In 2011, 10-year-old Joseph Hall‘s stepmother was asleep in her home in Riverside California when her stepson woke her up. “I shot Dad,” the boy said. Two years later, Hall was sentenced to prison despite his young age — here’s when Hall is scheduled to be released.
Hall’s father, Jeff Hall, was a Neo-Nazi and abusive, and Joseph had developmental disabilities and was prone to violent outbursts, according to the Independent. Reportedly, Joseph used his dad’s revolver to kill him, and confessed to the crime under police interrogation.
But at just 10 years old, and combined with Joseph’s known mental and emotional challenges, Joseph’s conviction and sentencing should be thrown out, or at the very least reconsidered, especially surrounding his decision to give up his Miranda Rights when the police spoke to him.
Joseph’s attorney, Nima Mohebbi, later told the Independent, “We believe the notion that any ten-year-old can understand and intelligently waive his or her Miranda rights in a coercive police interrogation is nonsensical.”
Joseph Hall was sentenced to 10 years in prison
In 2013, Joseph Hall was sentenced to 10 years in a California juvenile facility, and eligible for parole in seven, according to CBS News. This would put Hall’s release date sometime in 2023, when Hall was 23 years old. An unconfirmed Reddit comment said Hall would be freed in 2024, suggesting he may not have begun to serve his sentence until 2014. Hall is not listed on the California Department of Corrections website. As of 2024, Hall’s current whereabouts were unclear.
In 2016, Hall’s attorneys tried to appeal his sentence, but the Supreme Court refused the request. During his trial, his defense claimed that many of the psychological and emotional challenges he faced came as a result of his father, Jeff Hall’s abuse, but the judge ruled, “The minor knew what he did was wrong. He put the barrel of a handgun to his father’s head and pulled the trigger. There was planning and understanding in the commission of this crime.”
