Kansas City News Blog

ok I am having a problem with the new charges why didnt this girl and her family go after him for this before this happend? why do they pick now to stand up for what happend 4 years ago? i mean if it was your daughter you wouldnt wait 4 years I think its bull. I hope the court throws this new charge out and sticks to what happened to Smith thats the case at hand. and I am in no way sticking up for Hall.

I agree if he had been charged four years ago, poor Kelsey may be alive today. This seems a litte strange to me. If that were my child he would have been in jail or dead four years ago.

Wasn't Hall married at the time these new
charges took place? Add adultery to his resume.
If anyone is following this case as close as I am, go to justcara.com & click on Edwin Hall. It has pages & pages of comments from the very begining.

Im not blaming the victim but why wait 3 years to come forward, 15 minutes of fame maybe. Maybe she said she was older than 14,alot of 14 year olds look 17-18, there are alot of 14 year old not so innocent girls out there as well that are out to have fun, i dont agree with having sex with a minor but something isnt right with this one.

Wondering,

You could be right. Not only that but I remember a case in my home town. I use to be friends with the guy until I found out but he was dating this 14 yr old and she had a fake ID with a birthdate up there that said 18. He broke up with her when he found out her real age and she went crying to her parents. Her parents went to the DA and he was charged with rape. Even if the sex was concentual it is still considered rape because of the age difference. That guy did time and is listed as a sex offender. He didnt learn his lesson and I quit being friends with him.

Tuesday, 10 Jul 2007
OVERLAND PARK, KAN. -- Johnson County District Attorney Phil Kline said Tuesday he has filed a capital murder charge against Edwin Hall for the June 2 kidnapping and murder of Kelsey Smith. In addition, Kline has added the charges of rape and aggravated sodomy. With capital murder charges, Hall could face life in prison or the death penalty. District Attorney Phil Kline must decide within five days of Hall's arraignment which punishment he will seek. Hall will be in court Tuesday to face the new charges against him.

here is a link.. read this... I heard witnesses show him around Kara at the time she disappeared.

http://tinyurl.com/36sbhp

First of all, I'm not taking up for Edwin Hall in any way, shape or form, however, am I the only one out there that thinks that by being abandoned 2 different times may have messed him up to a point of no return? The Hall's should have had him removed from their home & placed somewhere where he could receive extensive help, counseling, medication etc. By sending him back to the state & disowning him completely is FAR worse than if he never had been adopted in the first place. By not honoring their commitment & making him someone else's problem was WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!!!!!!!!What good did they think could have come from giving him back to the state, or did they care? They had him for over half his life, its all he knew. Then they dumped him like he was trash. Thats enough to screw anyone up. He was not valued, therefore he has no value for himself or for anyone else. I feel if they had they loved him unconditionally then we wouldn't have the monster we do in jail right now. Once you're a Mother, you're a Mother, period. Right wrong or indifferent, by birth or adoption you are their Mother. Be their Mother from a distance, but for God's sake, be their Mother. (& or Father) Shame on the Hall's!!!!!!!

I agree with you Dell this guy was never helped he was passed around again and again i think he was acting the way he did when he was a kid to see who really cared about him its a test some abused and neglected kids use. (if i make it hard on you will you love me anyway?) i think the system and his paternal parents are to blame for the way this guy turned out.

June 19th he has a preliminary hearing before the judge.

Are you guys kidding me? Have you seen this guy? He looks like he's 16 now! The chances that HE lied about his age and then raped this girl is a much more likely story. FYI, MOST victims of child sexual abuse don't report because they're scared to death. Look what this guy is capable of doing. Is there any doubt that he could have kept a 14 year old quiet? God forbid if we find out that the parents DID report it and no charges were filed or that she was one of the minors who received an abortion at Planned Parenthood.

agg. kidnapping in ks constitues some kind of sexual assault that leads to foul play; he's def. getting the death penalty

I wonder to if there are more victims. From the bio that was on his wifes myspace, they moved around a lot more than the average person. I wonder what the reason for that was.

Dell, people are abandoned every day, but that dose not turn them into killers. We dont really know the magnitude of how bad this kid was. I think it must have been pretty bad considering the threat with the knife. He made a decision to do what he did. He was not to messed up to know what he did was wrong, and try to hide her body. Being abandoned is no excuse for MUDER!!!!

why the hell would this 16 year old girl that was 14 at the time pick now to tell her story? all these people are comming out with a story about meeting up with this guy like the women who was walking and she said he told her she had a nice butt she is a older female why didnt she report him if she found he was following her? she wasnt a kid and i sure as hell dont buy that he and Kelsey didnt know each other some how how did he know her car? when she was going to that store? and what store she was go to? murders dont pick a victim out of the blue i think they somehow met and (now dont get on my ass about this)she blew him off or something Hall doesnt seem like a scared guy he seems bold in his approach with females she was maybe the girl he could get and so was his sister thats why the knife. he is the kind of person that will not take no from a female. thats his m.o

Blame the victim, blame his family, blame the State, and heck while we're at it let's blame his biological parents. Where's bio mom at? Let's rip her a new one for abandoning him like his mom did.

The fact is there's many people who have gone through far worse and never hurt a flea. There's also people that were privledged to have a wonderful family and ar filthy predators like him. He's to blame.

The mere fact he had sex with a 14 year old girl right there I want him kept locked up. Weather she lied or not is not the point. A MAN of that age even if she said she was 18 has no business having relations with a child. His myspace was the first thing struck me. KIDS. He had young girls he was communicating with and partying with on there. RED FLAG!!!!!!!! HUGE RED FLAG!

Hellfire, why would someone who was 14 at the time having sex with a grown man tell now? This dude most likely murdered more than one girl. He's a predator. He's a con.
Come on his own sister? He's a scourge. Oh and yeah I guess that would make him an adulterer as well. So if this girl lied, and he lied about his age too. Was that still O.K. when he had a wife at home? Yo, I feel for this girl big time. Imagine seeing that face and having to know that he abducted someone, and most likely murdered her. A 14 year old is a victim.

As always prayers for the Smith family. That pain and anguish has to be unimaginable.

WTF, I didn't mean to imply that the Hall's were the cause for him becoming a murderer. He very well could have turned out the same or far worse (if thats possible). I think my main point was, don't give up on your child. I am the Mother of 3 children, ages 14-26. There is absolutely NOTHING any of them could do that would ever prevent me from loving them with all my heart. Thats referred to as "unconditional love". EVERYONE needs that from someone. I realize that in itself doesn't make or break a murderer/rapist etc. I also realize there are lots of murderers/rapists that got plenty of TLC.(And for the record its about 80/20, but thats neither here nor there.) I still think the Hall's were wrong for abandoning him. I would feel that way even if he had turned out to be a missionary.
Yes he knew right from wrong. Yes, he is an evil evil man, and yes, the Hall's have a bit of his blood on their hands.

Hellfire, Indeed many women "screw" men over. It ain't right. Same vice versa.

A 14 year old mentally more mature than a 23 year old? If so then the man would obviously have some issues or medical reasons for having SEX with a 14 year old.

No way. That's just my opinion. No way in hell should any 23 year old male or female be having sex with a child.

Uh You guys are a bunch of idiots. He didn't have sex with the girl, and your prejudgement on the subject shows your complete ignorance. Are you guys this ignorant in life as well. The DA is reaching. And some 16 year old chick has a chance to be on tv. Wow, I am actually commenting to this...

well now i have my theory who dreamon is it sounds like Darlene, Halls 1# wacko LOL that chick never stops she thinks with her hermones and thats about it. sick

Yep, Hellfire dreamon does sound like darlene. I guess she never got her medicine. LOL. Wonder what she is dreamon about now.

The thing is nobody except hall and this young lady know what really happened. So dreamon unless you were in the room SHUT UP!!!!

Has anybody seen this girl on tv? because I have not. Although the fact that it is some three years later I dont think this has anything to do with having fifteen minutes of fame.

You all are wasting too much time over the 17 year old girl. I doubt you will ever here her name or see her on T.V. because she is underage. Its sounds to me like some of you are arguing for the sake of arguing.

His wife looks worn and tired, this must really be taking a toll on her as well. I truly feel for her as well as the Smith family, neither asked for this especially Kelsey. I wonder if she really thinks that he is innocent.

I could not imagine waking up on day and my husband being accused of such a horrible crime. Its maks you wonder how well you really know the person you sleep next to each night.

I hope that some how his friends and family can understand the way people feel. Unless we are given someone else to suspect of this we always agree that he is quilty and we will be angry. However I dont think we should be angry with anybody but the person that choose to make the decision he did.

God bless the Smith family as well as the innocent wife and child that have been dragged into this.;

Anonymous,
where did you see a picture of his wife? Tell me!!!! I am dying to see what she looks like. I live in Oklahoma & they don't cover the story here anymore at all. So where do I go to get the most current information, & where is that picture?

better yet here
http://www.myfoxkc.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=3767165&version=1&locale=EN-US

Kaity,

I think the death penalty would definitely fit this horrible crime, if he had to die the way she did. Maybe just a little more torture for him though. But do you really think life in prison will not be simple for him. Come on, he has no remorse for what he has done. Prison will be nothing for him, just a place where he will always call home, instead of moving constantly like his was doing. He gets a roof over his head, free, he gets feed better than people in society does, he gets to watch TV, lift weights, finish his education. For some, life in prison is better than living in society.
I know you are hurting, and I am sorry you lost your friend but he needs to pay for what he did to her. He g sentenced her to death, so why shouldnt he be sentenced to death.

My guess is that Aletha thinks that her husband is guilty, but fucked in the head. He obviously has a history of violence, possibly due to being a victim of abuse/abandoment at an early age, so she probably feels sympathy for him. His supporters seem to be jaded, and I can see them all placing the blame on the system that 'failed' him as a child. It will be interesting to see what the defense has to say...

my guess is that guy was to dam poor to have a cell phone.

He had a cell.

He sure did- Sprint! One more piece of damning evidence if he was carrying it.

http://www.intelius.com/phone-summary-out.php?ReportType=33&

Didnt show me anything either?????

Might be the attorney for the new charges.

some attorneys will do highly publicized cases cheaply because its good P.R for them.

a line in the movie the money pit
"Blood Sucking Lawyers"

can anyone attend the trial in August?

OK Hellfire, I'm counting on you to let me know when & where to tune in since I'm out of the loop in my state.

The grand jury is in baby. Who said they didnt have any evidence??????? His ass is going to fry as he should.

Hall pleaded not guilty today in court, and he also claimed his innocence during a phone call to the Pitch. Check out more here.

They seized a computer from the Hall residence, could it be possible that there was pictures or information about this 14 yr old girl and the police then contacted her? Guys that do these types of crimes sometimes keep personal things around of the victims. Or is it possible that this girl at the time told her parents something happened and she had a rape kit done at the hospital and after DNA of Edwin Hall was put in the system it triggered a connection. I really find it hard to believe that a 17 yr old would just come forward all the sudden for attention, thats not the kind of attention a 17 yr old would want.

I just want to start off by saying anyone that faults the Hall's are IDIOTS! I was a childhood friend of Edwin's and his foster parents did EVERYTHING for him and thier own kids! I read all this crap that everyone just conjours up not knowing any facts. I moved when I was 13 and had no further contact with him but had heard that he stuck a knife to his sister's throat and I think that the Hall's did the right thing....by protecting the other 2 children (regardless of the fact that they were both biological or not) still remaining in the household.

I found out about the case from my mom who called me while I was here in Germany and asked me if I had heard.

I'm not sticking up for him by any means. Although we were childhood friends, the fact that he could kill someone or have sex with a child is messed up. He did some messed up things when we were kids, but I just figured that was because he was just an angry child. I hope he gets the death penalty, eventhough that won't bring Kelsey back nor will it fix any of the wrongs that he's done.