IN BRIEF:
- Indictment handed down against Magen Hall (now officially Magen) on murder, robbery, obstruction charges
- Arraignment could happen within 2 weeks
Megan Hall (now known as Magen Hall) was indicted on murder, robbery, and obstruction of justice charges Thursday by an Orleans Parish grand jury in Louisiana.
Hall is accused of murdering Pottsville jeweler Patrick Murphy in the early morning hours of Feb. 28 in the Treme section of New Orleans. Hall’s been in prison since March 3, when she turned herself in to NOLA police.
Magen Hall Indicted Patrick Murphy Murder
On Thursday, Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro announced his office secured an indictment on three separate counts against Hall:
- Second-degree murder
- Armed robbery
- Obstruction of justice-homicide
Orleans Parish Assistant District Attorney Inga Petrovich presented the case to the grand jury, according to a DA’s statement.
Hall faces a mandatory life sentence if she’s convicted on the murder charge. She could get an additional 10-99 years on the robbery charge and up to 40 more on the obstruction of a homicide case charge.
Before today, the public was really only made aware of the murder charge against Hall. In a statement released from the DA’s office on Thursday, it states Hall is “believed to be leaving with some of Murphy’s possessions” as she exits the seedy Empress Hotel, where the crimes allegedly happened.
Remember, earlier, we learned that Hall and Murphy are clearly seen on surveillance video from the Empress Hotel. They actually go in and out of the hotel before going in one last time.
Hall presumably was working as a prostitute that night when Murphy approached her and they agreed on a transaction.
In the hotel room that Hall used her ID to secure but Murphy allegedly paid for, she is accused of stabbing Murphy 3 times, once in the neck and twice in the abdomen. She allegedly yelled “GET IN THE BATHROOM” at Murphy before exiting the hotel.
Previous court appearances saw Hall trying to get charges reduced, at the very least, and her bond reduced. All attempts failed. On Thursday, Criminal District Judge Camille Buras didn’t change the $750,000 bond against Hall. And she left any new bonds for the new charges facing Hall to the next judge in this case.
The Canary reached out to Hall’s attorney John Fuller but someone answering the phone at his office said he was in a meeting.
What’s Next in the Patrick Murphy Murder Case?
To find out what’s next in the Patrick Murphy murder case, Coal Region Canary contacted Ken Daley, the Public Information Director with the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office.
He says in the next 2-3 days, Hall’s case gets allotted at random to one of 12 Orleans Parish Criminal District Court judges. Daley says that should happen by the middle of next week. In another week, you can expect Hall to be arraigned on the charges.
That’s about the time when Daley stopped predicting a timeline. He tells The Canary some judges operate more efficiently than others so predicting a timeline for a Discovery hearing is impossible right now.
Previous Coverage of the Patrick Murphy Murder Case
Check out previous coverage of the Patrick Murphy murder case from The Canary:
- Patrick Murphy Stabbed 3 Times
- Tick-tock of Patrick Murphy Preliminary Hearing
- What Will Megan Hall Say in Defense of Killing Patrick Murphy?
- “Get in the Bathroom” Last Words Patrick Murphy Heard
- Will DA Seek Lesser Charges in Patrick Murphy Murder Case?
- Patrick Murphy Murder Suspect Arrested
- Schuylkill County Residents Trolling Patrick Murphy Murder Suspect
- Patrick Murphy Murder Suspect Has Illicit History
- Locals React to Patrick Murphy Murder News
- Pottsville Businessman Patrick Murphy Killed in New Orleans
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