Bio

Donald Joe Hall was born on November 10, 1947. Publicly available court records provide limited verified information about his childhood, family background, education, or early employment history. By the early 1990s, he was living in Missouri and had a criminal history.

At the time of the murder, Hall was living with his former wife, Donna Hicks. He was also acquainted with Kimball Morton, a man who had previously shared a prison cell with him. Morton later became an important witness in the murder case.

Before the killing, Hall had visited Bill White’s jewelry store in Springfield, Missouri, with Morton. White examined a necklace for Hall, and the men also discussed gold coins. After leaving the store, Hall talked to Morton about robbing and killing White. Morton testified that Hall said the robbery would be easy because the store had no security cameras.

Murder Story

On December 15, 1992, Donald Joe Hall went to Bill White’s jewelry store in Springfield, Missouri. Witnesses saw Hall walking toward the store that morning, and his vehicle was seen parked nearby.

Later that morning, Hall returned to the apartment he shared with Donna Hicks and asked her to drive him to White’s jewelry store, saying he needed a necklace repaired. Hicks dropped him off near the store and parked about a block away.

Hall returned to the car less than ten minutes later carrying a paper bag. Hicks testified that he had blood on his hands and told her he had shot White in the head. According to the court record, Hall said he shot White while the jeweler bent over to examine the necklace. Hall then took White’s wallet, jewelry, and the gun used in the killing.

Hall and Hicks drove to Springfield Lake, where Hall threw the gun and clip into the water. He also disposed of a metal jewelry box by weighting it with rocks and throwing it into the lake. The two later burned some of White’s documents and hid stolen jewelry inside a roadside guardrail.

Three days after the murder, Hall and Hicks retrieved the jewelry and went to Kansas City, where they sold some of the stolen items at pawn shops. Hall was arrested on January 8, 1993, on an unrelated drug charge. The next day, Hicks contacted Springfield police and gave information about the murder.

On April 2, 1993, Hall was indicted for first-degree murder in Greene County, Missouri. His trial began on September 6, 1994. Hall claimed that White had pulled a gun during an argument over watches and that the weapon discharged during a struggle. The prosecution argued that the killing was planned and committed during a robbery.

The jury convicted Hall of first-degree murder and recommended the death penalty. The trial court imposed a death sentence in 1994. The Missouri Supreme Court affirmed the conviction and death sentence on December 1, 1998.

Hall later pursued federal habeas corpus relief. In 2002, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed the denial of his petition. His death sentence was eventually reversed and remanded, and on May 18, 2007, he was resentenced to life imprisonment without parole.

Donald Joe Hall remains classified as an imprisoned offender serving life without parole for the murder of Bill White.