Hall was charged on June 7 with premeditated first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping. He had no adult criminal record, but had a juvenile record of assault. Hall, who had been adopted at age seven, had been returned to state custody at age 15 after threatening the family's daughter with a knife. He also assaulted another boy by striking him in the head with a baseball bat. Police do not believe that Hall knew Smith. At the time of his arrest, Hall was married and the father of a four-year-old son. Hall admitted to being at Target but claimed that he had never approached Smith. However, he was caught in a lie when his fingerprints matched those from the seat belt.