Jeffrey Russell Hall, also known as Jeff Hall, worked as a plumber in Riverside, California. He held a leadership position in the National Socialist Movement (Nazi party). On May 1, 2011, Hall was fatally sh0t by his 10-year-old son, Joseph, using his own gun. The incident occurred at 4 a.m. while Hall was sleeping on his couch. Hall espoused neo-Nazi beliefs, advocating for an all-white society and expressing willingness to sacrifice for the cause. Joseph later stated that the motive for the m*rder was his father’s physical abuse towards him and his stepmother. The m*rder gained national attention when it was featured on 60 Minutes on September 25, 2011. Joseph, at the age of 13, was sentenced to a 10-year term in a California juvenile facility in 2013.
Table of Contents
Family background
Hall’s neo-Nazi activity
Death
Trial
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Family background
Jeffrey Hall, son of Joann Patterson, was previously married to Leticia Neal, with whom he had two children, Joseph and Shirley, born on June 19, 2000. Following their divorce, Neal had twins with another partner, who were hospitalized in 2003 due to failure to thrive, leading Child Protective Services to remove Hall’s children. Social workers reported neglectful conditions at Neal’s home, including lack of utilities, dirty surroundings, and signs of malnutrition and abuse on the children. Hall, then on probation for driving under the influence, temporarily placed his children with their grandmother. In 2004, he gained full custody.
Hall later married Krista McCary, with whom he had three daughters. At the time of his death, he had five children. Neal, his former wife, had moved out of California, remarried, and returned only a month before the shooting, seeking to regain custody of Joseph.
According to his grandmother, Joseph exhibited violent behavior and had been expelled from multiple schools for attacking both students and staff. His actions included an incident where he nearly strangled a teacher with a phone cord. Joseph was described as lacking comprehension of cause and effect and had developmental issues such as ADHD and below-average intelligence. He, along with his sisters, received homeschooling under the supervision of River Springs Charter School.
Hall’s neo-Nazi activity
For a span of three years, 32-year-old Hall faced challenges securing employment due to the economic downturn in the construction sector. Blaming Jews and non-whites for the scarcity of job opportunities, he emerged as a prominent figure in the local Neo-Nazi movement.
In October 2009, Hall led a contingent from the National Socialist Movement (NSM) in a rally close to a day-laborer site in Riverside, donning attire reminiscent of World War II-era Nazis. In a November 2009 interview discussing the rallies held in Riverside, Arizona, and Minnesota, Hall expressed sentiments of pride among his followers, asserting their exhaustion with the imposition of white guilt on their children and the promotion of multiculturalism.
In 2010, he contested against an incumbent for a seat on the Western Municipal Water District board, openly advocating white supremacist ideals, and garnered approximately a third of the vote.
In March 2011, Hall and his group, comprising roughly two dozen white supremacists, marched through Claremont, Los Angeles County, an affluent residential area often referred to as “The City of Trees and Ph.D.s.” Their presence sparked a heated confrontation with over 200 immigrant rights activists, who condemned the group as racist. Hall defended their actions by highlighting border patrols and the perceived societal issues they witnessed.
Merely 12 hours prior to Hall’s demise, a reporter from The New York Times conducted an interview with him and members of his group at his residence. During the interview, Hall’s 10-year-old son proudly exhibited a leather belt adorned with the silver insignia of the Nazi SS, a gift from his father.
Death
Hall boasted about instructing his eldest son, Joseph, in the use of night-vision equipment and firearm handling. On May 1, 2011, the ten-year-old recounted to the police how he retrieved a .357 revolver from a closet shelf, cocked the hammer, aimed at his father’s ear while he slept on the couch, and fired the fatal sh0t.
Joseph disclosed to the authorities that the day before the incident, his father had menaced to dismantle all the smoke detectors and set fire to the house while the family slept. He admitted being weary of his father’s physical abuse towards him and his mother. Krista, his 26-year-old stepmother, corroborated this, revealing instances of Hall’s violence, including losing control and kicking his son. Hall routinely disciplined his children with varying degrees of severity.
The police report described the house as unkempt, strewn with clothes, and emanating a urine odor. Numerous weapons were within easy reach of the children.
Following the arrest of the son, who was placed in juvenile hall, the other four children were placed under protective custody. Krista was subsequently arrested and charged with criminal storage of firearms and child neglect. Joann Patterson, Jeff’s mother and Joseph’s grandmother, assumed temporary custody of the other children. In an interview with 60 Minutes, she admitted not being surprised by Joseph’s action but had expected it to occur later in life. She attributed Jeff’s involvement in neo-Nazism to expediting the tragic event. She also mentioned Joseph’s history of misbehavior, including fire-starting incidents.
Joseph cited an episode of Criminal Minds as his inspiration for the k*lling, where he claimed to have witnessed a child shoot his abusive father without facing repercussions. He held onto the belief that his father would recover from the gunshot wound, harboring hopes of reconciliation.
Trial
Despite being only ten years old, Joseph Hall was charged with the m*rder of his father. If found guilty, he could have been incarcerated in a juvenile detention facility, but he couldn’t have been held beyond the age of 25.
Initially, Joseph’s lawyers contemplated a defense of not guilty by reason of insanity. They argued that the child, with developmental disabilities, had been exposed to violence in an abusive household. Joseph had a documented history of low-average intelligence and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. His public defender quoted him as saying, “I thought if I shoot him maybe he won’t be able to hurt us.”
The prosecution contended that the m*rder was premeditated. They presented evidence suggesting Joseph had confided his plan to his sister beforehand and had a history of violence, including an incident in kindergarten where he stabbed a teacher with a pencil. They portrayed Jeff Hall as a loving father and argued that his affiliation with Nazism was unrelated to the m*rder.
In 2013, Joseph was found guilty of m*rder. The judge emphasized that the minor understood the wrongfulness of his actions and displayed planning and comprehension during the crime. Psychological evidence was presented during the sentencing hearing. Joseph received a sentence of juvenile detention until the age of 23, given his birthdate of June 19, 2000.
In 2015, the California Supreme Court declined to review Joseph’s case, upholding the ruling that a 10-year-old should comprehend his Miranda rights. The United States Supreme Court also declined to hear the case in 2016.
The m*rder of Jeff Hall was featured in an episode of the television series Killer Kids.
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