Mother of youth minister shot dead by pastor’s son in love triangle confident justice will be served
Shaylor Wilcots, the mother of late New Generation Church Youth Minister Denzel Branch, who was shot dead by his lead pastor's son Joshua Bell during a dispute near the church on Sunday, is confident justice will be served as she prepares to bury her son on Saturday.
"I know justice is going to be served, and I won't stand in the way, but I will be there to support and love his family, church, family and those that are around," Wilcots said in an interview with WFAA Wednesday when asked about her son's alleged killer.
"Even with him, I continue to keep them in my prayers daily, hoping that he'll send a letter to say that he repented. If he doesn't know God, I hope he says that he accepted him as his personal savior."
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Records from the Dallas Police Department cited by NBCDFW state that Bell (a.k.a. Joshua Andrews), 30, who has been identified as the son of New Generation Church leader Eric Andrews, was charged with the shooting death of Branch, 31.
Bell, who confessed to an affair with the late youth minister's wife before their recent divorce, gunned down Branch in a rage-filled attack following a fight inside the church after a service celebrating Easter Sunday.
Police say they responded to the 2500 block of 56th Street in Dallas after getting reports of the shooting that occurred around 3:25 p.m. Branch, a father of five, was found suffering from a gunshot wound and later died at a local hospital.
Before the shooting, eyewitnesses told police that Branch punched Bell in the face, causing the pastor's son to pull out a black pistol and fire multiple shots.
Branch tried to escape the shooting in a car, but police say Bell confessed to following the youth minister and kept shooting. He stopped after "he saw (Branch) laying on the middle of the road."
Bell, who fled the scene after the shooting, eventually turned himself over to police, where he "stated he has been involved in an intimate relationship since May 2023 with (Branch's ex-wife), who divorced (Branch) around November 2023," according to the arrest affidavit.
Branch's mother, who did a private viewing of his body on Wednesday, said her son was very active in his church.
"He sang with the choir. He's also part of the ministry at the pulpit team in the prayer voice. I mean, he was just involved in everything," she said.
She recalled being stunned by the news of her son's murder on Sunday but said she almost immediately called on God for strength.
"I remember having the feeling of being so dizzy at first," she said. "And then I just screamed out that I trusted God."
Bell is currently in custody in the Dallas County Jail with a $500,000 bond, according to court records.
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