Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 10, 1994 TAG: 9405100131
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Hall, a dancer who loved music and was voted most popular girl in her high school class, was murdered shortly after she left the nightspot, authorities say, but her remains were never found.
Evidence against Stephen Epperly, the man convicted of killing her, included small amounts of blood and hair that matched Hall's, found at a Claytor Lake house.
Epperly, the first person in Virginia ever convicted of murder without a confession, a body or an eyewitness, will be interviewed today by a parole examiner. The state's newly appointed Parole Board then will review his case and decide whether he should be released.
Epperly, who is being held in the Keen Mountain Correctional Center in Buchanan County, became eligible for parole before serving the 15 years those sentenced to life normally serve because of time off for good behavior.
"I don't care how good he's been ... That doesn't change the fact that he killed her and he was given life. And he should serve life," said Tina Greer, best friend of Gina's sister Dlana Hall.
Gina Hall's family and friends have spent the past several months organizing petition drives and letter-writing campaigns against parole for Epperly, after some well-meaning people told them he had been a model prisoner.
Becky Sirles, director of community and victim input services with the state Parole Board, was disconcerted to learn of the family's worries.
"This is his very first parole interview. This is a life sentence. ... Just because someone is eligible for parole doesn't mean he is suitable," Sirles said.
"This is a very serious and violent case," and because this is a life sentence, Epperly doesn't have a mandatory release date, Sirles said.
Epperly's parole eligibility date is July 5. After he is interviewed, the Parole Board will review the case and make a decision.
Greer said petitions signed by hundreds, even thousands, of people have been sent to the Parole Board. Dlana Hall recently received, anonymously, a packet of petitions containing some 5,000 signatures asking that Epperly be declined parole, Greer said.
"They have no doubt about about the way the community feels," Greer said.
"We've had a tremendous amount of community input in this case," Sirles said.
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last June rejected Epperly's last remaining lines of appeal - including his main contention that there was no evidence of premeditation.
Epperly didn't testify at his trial, but in several interviews with the Roanoke Times & World-News, he has maintained he didn't kill Gina Hall and consequently has no idea what happened to her body. He contends he was set up by police and prosecutors.
His appeals received national attention when he challenged the expert testimony of a dog handler who claimed his dog tracked Epperly's trail from Hall's abandoned car to Epperly's home eight days after the crime. The dog handler later conceded that his dog may have been tracking a police officer instead of Epperly. The handler also was accused of faking evidence in other cases in which charges subsequently were dropped.
The appeals court decision last June came after earlier court rulings rejected Epperly's claim that the dog-tracking testimony tainted his trial. The court also rejected Epperly's claim that the prosecutor interfered with a fair trial by improperly instructing police officers not to talk with defense attorneys.
Hall disappeared on June 29, Greer's birthday. Each year, the day passes with everyone's quiet reflection. The Halls and Greer don't call each other, but Greer said the significance of the day weighs on everyone's minds.
Especially, she said, given "the fact that we don't have her body and there's no closure."
by CNB