BATTLE CREEK — A Battle Creek man has been charged with open murder in the December slaying of 54-year-old Della Brown.
Paul Alan Hall, 57, was arraigned on the open murder charge Wednesday afternoon in Calhoun County District Court, the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Thursday. He was denied bond in the case.
Brown was found dead inside her residence at the Avenue A Trailer Park in Springfield on Dec. 13 after police responded for a welfare check. Detectives subsequently identified Hall as a person of interest in the case, confirming he and Brown had “a domestic relationship.”
Later that same day, Illinois State Police located a vehicle matching the description of what Hall was driving in Bloomington, Illinois. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle but Hall fled; he was eventually arrested shortly after 9:30 p.m. on unrelated charges.
Open murder includes first-degree murder, second-degree murder and manslaughter. If convicted of the more serious charge, Hall could face life in prison without the possibility of parole.