Al Bello testified at Rubin Carter's 1966 and 1976 trials that he saw Carter and John Artis outside the Lafayette Grill with a shotgun and pistol immediately after the triple murder. He came face-to-face with them on the sidewalk and saw their getaway car.

Just hours after the murders, an excited Bello raced into a friend's apartment and blurted out "Rubin Carter shot up the whole bar!" The friend, Kent Kellogg, later gave police a statement about Bello's remark. Kellogg also told the story to a Grand Jury in 1966. However, he wasn't called to testify at Carter's 1967 trial because Bello himself was going to testify.

In this Oct. 15, 1974 recording, you'll hear Lt. DeSimone reading the key passage from Kellogg's 1966 testimony and Kellogg telling him it's the truth.. Listen with RealPlayer. (1 min, 27 sec)

 

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Al Bello Identifies Carter as the Gunman

AL BELLO NAMED RUBIN CARTER as one of the killers on Oct. 3 and 11, 1966. His first statement was made to Paterson police officers, who then took him to Passaic County Detective Lt. Vince DeSimone.

Despite what you may have seen in the movie, Bello's friend Arthur Dexter Bradley was not in the room when the tape was made.Bello didn't know he was being recorded as he was questioned by Lt. Vince DeSimone and Captain Robert Mohl. This transcript was made from that tape.

• Why Bello waited four months to name Carter READ THE POLICE REPORT
• Bradley also identifies Carter READ THE POLICE REPORT
• 1967 Jurors Gave Bello-Bradley Testimony Little Weight The Record's story, 9/29/74 | Herald-News story, 1975

 

Carter gives false description of Bello tape

See story

Al Bello, who twice testified that he saw Carter leave the murder scene carrying guns, is an admitted burglar and thief, which calls his credibility into question. Before Carter's second trial, the Prosecutor's Office decided that Bello must pass a lie detector test or he would not be called as a witness.

The cautious prosecutors actually had Bello take two lie detector tests, which were administered by two top polygraph operators, Professor Leonard Harrelson of Chicago, and Richard Arther of New York City. Both concluded that Bello was telling the truth when he identified Rubin Carter as the murderer.

At the end of Carter's second trial, Judge Bruno Leopizzi instructed the jurors to acquit Carter and Artis if they did not believe Bello. The judge did this over the strenuous objections of the prosecution. The integrated jury apparently believed Bello, because Carter and Artis were convicted in less than nine hours.

 

JUDGE LARNER'S KEY DECISION

Why Bello's Recantation
"Lacked the Ring of Truth"

Al Bello and Arthur Bradley both indentified Rubin Carter as one of the killers in 1966, but recanted that testimony in 1974, igniting the drive for a new trial.

After a hearing, Judge Larner rejected those recantations and said "the ring of truth is totally absent." Why? A key reason is that Bradley was in prison when Bello first identified Carter. The men had no chance to concoct a consistent story, yet when Bradley was later questioned and reluctantly identified Carter, their stories meshed. After their recantations, howver, they gave different stories and Bello's testimony was evasive.

At Carter's second trial, Bello testified gave his original testimony -- that it was Carter and Artis he saw outside the bar Read more reasons for the judge's ruling. --- Read the judge's decision in full (pdf file).

HEAR IT FOR YOURSELF!
Bello Identifies Carter

Now Available on Compact Disc

Bello ran into the gunmen as they were leaving the Lafayette Grill murder scene. He was 10-to-15-feet away from them when he realized they weren't detectives and ran for his life. Now you can hear him tell his story.

You will need the new RealPlayer to hear these files. Go to this page to download a FREE player.

Part I: It's not the best quality, but listen for the key phrase: "I thought that I had seen this one man, I thought it was Rubin Carter." Listen with RealPlayer (3 min, 27 sec)

Part II: Bello says, "When the police came back with 'em he [Carter] was dressed the same way an' everything. You know what I mean? So in my mind I know it had to be him. It was the same person I had seen come around the corner." Listen with RealPlayer. (2 min, 49 sec) Click here for a partial transcript.

Bello Identifies Carter's Car: Police apprehended Carter and brought him to the Lafayette Grill just 30 minutes after the murders, Bello recognized "the same car an' the same people I saw" earlier -- the getaway car and the gunmen. DeSimone is recapping here, which is why he is making statements. Listen with RealPlayer. (29 sec)

 

"Secret" Bello Tape Was Actually Mentioned in Carter's 1967 Trial

In 1975, Carter's supporters made a big deal about a tape recording they claimed was "suppressed" by the prosecution because it contained evidence of "deals" made to get the testimony of prosecution witness Al Bello. But the existence of the "secret" tape was actually revealed during Carter's 1967 trial. Full story from Oct. 16, 1975.

 

NOW AVAILABLE on COMPACT DISC!
"When the police came back with 'em [Carter] was dressed the same way an' everything. ... So in my mind I knew it had to be him." -- Al Bello	THE "SECRET" TAPE: Bello Identifies Carter & Artis as the Gunmen You saw the misleading depiction of this interview in the movie; now you can hear what it REALLY sounded like. Complete and unedited. Details.