Kansas man pleads guilty to killing teen after kidnapping, raping her

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A man pleaded guilty Wednesday to snatching an 18-year-old from a store parking lot, raping her and strangling her with her own belt before dumping her body in a park.

Edwin Hall, 27, will be sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing Kelsey Smith, whose June 2007 abduction from outside a Target store in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park was captured by security cameras.

Her body was found naked four days later near a lake about 15 miles away in Missouri. Police arrested Hall the same day.

Hall’s plea deal with prosecutors averted a trial and a potential death sentence. He pleaded guilty to capital murder, aggravated kidnapping, rape and aggravated sodomy.

Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline said in a courtroom packed with Smith’s parents and other loved ones that Hall told authorities he thought the teen was 12 and had “nice legs” when he first saw her at the store.

Hall quietly said “guilty” when asked by District Judge Peter Ruddick how he pleaded to each charge. He did not comment further and was quickly escorted from the courtroom when the hearing ended.

One of Hall’s attorneys, Carl Cornwell, told reporters outside court that Hall agreed to the deal after deciding that the “best he could hope for is life.”

Hall is scheduled to be formally sentenced Sept. 16.