Tip From Neighbor Points Police to Murder Suspect

Jun 08, 11:34 PM

Current Headlines: By Maria Sudekum Fisher

OLATHE, Kan. - The next-door neighbor of a man charged with kidnapping a young woman from a store parking lot and killing her contacted police when he saw the man's pickup in a surveillance video, he said.

Cameron Migues, 30, said he and his wife laughed when they noticed a similarity between Edwin R. Hall and the man pictured in the video. But then the video of the truck was released, and "we put two and two together," said Migues, who called a police hot line Wednesday morning.

Hall, 26, was charged with premeditated first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping in the death of Kelsey Smith, 18. Bond was set at $5 million.

Hall was being held at the Johnson County jail and appeared in court via a video feed looking tired and downcast. He spoke briefly, waiving reading of the charges until he could hire his own attorney. His next appearance was scheduled for June 14.

If convicted, he faces a minimum sentence of 25 years to life in prison for the murder charge and more than 12 years for aggravated kidnapping, Kline said.

Authorities have declined to offer a motive but say there is no evidence that Smith and Hall knew each other.

Shortly after Smith's body was found Wednesday in a wooded area in Missouri, detectives were talking with Hall. They said a tip led them to Hall, who has been living with his wife and 4-year-old son in Olathe.

Their neighbor, Migues, said that on Tuesday, his 3-year-old son had been playing in his back yard with Hall's son.

"The worst part is I just talked to him Monday," he said. "We were talking about cars."

Neighbor Harold Barry, 50, said he was surprised when he heard Hall had been arrested. Hall recently helped him repair his pickup truck, he said.

"If I can go see him, I will see if I can help him out," said Barry, who added that Hall seemed especially close to his son.

"He loved his son so much," Barry said. "He had his small kid in that truck every time I saw him."

Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline said that it was unclear whether the case would be tried in state or federal court but that the death penalty would be possible either way.

It is a federal offense to cross state lines while committing a kidnapping resulting in a death. Authorities have not said how or where Smith was killed.

"If we believe the crime is severe enough, and we do in this case, we will go to the jurisdiction that provides the most severe penalty," Kline said. "The discussions continue almost around the clock."

Smith's sister, Stevie Hockersmith, 23, and several supporters attended the hearing Thursday.

Smith had been missing since Saturday night, when she went to a Target store in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park to buy a gift for her boyfriend.

Surveillance video showed her being forced into her car around 7:10 p.m., and the car drove off. It was found in a nearby mall parking lot about two hours later.

Overland Park Police Chief John Douglass said Wednesday that Hall appeared to be the person shown in a surveillance video leaving the store soon after Smith. The man in the video had a goatee; Hall was clean-shaven in court Thursday.

Police received more than 500 tips and questioned numerous people, including Hall, police said. He was arrested at the end of his interview Wednesday.

Associated Press writer Caryn Grant contributed to this report.

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