Devanta Hall Sentenced to Life in Prison for 2023 Prichard Gas Station Shooting That Killed LeCharles King
Devanta Hall was sentenced to life in prison for the June 2023 killing of LeCharles King at the Pride Gas Station in Prichard. A Mobile County jury convicted him in August of intentional murder, reckless endangerment and shooting into an occupied vehicle.
PRICHARD, Ala. — A man convicted of gunning down LeCharles King as he sat in his vehicle at a Prichard gas station will spend the rest of his life in prison. Devanta Hall received a life sentence in the Prichard gas station shooting, the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.
The shooting happened on June 18, 2023, at the Pride Gas Station in Prichard. A Mobile County jury found Hall guilty on Aug. 13 of intentional murder, reckless endangerment and shooting into an occupied vehicle.
Along with the life term for murder, Hall was sentenced to 20 years for shooting into an occupied vehicle. That sentence will run concurrently with the life sentence, meaning the two are served at the same time.
What the jury saw
According to the district attorney’s office, surveillance video shown at trial captured Hall and another person opening fire on King while he was sitting in his vehicle at the gas station.
King was struck several times. Prosecutors said he tried to get away despite his wounds, but he collapsed and died from his injuries.
The reckless endangerment conviction reflects the danger the gunfire posed to others nearby. A gas station is a public place where customers, employees and passing drivers can be present at any hour, and prosecutors emphasized that the shooting put other people at risk.
The district attorney’s announcement did not address the status of the second person seen firing in the video.
District attorney: “the gravity of his actions”
Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood said the sentence matches the seriousness of the crime.
“Hall senselessly opened fire into an occupied vehicle at a gas station, taking LeCharles King’s life and putting others in danger,” Blackwood said. “Today’s life sentence reflects the gravity of his actions.”
Case at a glance
- Defendant: Devanta Hall
- Victim: LeCharles King
- Date of shooting: June 18, 2023
- Location: Pride Gas Station, Prichard
- Verdict: Guilty of intentional murder, reckless endangerment and shooting into an occupied vehicle, returned by a Mobile County jury on Aug. 13
- Sentence: Life in prison for murder, plus a concurrent 20-year term for shooting into an occupied vehicle
The charges under Alabama law
Intentional murder is a Class A felony in Alabama, the most serious class of felony in the state’s criminal code outside of capital offenses. A Class A felony carries a prison term of 10 to 99 years or life, and the minimum rises to 20 years when a firearm or deadly weapon is used in the crime. Hall received the most severe sentence available for a non-capital murder conviction.
Shooting into an occupied vehicle is a Class B felony under Alabama law. A Class B felony is generally punishable by two to 20 years in prison, so Hall’s 20-year sentence on that count is the top of the standard range.
Reckless endangerment, which involves recklessly creating a substantial risk of serious injury or death to another person, is a misdemeanor in Alabama. The district attorney’s office did not list a separate sentence for that count.
Concurrent sentences, explained
When sentences run concurrently, a defendant serves them at the same time rather than one after the other. In practical terms, the life sentence controls how long Hall will remain in custody.
Questions of parole for people serving life sentences in Alabama are decided by the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles under state law. No parole eligibility date was announced.
What happens next
Hall will be transferred to the custody of the Alabama Department of Corrections. Defendants convicted at trial in Alabama have the right to appeal to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, and under the state’s appellate rules, a notice of appeal in a criminal case is generally due within 42 days of sentencing. It was not immediately known whether Hall plans to appeal.
Victims’ families in Alabama also have a role after sentencing. Relatives of homicide victims can register with the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles to be notified of any future hearings and to submit statements or speak if an inmate is considered for release.
About Prichard
Prichard is a city of roughly 19,000 people just north of Mobile, according to the 2020 census. The Mobile County District Attorney’s Office prosecutes felony cases arising in Prichard, as it does throughout the county, in Mobile County Circuit Court.
Help for victims and witnesses
The Mobile County District Attorney’s Office has victim service officers who guide crime victims and their families through the court process. Alabama’s Crime Victims’ Compensation Commission can help eligible victims of violent crime and their families with costs such as funeral expenses, counseling and medical bills that are not covered by insurance or other sources.
Anyone with information about a crime in Prichard can contact the Prichard Police Department, or call 911 in an emergency.
