Ligonier man's appeal in 2011 murder case rejected

First-degree murder convictions against a Ligonier man serving two consecutive life prison sentences for the 2011 killings of a Washington Township couple were upheld by a state appeals court.

In a ruling issued this week, a three-judge panel of the Pennsylvania Superior Court affirmed a ruling issued last year by Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rita Hathaway in which she found there was no basis to overturn the convictions against Eric Hall.

Hall, 36, demanded a new trial and contended his former defense attorney was in error when he failed to call the defendant’s mother to testify. The defense claimed Hall’s mother would have claimed she never gave her son the gun police said was used in the murders of Anthony Henderson and Noel Richards, both 24.

The couple were each shot in the head and prosecutors said that Hall had access to the murder weapon prior to the killings. The defense has maintained Hall’s mother would have testified she didn’t give her son the gun until two days after the murders.

The appeals court found, as did Hathaway, that there was no basis to overturn the convictions, as the potential testimony by Hall’s mother was at odds with statements she and others previously gave to police.

Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich at 724-830-6293 or rcholodofsky@tribweb.com.