Wilkinsburg man sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting off-duty Pittsburgh officer

A Wilkinsburg man will spend life in prison without the chance of parole for killing an off-duty Pittsburgh police officer in Homewood in 2019.

Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Kevin G. Sasinoski on Monday morning sentenced Christian Bey, 34, to the mandatory life sentence for first-degree murder in front of a court packed with family members of the slain officer, Calvin Hall.

Bey also was sentenced to an additional 8½ to 17 years in prison on firearms charges.

“It’s been four hard years since we lost our beloved Calvin. His family, friends, fellow officers and the people he served miss him dearly,” the Hall family said in a victim statement submitted before sentencing. “Every time he entered a room, you could feel his love and positive energy.”

The family declined to make any additional comments to reporters Monday after the sentencing in Downtown Pittsburgh.

A 12-person jury in April deliberated for less than seven hours before handing down Bey’s guilty verdicts. He had pleaded not guilty to the crimes.

Dressed Monday in a red Allegheny County Jail jumpsuit, a white skullcap and glasses, Bey declined to say anything on his behalf before the sentencing. About 10 sheriff’s deputies, as well as some Pittsburgh police officers, turned out to hear Sasinoski impose the sentence.

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

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

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

Attorney Carmen Robinson said in April that she thought there would be issues to appeal, but did not elaborate. She was not immediately available Monday.