David James Hall, age 36, pled guilty January 8. Hall’s trial was to begin that morning, however, he decided to plead guilty before selecting a jury. Circuit Court Judge Walton J. McLeod, IV, sentenced Hall to 15 years for two counts of Attempted Murder, Domestic Violence of a High and Aggravated Nature, Burglary Second Degree, and Possession of a Weapon during the Commission of a Violent Crime. Under South Carolina law, attempted murder is classified as a violent, most serious, and “no parole” offense; and both burglary second degree and domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature are violent and serious offenses.
On the evening of June 24, 2022, Hall began texting one of the victims, his estranged wife, about a new relationship she shared on Facebook. Although the parties separated in December of 2021, the divorce was not yet final. Hall showed up at the home where his estranged wife, her boyfriend, and Hall’s two minor children were residing. He made several verbal threats to the couple, but fled when law enforcement was called. Over the next two hours, Hall sent violent text messages to the couple that he was coming back and he would harm them. Shortly after 11 pm that night, Ring camera footage showed Hall coming back to the residence, getting out of his car, cursing, and shooting a single shot into the master bedroom’s window. This bullet was later recovered from the mattress in that room.
The four residents left the home, fleeing out of the back door, and climbing a fence to get to a neighbor’s home for safety. The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department responded, but Hall fled the scene once again. Law enforcement left the scene at 5:30 am on June 25, 2022. At 6:30 am, Ring surveillance footage showed Hall returned to the home. Again, deputies responded to the scene and found the car of Hall’s estranged wife, which had been locked in the garage, vandalized. Law enforcement also discovered five additional shots had been fired into the front of the home where bedrooms were located.
Deputy Solicitor Angela Martin and Assistant Solicitor Player Long prosecuted this case on behalf of the Eleventh Circuit Solicitor’s Office. During sentence, Deputy Solicitor Martin told the judge, that “this criminal behavior cannot be justified and cries out for a significant sentence even though, thankfully, no one was physically injured in the attack.”
Hall has prior convictions for threatening a public official and burglary. He was transported to the South Carolina Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence.
