Brian Bethell

Background

Brian Bethell was a mechanic who neighbors described as “humble, polite and pretty decent guy.” He lived in Margate where he rented a house for $700 a month. He filed for bankruptcy twice and was facing eviction from a rented four-bedroom Margate home. Police said he became desperate, broke, and took extreme measures to keep himself, his girlfriend and her two children afloat.

Bethell usually wore a mechanic's uniform, consisting of a light blue shirt and dark blue pants.

The offence

Bethell was accused of shooting three men on consecutive Friday nights in February to go on a shopping spree.

Police said ballistics tests showed that the bullet used to shoot Angel Medina was fired from the same gun used in Albert Avenaim's shooting.

Investigators said Bethell confessed to killing Frederick Gunther, Albert Avenaim and Medina shortly after he was arrested at his Margate home.

Angel Pedro Medina (attempted robbery and shooting)

Investigators said Angel Pedro Medina was shot and killed on Feb. 3, and the killing occurred during an attempted robbery in the 900 block of Powerline Road, just south of Sunrise Boulevard.

Medina, 41, lived in Margate. He had turned his life around after serving an eight-year prison term that ended on Aug. 24, 1992. On Feb. 3, as he had done once a week for many years, Medina drove to a rough neighborhood in Fort Lauderdale to buy food, beer, cigarettes and lottery tickets for homeless people who hang out there. He was described as a frequent visitor to the 900 block of Northwest Ninth Avenue, a blighted strip of Powerline Road just south of Sunrise Boulevard. Witnesses said he showed up with cash.

He was shot multiple times and died at 9:37 p.m.

Albert Avenaim (shooting after being robbed)

Investigators said Albert Avenaim was shot behind Padrino’s Cuban Cuisine on the night of Feb. 10 after he dropped his wife off in front of the restaurant and drove around back to look for a parking spot.

Avenaim, 63, was described as a retiree from Aventura. He spoke five languages and had traveled to China, Poland, Czechoslovakia and India. He had plans for a cruise and a trip to Africa. On the night of his murder, Avenaim and his wife Joan saw a show in Miami. Investigators said he then dropped Joan off in front of Padrino’s restaurant in Hallandale Beach so she could put their name on the waiting list. Investigators said Avenaim drove around the restaurant to park his car when he was robbed and killed.

Witnesses told police a driver in a black car suddenly blocked Avenaim. The man got out, wrestled with Avenaim, shot him in the left rib cage and took off. Avenaim’s cellphone and wallet were stolen.

The credit card used after the killing was used by a man to fuel up at a gas station and buy paper towels, clothes and soft drinks. Investigators said they had released a grainy surveillance video from a Sunrise Wal-Mart on the same night showing a man and a woman entering and leaving the store where Avenaim’s credit card was used. Investigators said the woman was pushing a shopping cart with two small children and that the pair were Bethell and Edwards.

On the night of his murder, Avenaim’s sister-in-law, Colleen Avenaim, later described events leading up to Bethell’s arrest.

Frederick Gunther (shooting and theft)

Investigators said Frederick Gunther was fatally shot in the chest as he got out of his car to pick up his girlfriend, Angeline Hartwick, from her Plantation home. Police said it was one in a string of Friday night shootings by Bethell that began Feb. 3.

Gunther, 76, was described as of Pompano Beach and was said to have been the youngest of 12 children of Swiss parents, with at least five surviving siblings. Frederick and his wife, Coralyn, were divorced, and they had three children. Gunther moved to South Florida five years prior from California, where he worked in advertising sales. In Florida, he was a night watchman.

Police said his favorite pastime was ballroom dancing and that he had a kind word for everyone. Investigators said he drove to Plantation to pick up a friend and take her dancing and that he was robbed and killed in the parking lot of his friend's condo.

Gunther was shot around 7 p.m. on Friday as he walked to a Plantation condo. Police said the shooter took his wallet and cell phone.

Investigators said Bethell used Gunther’s credit card at the same Wal-Mart where Avenaim’s credit card was used. Investigators said a store employee recognized the couple, followed them to their car, and reported their license plate.

Investigation

Ballistics testing showed the bullet used to shoot Medina was fired from the same gun used in Avenaim’s shooting.

Investigators said they had three murder confessions from Bethell and information on the gun used in the killings by 10:30 p.m. after they tracked the license plate to Bethell’s address in Margate.

Investigators said Bethell confessed to killing three people in a span of three weeks: a good Samaritan who brought food and lottery tickets for the homeless, an Aventura grandfather who had taken his wife to a Miami show, and a man who had stopped off in Plantation Gardens to pick up a friend to take her ballroom dancing. The killings were said to have occurred on Fridays.

Investigators were looking for others and said they worried they may have a serial killer on their hands.

John Coffey, special agent supervisor of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, said:

“He's done three in the last three weeks for certain.”
“We're looking for others.”

Investigators said they believed Edwards did not know about the murders.

Arrest

Bethell confessed shortly after he was arrested at his Margate home.

At his arraignment Monday, Bethell pleaded not guilty to shooting Angel Medina, the first of the three men Bethell was accused of murdering.

Edwards was also arrested and taken into custody.

Bethell was held without bond at the Broward County jail.

Trial

Charges were expected to be filed according to Fort Lauderdale Police.

Bethell was only charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

Sentencing

Sentence was unknown.

Appeals

No appeals were described.

Outcome

Bethell remained held without bond at the Broward County jail, and his sentence was unknown. Police said Bethell confessed to killing Frederick Gunther, Albert Avenaim and Medina.

Aftermath

Family members expressed relief and anger.

Gordon Gunther, son of Frederick Gunther, said:

“We feel cheated by this,”
and he said: “Many of his family lived very long lives. His mother lived to 96.”

Gordon Gunther said his father loved ballroom dancing and was picking up a female friend in Plantation when he was killed, and Gunther planned to fly to Las Vegas on Monday to meet up with five of his siblings. He said his father worked as a night watchman until his death and had moved to South Florida about five years earlier.

Colleen Avenaim cried as she listened to authorities detail events leading up to Bethell’s arrest, and said:

“This is a very bittersweet thing to hear,”

Other details

Robberies of two doctors in Hollywood

Police records alleged that two weeks before the fatal shootings, Brian Bethell robbed two doctors from New York at gunpoint in Hollywood.

Police said Bethell bumped his car with theirs and stole their wallet and jewelry when they got out to inspect the damage.

Natasha Edwards (arrested with accessory charges and fraud)

His girlfriend, Natasha Edwards, was also arrested and charged with accessory to armed robbery, credit card fraud and grand theft. Authorities also took Edwards into custody and said they did not believe she knew about the murders.

The summary identified Bethell’s girlfriend as Natasha Rishone Edwards, 20.

Edwards was said to face grand theft, fraud and accessory charges.

Prior arrests and other alleged criminal history

Records showed Bethell had been arrested on drug charges in Broward. They also showed he had a charge of grand theft of a motor vehicle in Leon County.

One neighbor recalled seeing Bethel fixing a Cadillac and Oldsmobile until the wee hours of the night.

Bethell worked as a mechanic at several shops, including Brake World in Margate.

Thomas Rogers, owner of the home Bethell lived in, said:

“He looked and smelled and dressed like a mechanic,” and said:

Victims and related details

Angel Pedro Medina lived in Margate and drove to buy food, beer, cigarettes and lottery tickets for homeless people. Witnesses said he was shot multiple times during an attempted robbery at 9:37 p.m.

Albert Avenaim was described as a retiree from Aventura, spoke five languages, and traveled to China, Poland, Czechoslovakia and India. Investigators said Avenaim and his wife Joan saw a show in Miami, and Avenaim dropped Joan off in front of Padrino’s restaurant in Hallandale Beach so she could put their name on the waiting list. Investigators said he drove around the restaurant to park his car when he was robbed and killed.

Frederick Gunther, of Pompano Beach, was described as the youngest of 12 children of Swiss parents and had at least five surviving siblings. He was divorced from Coralyn and they had three children. He was described as a night watchman in Florida and was known for ballroom dancing. Investigators said he was shot around 7 p.m. as he walked to a Plantation condo, and he was robbed and killed in the parking lot of his friend's condo.