Woman accused of marrying mentally incompetent husband for money

By Andy Pierrotti

Click here for updates on this story

    COBB COUNTY, Georgia (WANF) — The police report reads like the plot of a movie thriller: A Georgia woman accused of marrying a man ruled mentally incompetent for his money, and his family fighting to save his life.

“This is worse than a ‘Lifetime’ movie,” said Kim Belt, one of John Belt’s sisters.

John Belt married Avis Wingo in 2018, but the legitimacy of their marriage is now in question. Medical records provided by Belt’s family identified him as “totally incapacitated” on June 20, 2018. Eight days later, his soon-to-be wife applied for a Florida marriage license.

After marrying Belt, court documents filed in Cobb County Probate Court earlier this month claim Avis Wingo Belt racked up more than $20,000 in unpaid credit card debts; purchased a car in his name; and bought a new home. Records also show Avis Wingo Belt receives her husband’s $33,000 yearly pension and social security benefits.

“That’s all the story one needs to know that this was a marriage based on fraud,” said Tristan Gillespie, the family’s attorney.

Belt’s mother, Janette, filed a petition in court seeking an emergency hearing to ask a judge to dissolve the marriage and to gain guardianship of her 58-year-old son, who suffers from severe dementia. Belt’s daughter, two sisters and mother all say Avis Wingo Belt put him in a home health care facility not providing adequate care.

Belt’s sister, April, believes Avis Wingo Belt tricked him into marring her while on a cruise. According to April Belt, Avis Wingo instructed her brother to dress in white one day and come downstairs. When John Belt walked into the room, he found his own wedding underway.

“My brother and I used to talk a lot and he did not like her,” April Belt said.

Belt’s immediate family said they were not invited to the wedding, nor knew anything about it beforehand. “I just shook my head in disbelief because I knew that was not something that he wanted to do,” said Belt’s daughter, Jayla Belt.

Avis Wingo Belt lives in Jenkinsburg, Georgia, about an hour and a half drive from her husband’s home care facility, Amelia Gardens, in Marietta.

Speaking through her doorbell camera system, Avis Wingo Belt said she was unaware of the petition until Atlanta News First Investigates contacted her last week.

She also denied the allegations made by her husband’s family. “That’s very untrue,” said the 55-year-old. “I’m not destitute nor am I desperate.”

When asked about the document identifying John Belt as “totally incapacitated” days before their marriage, Avis Wingo Belt did not deny knowing about it.

“John was still in his right mind,” she said. “John was going to get married anyway. He wanted me to marry him because he said, ‘I don’t want my mother with any of my stuff.’ ”

According to Belt’s family, John Belt and Avis Wingo met while working at the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA).

John Belt retired from MARTA in 2019 after working there more than 20 years. His wife is still employed at the transit authority.

“He would have invited me to his wedding,” said Gregory Mitchell, a long time friend of Belt. The two have known each other since childhood.

Mitchell claims Avis Wingo Belt made it difficult to keep in touch with his friend after their marriage. According to him, each time he called Belt, his wife would answer and claim her husband wasn’t available.

“What person in their right mind would take him away from his family?” asked Mitchell. “This man had a tight-knit family.”

A few days after Christmas, John Belt’s sister and mother visited him at his home care facility, where he receives hospice care.

According to them, John Belt looked frail and malnourished, and they called 911 for an ambulance. “We can’t let him sit there and die,” Kim Belt told the dispatcher.

When paramedics arrived, Belt wasn’t transported to the hospital because the facility wouldn’t allow him to leave.

“John appeared to be sick and in need of medical assistance, but the staff at the home insisted that he was under a ‘Do Not Resuscitate Order,” wrote a Cobb County police officer who also responded to the facility.

The officer’s report indicated Avis Wingo Belt’s power of attorney. She told the officer by phone not to transport her husband.

“That’s heartbreaking,” Kim Belt said. “It’s depressing. It’s devastating to our family.”

An Amelia Gardens representative said the allegations of inadequate care are false. “This is all crap,” said a man who identified himself as a supervisor when Atlanta News First Investigates contacted the facility.

The employee, who said his name is Nick but declined to provide his last name, said Avis Belt has always been there for her husband.

The employee said John Belt has been at the facility since September 2021. Since that time, the employee claims Belt’s mother and sisters rarely visited him, up until the past month or so. “If you care about your son and your brother, where were you for so many years?” asked Nick.

Avis Wingo Belt said her husband is healthy, other than suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease.

“I’m not worried about his health because John is fine,” Avis Belt said. “He’s in a facility. John has never been no big guy. He just lost a little weight.”

A hearing is scheduled before Cobb County Probate Judge Tara Riddle at 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 13, 2024.

“I just don’t want to see another family go through this,” Kim Belt said.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.