Not-guilty plea given by ex-cop in wife's death

Mike Cruz, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 06/13/2007 12:00:00 AM PDT

A retired San Bernardino police detective pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder in the death of his wife, whose body was found in the couple's backyard spa.

Sad-eyed Blair Christopher Hall was led into the courtroom in orange jail garb and restraints and seated in the jury box for his arraignment in Banning Superior Court.

Family members and friends nearly filled the two back rows of the courtroom. They wept when Hall appeared.

His lawyer, Victor C. Marshall, entered a not-guilty plea on Hall's behalf and denied all special allegations in the death of 46-year-old Cristi Lynne Hall.

Prosecutors filed a single charge of murder against Hall in Superior Court that morning, said Ingrid Wyatt, spokeswoman for the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.

Cristi Hall was found unresponsive and floating in a backyard spa at the couple's home in the 1200 block of Belle Road, in Calimesa at 6:38 a.m. on Thursday, according to Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

The woman was transported to San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 7:40 a.m., accoring to the Sheriff's Department.

During the investigation, detectives uncovered enough evidence to arrest Hall, 49.

A preliminary hearing, in which a judge determines whether there is enough evidence to hold the defendant to answer the charges, is typically scheduled 10 days from the arraignment.

But Marshall requested additional time, saying it was "based on things I know about the case, and I've spoken to my client."

The preliminary hearing was scheduled for July 13.

Marshall tried more than once to discuss parts of the case at a sidebar - or a private discussion - with Superior Court Judge Dennis A. McConaghy, but the judge wouldn't allow it.

McConaghy also denied Marshall's motion for a bail reduction at a review hearing, which prompted more tears from Hall's supporters.

The defense argued that the bail schedule was a guideline and not necessarily mandatory.

But the judge responded that he was familiar with Hall's background, and that "the protection of society is very important."

In a case like this, there is also a "high likelihood" of the defendant not re-appearing for future hearings, the judge added.

After the hearing, Marshall declined to comment, citing an ongoing investigation in the case. Family members who attended the hearing also declined to comment.

Hall has had previous run-ins with the law. A few years ago, he pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $19,000 from a grant program during an earlier time when he was police chief in Cascade, Idaho.

Hall started his career as a police officer in San Bernardino, where he was hired in 1982. He was promoted to narcotics detective in 1988 and medically retired in 1994 after being shot in the leg.

He moved to Idaho to become chief the following year, but he resigned in 1998. From there, Hall took the same post in Emmett, Idaho, where he lasted fewer than 100 days.

Hall later worked as a security officer at San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino, and most recently ran a private investigation agency in Calimesa.

Anyone with additional information is been asked to call Investigator Darren Wills at the Riverside County Sheriff's Central Homicide Unit at (760) 836-1632 or Investigator John Mott at the sheriff's Cabazon station at (951) 922-7100.