 As of January 2016 Kell remains on death row, as his appeals process continues.Kell was originally imprisoned in the state of Nevada for the murder of 21-year-old James "Cotton" Kelly.Although tried for killing "Kelly", the victim's real name was James Thiede, a Canadian citizen who was under investigation for drug smuggling by the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) Some years later, Thiede's mother, father and uncle were federally indicted both in Las Vegas and Toronto for drug smuggling, all using the same alias, "Kelly".