DA's office withdraws notice to seek death penalty in 2019 officer slaying

Less than a month before trial is scheduled to start, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday withdrew its intent to seek the death penalty against a man accused of killing an off-duty Pittsburgh police officer in 2019.

Christian Bey, 33, of Wilkinsburg, is scheduled to go to trial on charges that he killed Calvin Hall at the end of February. Jury selection is set to start on Feb. 27, and testimony to begin on March 14.

According to the criminal complaint filed against Bey, Hall was at a block party the night of July 13, 2019 on Monticello Street in Homewood.

When Hall tried to leave, a woman who was intoxicated tried to stop him, sitting down in the middle of the road to block him.

Hall got out of his vehicle and moved her, but then began arguing with Bey. The complaint said that Hall left but then got a call asking him to return because an argument had broken out among several women, including Bey’s mother.

When Hall returned, he asked the women what was going on and then walked away. When he went back again, he tried to apologize to the women and was shot.

Eight days later, Bey was charged in the shooting, and five weeks after that, District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. announced he would seek the death penalty in the case.

Among the aggravating factors he cited — which are required to be proved for capital punishment — the prosecution listed that Hall was a police officer who was killing while performing his duties or because of his position; that the killing put others in grave danger; and because the slaying happened during the commission of another felony — alleged firearms violations.

But on Wednesday, according to the docket sheet in Bey’s case, the district attorney’s office filed a rescission of its notice to seek the death penalty.

A message left with the DA’s office late Wednesday was not immediately returned.

There is a gag order in the case, prohibiting the parties from commenting.