State of Tennessee vs William Eugene Hall, Jr., a/k/a Billy Hall, and Derrick Desmond Quintero

In this capital case, the appellants, William Eugene Hall and Derrick Desmond Quintero, were each convicted by a jury of two counts of murder during the perpetration of first-degree burglary, three counts of grand larceny, one count of petit larceny, and three counts of first-degree burglary. After a hearing, the jury sentenced each of the appellants to a life sentence for the murder of Buford Vester. As to the murder of Myrtle Vester, the jury found the following five aggravating factors: (1) the appellants were previously convicted of one or more felonies involving the use or threat of violence; (2) the murder was especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel in that it involved torture or depravity of mind; (3) the murder was committed for the purpose of avoiding, interfering with, or preventing a lawful arrest or prosecution of the appellants or another; (4) the murder was committed while the appellants were engaged in committing, or were accomplices in the commission of, or were attempting to commit, or were fleeing after committing or attempting to commit any first-degree murder, arson, rape, robbery, burglary, larceny, kidnapping, aircraft piracy, or unlawful throwing, placing, or discharging of a destructive device or bomb; and (5) the murder was committed by the appellants while they were in lawful custody or in a place of lawful confinement or during their escape from lawful custody or from a place of lawful confinement. See T.C.A. § 39-2-203(i)(2), (5), (6), (7), (8) (1982). The jury found that there were no mitigating circumstances sufficiently substantial to outweigh the aggravating circumstances and sentenced the appellants to death by electrocution for the murder of Mrs. Vester.