The Anchorage man charged with killing two young people in January was arraigned in superior court Monday.
Jamal Hall faces two charges each of first and second-degree murder. He also faces robbery, assault and theft charges for allegedly robbing a Midtown Walgreens in late November. An attorney for Hall entered not guilty pleas for both cases in Nesbett Courthouse Monday.
Hall is being held on $1 million for the murder charges. No bail was set for the robbery charges.
Police found 20-year-old Foriegnne Aubert-Morissette and 19-year-old Selena Mullenax near Point Woronzof in January. Mullenax was dead; Aubert-Morissette died at a hospital a short time later.
Police arrested Hall early Saturday morning after an 11-month-long investigation. District Attorney Clint Campion said investigators started making significant progress during the late summer and early fall, when a witness began revealing new evidence and additional witnesses. He said the same lawyer has been working on the case since the homicides happened.
“It’s our goal to have vertical prosecution, where you respond to the crime scene and you’re making your closing argument to the jury,” said Campion. “You’re involved throughout that process.”
He said there are more people who know what happened the night Mullenax and Aubert-Morissette were killed, but they are not talking to police.
“Our goal is to get to the truth to find out exactly what happened to the best of our ability. So if people have more information, we’d like them to come forward so we can put together the rest of the puzzle,” said Campion.
Judge Michael Corey set a trial date of April 18 for the murder charges and April 20 for the robbery charges. However, Campion said is could be one year before a trial begins.
“The charges are very serious and we want to make sure that when we get to trial that everybody’s prepared [and] it’s an even playing field so there aren’t questions in the community about the fairness of the trail,” said Campion. “We want to make sure that any rights of the defendant are protected.”
He added that the murders do not appear to be a random act of violence, as he believes Hall knew the victims.
Devonte Wyche and Katelyn Moon are charged with hindering prosecution for allegedly attempting to hide Hall while police were actively looking for him. Campion said they made bail and are expected to appear in court in January.
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