RSSEdwin R. Hall Pleads Guilty to kidnapping, Raping, Sodomizing and Murdering Kelsey Smith
18 year old Kelsey Smith had gone missing on June 2, 2007. She had been abducted and forced into a car according to reports. Kelsey Smith’s body was later found four days later and 26 year old Edwin R. Hall was arrested on charges of first degree murder and kidnapping.
Justice for Kelsey Smith, May She Rest in Peace
Finally justice has been served for Kelsey Smith. Edwin R. Hall has plead guilty to kidnapping, raping and sodomizing her and then strangling Kelsey Smith with her own belt. Edwin R. Hall will now spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole. At least there is one less predator off the streets that will never kill again. In the end the surprise guilty plea by Hall and the plea deal that was made was probably for the best outcome for the family of Kelsey Smith. They have lost their loved one, why would anyone want to have to hear what happened all over again and a defense attorney attempting to make Hall the victim. Also, now that there is no death penalty on the table, there will be no appeals. Edwin R. Hall gets to spend the rest of his life in anonymity in prison so that no one ever has to hear his name again.
As Hall stood and said “guilty” to each of the charges — capital murder, aggravated kidnapping, rape and aggravated sodomy — Missey Smith clutched pictures of her slain daughter.
When Hall said “guilty” the first time, she collapsed on the shoulder of her husband, Greg. After the fourth time, the two hugged and cried.
District Judge Peter Ruddick plans to sentence Hall on Sept. 16. The 27-year-old Olathe man will spend his life in prison with no chance of parole.
After the pleas, District Attorney Phill Kline laid out the evidence he would have presented at a trial. Smith’s DNA was found on a stain inside the zipper flap of Hall’s shorts. The chance that the DNA was anyone but Smith’s was one in over 280 billion.
Kline obtained the plea by taking the death penalty off the table. Hall also has waived all of his appeal rights, Kline said.
Edwin R. Hall will never be a free men ever again.
What makes this crime even more reprehensible than it already was that 26 year old Edwin R. Hall, at the time, thought he was going to commit these heinous acts against a 12 year old girl. In other words, Hall was not just a sex offender, his intent was to be a child sex offender.
“Nice legs,” Hall thought when he noticed the girl who had graduated from high school 10 days before.
When she turned and he saw her face, he thought she looked liked a 12-year-old. It was early in the evening of June 2, 2007. He narrowed in.
Man Pleads Guilty to Rape, Murder of Kelsey Smith
UPDATE I: ‘See No Evil’ … Investigation Discovery Channel Premieres Tonight with Episode on the 2007 Abduction & Murder of Overland Park Teenager Kelsey Smith (VIDEO)
Posted July 25, 2008 by Scared Monkeys Crime, Guilty, Kidnapping/Abduction, Legal - Court Room - Trial, Murder, Rape, Sodomy | 23 comments |
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23 Responses to “Edwin R. Hall Pleads Guilty to kidnapping, Raping, Sodomizing and Murdering Kelsey Smith”
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The kid should have to die for what he did. I am
just thankful they nabbed that predatory sickness
before he could hurt anyone else.
Good police work, media coverage, & community teamwork!
God bless Kelsey and her family.
At least one sick POS is off the streets for good!
Rest in peace, Kelsey.
My youngest son has a friend he has been friends with since 1st grade and the friend’s gf looks so much like Kelsey.. about the same age. I just can’t imagine this happening to her.. What is wrong with these creeps, taking a person’s life and then throwing them away like trash? Sitting in jail for life seems a bit too easy.
RIP Kelsey Smith..such a tragedy.. My heart goes out to all of her family and friends.
Help the family! Terminate Hall! Hall has a sickness, evil, that should not be tolerated and show other perverts we mean business. We know longer need to stuff prison with premeditated sex offenders especially with murder involved.
Prison is not enough and please don’t take money from us to feed scum. He can’t be cured.
Is this right?
“now that there is no death penalty on the table, there will be no appeals.”
I know that, usually, a death penalty verdict entails automatic and seemingly inexhaustible appeals (all financed by the taxpayer, of course).
It often works out that the perpetrator spends more time on Death Row, while the legal world spews its rhetoric, than the victims lived.
But can there be no more appeals in this case now that the animal has a life sentence? It’s almost too much to hope for … but if so, then it’s not so bad. The animal will be looking over its shoulder every day in its life … and from what I read, life in jail isn’t all that pleasant.
At least in some ways, we’re still better than Aruba.
why is he allowed to live after what he did to Kelsy and why do we have to continue to pay for him to live in prison…Aren’t we all just plain sick of this…..!!!!
this young man had many years to seek professional help for his sick urges. he’s just lucky that he was able to escape a death sentence. he’ll have the rest of his sorry life to sit & regret not getting the mental help that he needed.
Richard,
I believe that once you plead guilty you waive the right to appeal…..how can you appeal what you have already admitted to.
I agree Hall belongs dead and not living off the taxpayer’s dime – but I have to respect the decision Kelsey’s family agreed to which prevented them from having to endure a trial and years of appeals. I probably would have made the decision.
I wish him a long life behind bars. It will be a living hell for him and I don’t mind paying taxes for it, the longer he lives the better. Then when his long career of being sexually assaulted is over, may he rot in hell for all eternity.
Knowing those who know him personally… I don’t think he’ll mind being sexually assaulted, sorry to say. And to be honest, in my heart deep down I don’t know if this was his first or only.
What happened to the strong case the DA had? You don’t normally deal when you are holding a winner? Everyone is beating the better for the family, closure, move on drums. I say not so fast. Got to be more to this.
Truck u all
It is a very sad crime what this man did! I am very happy that he will spend the rest of his life in prison. Knowing that such a crime is so hideous viewed among prisoners I am sure he will will likely have a very rough time in prison.
This should no longer be happening… I say “kill them all” and that way, the ones left will think about it twice. When you see a roach or a rat, you don’t put it in a cage and feed it(for the rest of his/her time left), you call the exterminator. Any one capable of molesting, hurting, or killing a child deserves no mercy.
It sure looked like someone was preparing to burn Kelsey’s body just like someone did to Tammy Cochran’s body. kelsey had people in Nashville publishing. Tammy had the unfortune to have the same name and general appearance of a Nashville based singer. Connection?
Edwin confessed because he did not want to expose co-conspirators. the da had a open and shut case with the dna on Edwin’s shorts. Something funny here.
Death is too easy-living in prison is torturous!! Paybacks are a bitch-this predator will now be the prey! He will regret all he has ever done-in prison they hate pedophiles and women abusers! He will now know what it feels like to be raped! Hate to sound so cynical but karma is the ultimate payback!
God says to. forgive 70 x 7…..I’m not god….i hate what Edwin. hall did……he can go to HELL
What a tragic story. A beautiful, innocent young girll whom had done nothing at all to put her life in danger. A monster came along and kidnapped and murdered her. It saddens me so much to hear of cases like that and also scares me because I have a daughter. I would like the death penalty for the monster who killed her.
I just watched this story on ID. I pray he gets raped regularly in prison. I want more death penalty for these kinds of crimes and have their executions televised so anyone else who dares hurt an innocent person will know that they will die. I would love to be his cell mate so I could make sure he gets sodomized and beaten regularly
[...] with the 1st degree murder and aggravated kidnapping in the murder of 18 year old Kelsey Smith. Hall would later plead guilty to the kidnapping, raping, sodomizing and murder of Kelsey Smith. How fitting the true crime [...]
It makes me sick to see all the evil that is in our world today and when the police find and catch them, all they can do is cop-a-plea deal. I think a person who does this deserves death. This brought me to tears when i saw this on TV in 2007, because i have a daughter to.