Murder trial begins for fatal bar shooting in 2021

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Opening statements today in the murder trial of a Yuma man killed at the Maverick Bar back in 2021.

33-year-old Jerome Hall is facing one count of pre-meditated first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon in the shooting death of 36-year-old Tyrone Hall.

A murder trial begins in Yuma for the killing of Tyrone Hall.

The prosecution says Jerome Hall and Tyrone Hall got into an argument inside the Maverick Bar on February 27th, 2021. 

Then that argument escalated into the bar's parking lot, before things took a violent turn.

“He shot Tyrone Hall again, and again, and again, and again, and again, five times while chasing after an unarmed man,” said Deputy County Attorney, Joshua Davis-Salsbury.
Tyrone died outside of the bar.

A woman was also caught in the crossfire and injured in the shooting. 
“When police investigated on scene they find five casings, nine-millimeter casings, those casings were where Jerome fired. They were from the bullets from Tyrone, they were from the bullets from Vanessa,” said Davis-Salsbury.

Deputy County Attorney, Joshua Davis-Salsbury says the defendant was calculated in his plan to commit this murder while Defense Attorney, Jose Padilla says his client was only protecting himself.
“Self-defense and heat of passion. In this particular case, there are not mutually exclusive, they work together,” said Jerome Hall’s Defense Attorne, Jose Padilla.

Padilla says the jury will have to decide if the murder planned.
“What you must decide based on the evidence is, did Jerome premeditate injury and death to Tyrone?” said Padilla.

Despite their common last name, the defendant and the victim are not related.

The trial will take place over the next three weeks and is expected to end in mid June.

If found guilty on all charges, Jerome Hall could spend the rest of his life behind bars.