Hall convicted in 2006 murder of police informant

YOUNGSTOWN — Sentencing will be at 10 a.m. Friday for James A. Hall, who was convicted of aggravated murder with a gun specification in the death of Jeffrey A. Queen.

After just two hours of deliberations, a seven-woman, five-man jury returned its verdicts today, also convicting Hall of being a convicted felon with a gun.

Judge R. Scott Krichbaum of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, who presided over the four-day trial, will rule on the repeat violent offender specification against Hall at today’s sentencing hearing.

Hall, 30, of Victoria Street, is facing 20 years to life in prison for the aggravated murder, a mandatory consecutive three years for the gun specification, one to five years for being a felon with a gun, and one to 10 years for the repeat violent offender specification.

Queen, 35, of Austintown, a confidential informant who had made undercover drug buys from Hall for police, was shot three times in the torso with a .38-caliber gun at 12:30 a.m. Oct. 14, 2006.

Queen was to testify against Hall in a federal drug trafficking case.

For the complete story, see Friday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.