You Raised Your Own Death MOM!
By: Tommy “Tj” Sotomayor

Two Mississippi girls arrested in connection with the slaying of their mother spoke to reporters on Sunday.

Amariyona Hall, 14, and her 12-year-old sister spoke to WJTV about the stabbing and shooting death of their mother, Erika Hall.

Hall was killed in January in Pike County. The 14-year-old and her 12-year-old sister were arrested. The younger girl was charged as a juvenile.

Amariyona was released over the weekend after $10,000 bail was posted. Her sister was released from the Pike County Juvenile Detention Center.

When a reporter asked Amariyona Hall if she could take back what happened, she said yes.

Despite admitting to that, Amariyona Hall and her sister said they are not responsible for the death of their mother and that they were at an aunt’s home when it occurred.

Amariyona Hall also told reporters there was abuse taking place in the home where she and her sister lived. However, the Pike County Sheriff’s Department said it never received any reports of abuse.

Their father, Eddie Isaac, said he is still trying to get to the bottom of what happened the day Erika Hall died.

“It feels good to have them out. A lot of people don’t think they should be, but they are kids. It was a lot. We didn’t come to the bottom of it. There was a lot of stuff we didn’t know. But it’s coming out,” he said.

Children 13 and older accused of certain crimes are automatically charged as adults in Mississippi. Judges can transfer cases to youth court. District Attorney Dee Bates has said he would oppose a transfer.

Amariyona Hall’s attorney has said the defense will be based on a self-defense theory.

“I can tell you that I anticipate my client and her sister are both going to be defended on a theory of self-defense,” lawyer Greg Malta said previously.

Ebony Hall, Ericka Hall’s sister, said one of the girls tried to run over their mother in a car several nights before she was killed.

Pike County Sheriff’s Chief Investigator Chris Bell has testified that the girls confessed to planning the killing in advance, faking a knock at the front door to lure Ericka Hall from her bedroom.

The older sister even stated there was abuse going on in the home.

“Were you abused?”

“Yes. By my mama.”

But the Pike County Sheriff’s Department said they never received any reports of abuse.

Pike County Sheriff’s Chief Investigator Chris Bell also testified that the girls confessed to planning the killing in advance, faking a knock at the front door to lure Ericka Hall from her bedroom. The 14-year-old told Bell that she stabbed Ericka Hall, then her sister shot her, and the 14-year-old stabbed her again. Her sister later found her in the grass beside her car.

″‘We planned it’ is what (the 14-year-old) said,” Bell testified.

Ebony Hall, Ericka Hall’s sister, said one of the girls tried to run over their mother in a car on New Year’s Eve, four nights earlier. Ericka Hall called the sheriff’s office that night complaining about “unruly children,” Bell said. Deputy Alex Miller responded, testifying that Ericka Hall didn’t directly tell him about the attempted rundown. Miller said he didn’t call Child Protective Services or file a report, concluding both were unnecessary.

Attorney Greg Malta said he’s going to defend the girls on a theory that they used self-defense.

Malta suggested Ericka Hall threatened the girls, saying, “I’ve got a gun. I’ve only got two bullets but I only need two bullets.”

Ebony Hall said she never heard such a statement and dismissed it as hyperbole.

“I think she was just mad,” Ebony Hall said. “She was afraid, too. They tried to run her over.”

Malta focused on the questioning of the girls in the early hours of Jan. 5, suggesting neither was capable of giving informed consent to Bell. The investigator testified that the 14-year-old first opened up to her father, Eddie Isaac, before repeating the story to Bell. Isaac, though, denied that after court.

“He talked to them without my consent,” Isaac said.

The father said he doesn’t believe the version of events put forward by authorities and Ericka Hall’s relatives.

“They’ve got a bunch of stories and a bunch of lies and I just can’t see it happening that way,” Isaac said.

Under Mississippi law, children 13 and older accused of certain crimes are automatically charged as adults. Judges can later transfer cases to youth court, and Malta said he would probably seek such a transfer. However, District Attorney Dee Bates said he would oppose such a move.

“She’s a 14-year-old who committed a capital offense and state law says that she’s an adult,” Bates said.

Over the weekend, both girls were released from jail.

“I got em. Good lord got em,” said Issac. “I also got them some counseling coming and schooling coming. So everything is going alright so far. They are going through changes but it’s gonna be like that. They are going to be alright.”

Amariyonna Hall is awaiting her next court date. She has pleaded not guilty. The 12-year-old’s case is still being handled by youth court.

The sheriff’s department is still awaiting autopsy results on Ericka Hall. They could take anywhere from six months to a year.

Pike County Sheriff’s Chief Investigator Chris Bell has testified that the girls confessed to planning the killing in advance, faking a knock at the front door to lure Ericka Hall from her bedroom.