AUGUSTA — An Augusta man who shot his mother in the face last year leaving her with lasting injuries, was found not criminally responsible Wednesday and will be sent to a state psychiatric hospital, not prison.

Samuel C. Bell, 27, shot his mother Christina Bell, 58, in the head Nov. 24, 2024 at her Belgrade home. Prosecutor Amanda Seekins, an assistant district attorney in Kennebec and Somerset counties, said authorities didn’t know then if she would survive.

The lone bullet Samuel Bell fired at his mother fragmented as it passed through his vehicle window, those fragments then struck Christina Bell in the face causing substantial injuries. Seekins said Christina Bell, who did not attend Wednesday’s court hearing, is still undergoing surgeries, the left side of her face is paralyzed and she still has substantial disfigurement.

Samuel Bell did not dispute Seekins’ description of the incident or its impact, saying “That’s what happened, yeah,” after she summarized the incident in a courtroom at Capital Judicial Center Wednesday. “Yes, I’m admitting that.”

Bell said in court he is diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar schizoaffective disorder. He also said he has never been convicted of any crime.

Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy said Dr. Melissa Jankowski, a forensic psychologist with the State Forensic Service, determined that at the time of the incident Samuel Bell lacked the capacity to understand that what he was doing was wrong.

She said Jankowski’s report indicated Bell’s symptoms had been increasing in intensity, with fluctuating moods and an inability to sleep for days at a time, and that he had been undergoing treatment for mental illness, off and on, throughout his adulthood.

Andrew Dawson, Bell’s lawyer, said Bell was experiencing psychosis and delusions that influenced his behavior.

Seekins said the state agreed with the assessment that Bell was not criminally responsible. She said his mother concurred with the resolution to the case.

“Everybody has agreed you deserve a chance for some mental health treatment,” for serious mental health disease, Murphy said to Samuel Bell, who wore a green jail uniform in court. “You have the support of your family, which is incredibly important. You’re fortunate to have people on your side in this process. Good luck to you, sir.”

The state dismissed charges of aggravated attempted murder and attempted murder, leaving only a charge of elevated aggravated assault, to which Bell pleaded not criminally responsible.

That plea will result in Bell being sent to either Riverview Psychiatric Center in Augusta or Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center in Bangor for an indeterminate period of time for treatment.

While there, he can petition the court to seek more privileges, such as the ability to go out into public, and to be released from state custody if his treatment is deemed successful. Murphy said he could be there for weeks, months, years, or possibly the rest of his life.

On the day of the shooting, the Augusta Regional Communications Center received a 911 call from Samuel Bell at 11:03 a.m. reporting he had shot his mother in the face, according to an affidavit written by Maine State Police Trooper Nicholas Watson.

Samuel Bell said his mother was trying to make him commit suicide, so he shot her, Watson wrote.

In an interview with officials, Samuel Bell said he left work in Oakland at 10 a.m. the day of the shooting, saying he had quit and returned to his apartment to retrieve a gun.

Bell told police he notified his mother he would be coming with $300 he owed her, and he drove to her house with the intention of shooting her, officials said.

Bell said he backed his car into the driveway and shot her once in the head when she approached . He reportedly told police after he left that he had shot his mother and she needed medical attention. Shortly after that, he was arrested on Guptill Road where had notified the communications center he would be and waited for troopers.