibility for Roberts's death and received a state sentence of 20 years with parole eligibility after serving one-third of his term.
On July 3, 2025, Bell pleaded guilty to making false statements to a federal firearms licensee and two counts related to illegal possession of firearms as an unlawful user of controlled substances.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laurel B. Milam and Phyllis Clerk prosecuted the case.
For more details about this case or other matters handled by this office visit http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.