Donald J. Hall

Case record

Names and identifiers

• Donald J. Hall (DOC ID 990113)

Legal status

• Donald Hall was sentenced to death on November 8, 1994.
• Donald Hall was resentenced to life in prison without parole on May 18, 2007.

Timeline

• December 10, 1992 — Kimball Morton took Donald Hall to Bill White’s jewelry store in Springfield, Missouri, to have a necklace fixed; White looked at the necklace and the three men discussed gold coins; Morton and Hall left the store with the necklace.
• December 10, 1992 — Later that day, Hall told Morton he wanted to “go in there and robbing and killing Bill White”; Hall said it would be “real easy going in there and robbing and killing Bill White, there wasn’t no security, no cameras or nothin’”; Morton told Hall he was not “up to that.”
• December 15, 1992 — Donna Hicks, Hall’s ex-wife who was living with Hall, woke up around 10:00 a.m. to find Hall and Hall’s car gone.
• December 15, 1992 — Hall was seen walking toward White’s jewelry store at approximately 10:30 a.m. Charles Ingram testified that he and Charles Slater were parked near White’s jewelry store around 10:30 a.m. and saw Hall walking toward the jewelry store; they noticed a white car parked down the street.
• December 15, 1992 — Around 11:00 a.m., Hall returned to the apartment and told Hicks that he wanted her to drive him to White’s jewelry store; Hicks agreed to drop Hall off to have a necklace fixed.
• December 15, 1992 — Hicks parked about one block away; Hall returned to the car less than ten minutes after she dropped him off, carrying a paper bag and with blood on his hands.
• November 8, 1994 — Hall arrived at Potosi Correctional Center.
• May 18, 2007 — Hall was resentenced to life in prison without parole for First Degree Murder in Greene County.

The offence

• Donald Hall and Kimball Morton visited Bill White’s jewelry store in Springfield, Missouri, to have a necklace fixed.
• Later that day, Hall discussed robbing and killing Bill White with Morton.
• On December 15, 1992, after Hicks dropped Hall off at White’s store, Hall returned with a paper bag and blood on his hands and told Hicks he had killed White.

Key statements and quotations

• Donald Hall told Kimball Morton that he wanted to “going in there and robbing and killing Bill White.”
• Donald Hall said it would be “real easy going in there and robbing and killing Bill White, there wasn’t no security, no cameras or nothin’.”
• Kimball Morton told Hall he was not “up to that.”
• When Hicks asked whether White was dead, Donald Hall responded: “If I took this gun and put it to your head and pulled the trigger and blew your brains out, don’t you think you’d be dead?”

People and roles

• Donald J. Hall (DOC ID 990113) — defendant.
• Kimball Morton — took Hall to the jewelry store; testified.
• Bill White — jewelry store owner.
• Donna Hicks — Hall’s ex-wife; lived with Hall; drove Hall to White’s jewelry store.
• Charles Ingram — witness; testified that he and Charles Slater were parked near White’s jewelry store.
• Charles Slater — witness; parked near White’s jewelry store with Charles Ingram.

Other details

• State of Missouri v. Donald J. Hall is cited as 982 S.W.2d 675 (Mo.banc 1998).