Jury finds man guilty of 1st-degree murder in killing of off-duty Pittsburgh police officer

An Allegheny County jury on Thursday found a Wilkinsburg man guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of an off-duty Pittsburgh police officer in Homewood nearly four years ago.

The trial of Christian Bey, 34, began on March 21. The jury of six men and six women deliberated less than seven hours over two days before reaching a verdict Thursday afternoon.

As the foreman pronounced Bey guilty of first-degree murder, family members of the slain off-duty officer, Calvin Hall, shouted in praise. They quickly quieted and cried as they held each other.

Afterward, Hall’s father praised the verdict.

“It’s been a long four years. It’s been a hard battle, but justice has prevailed,” he said. “We’re thankful the evidence showed the truth.”

Lindsay Hall described her cousin as a kind person who loved his job and loved taking care of people.

“It’s been a long time coming. Our family is very grateful for the jury and their wise decision,” she said. “We’re glad for the justice, but that still doesn’t bring him back.”

Lindsay Hall, cousin of slain off-duty Pittsburgh police Officer Calvin Hall, reacts after Thursday’s verdict. pic.twitter.com/dZeicKvsel

— Paula Reed Ward (@PaulaReedWard) April 13, 2023

Bey showed no reaction to the verdict.

He is scheduled to be sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Kevin G. Sasinoski on July 10. The conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.

Hall, 36, was shot following a block party on Homewood’s Monticello Street around 1:30 a.m. on July 14, 2019. He died three days later.

Investigators said Hall had been visiting with distant relatives when he got into an argument with the family that lived across the street, which was hosting a block party on July 13.

At trial, Deputy District Attorney Stephie Ramaley told the jurors that Bey’s mother and stepmother were involved.

Witnesses said they saw a man dressed in black walk between two buildings and fire three shots into Hall’s back before leaving the scene.

Bey pleaded not guilty. The defense argued that Hall had a blood-alcohol level of 0.11% that night and had been waving his gun around and threatening people at the scene.

The defense wanted the jury to be permitted to consider voluntary manslaughter as a possible verdict — which would include the possibility of self-defense or defense of others — but Sasinsoski refused to allow it, saying that Bey’s attorneys failed to present any evidence of that.

The defense also panned the DNA evidence presented by the prosecution, telling the jurors that traditional DNA analysis would not work on the small sample size found on the gun used to kill Hall.

When the Allegheny County crime lab could not get results, attorney Carmen Robinson said, the DA’s office turned to a company called TrueAllele, which uses probabilistic genotyping — a computer algorithm — to reach its conclusions. In this case, the prosecution said, the probability that the DNA found belonged to someone other than Bey was 1 in 7 nonillion.

After the verdict was announced, Robinson said she “wasn’t happy with this trial at all.”

“I’ve never been contentious with a judge. I do not believe (Bey) was treated fairly,” Robinson added.

The trial was marked with tension and frustration. Bey repeatedly accused the judge of being biased against both him and his attorneys and asked Sasinoski to remove himself from the case.

The judge denied the request.

Robinson said she thinks there will be issues to appeal, but she didn’t elaborate.

“We believe this was a rush to judgment,” Robinson said. “I still believe the verdict is indicative of what the victim did for a living.”

Throughout her closing, Robinson argued that Pittsburgh police should not have investigated Hall’s death. She said they had tunnel vision and forced the facts of the case to meet the narrative.

In a statement, Pittsburgh police said they hope the verdict and conviction bring Hall’s family a measure of justice and closure.

“While detectives investigate all homicides with the same level of rigor and attention, Calvin Hall was a colleague and a friend, so this investigation and trial has been emotional for many who worked alongside him,” the statement said.