Austin Patrick Hall Murder Trial Delayed In Bibb County
The trial of a man accused of the June 2022 murder of Bibb County Sheriff's Deputy Brad Johnson will not take place in September as scheduled. Defense atttorneys for Austin Patrick Hall requested postponment after defense scheduling conflicts developed. Defense stated that scheduling conflicts involving both defense attorneys Juston Forrester and Rachel Cohen Blume, made the scheduled September trial date unworkable.
Bibb County Circuit Judge Marvin W. Wiggins granted the continuance request by after the Alabama Attorney General’s Office notified the court that they did not oppose a delay in the case. It was determined that delaying the case
Hall's defense has requested Judge Wiggins set a in person or virtual status conference to set a new date. At present, that cannot be done until the court's 2027 trial calendar becomes available.
Hall is charged with the June 29, 2022 shooting death of Deputy Johnson and the wounding of Johnson’s partner, Deputy Chris Poole when they encountered him driving a stolen car in rural Bibb County. After a 16-hour multi-agency manhunt, Hall was taken into custody and charged in the case. Deputy Poole recovered from his gunshot wounds but Deputy Johnson succumbed to his injuries the following day.
Hall has an extensive and long criminal record, including theft, burglary, drug possession, assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest, eluding police, firearm possession by a prohibited person, and more.
He had been released from prison on "good time" credit after serving less than four years on a nine year sentence for second-degree theft when the deadly shooting took place.
If convicted, Hall faces the death penalty or a sentence of life imprisonment without parole for each of the three charges of capital murder. The range of punishment for the attempted murder charge ranges from not less than 10 years to not more than 99 years or life imprisonment. The range of punishment for the discharging a firearm into an occupied automobile is not less than 2 years not more than 20 years’ imprisonment.
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