Posted on 11/30/2001 8:35:12 AM PST by Georgia_JimD
Friday, November 30, 2001
By PAULO LIMA
Staff Writer
Rousted from his bed by a buzzing doorbell, a bleary-eyed Arthur Hall cracked his front door and was instantly overwhelmed by five burly youths who pushed their way in and attacked him in his living room.
"I was just trying to save my own life, because I realized if I didn't do something, they were going to kill me in my own house," Hall testified Thursday. "I'm thinking I'm going to die, I'm not going to survive. They're too strong and there's too many of them."
Hall, 50, eventually chased the group from his Saddle Brook apartment and shot three of the five youths as they tried to drive away, killing one of them.
On Thursday, Hall offered his version of the events during his trial in Superior Court in Hackensack on charges of manslaughter in the death of 16-year-old Maikes Sanchez of Paterson.
Julio Melendez, 18, of Paterson was wounded in the arm and Daniel Winston, 21, of Fair Lawn was shot in the chest. Two other youths inside the car -- Hector Hernandez and Osvaldo "Alex" Acevedo -- were not injured.
The men had gone there to confront Hall because they believed he had raped Acevedo's girlfriend, whose mother was dating Hall at the time, authorities said. The girl later admitted the allegations were false.
Hall maintained he fired in self-defense.
The bookish-looking defendant spoke quickly and with little emotion Thursday as he answered rapid-fire questions from his attorney, Vincent Basile. Hall repeatedly told jurors he was "paralyzed" with fear when the intruders barged in just after midnight on Dec. 24, 1997.
"I was afraid for my life during the whole situation," Hall said during cross-examination by Bergen County Assistant Prosecutor John Higgins.
An ATM repairman for Brinks Corp., Hall was licensed to carry the Glock 9mm pistol he fired at the three youths. Hall worked two jobs, he said, because he needed extra money to help put his son through medical school.
Hall said he had worked until 11 p.m. the day of the shooting and was exhausted when he was awakened by the doorbell a little more than an hour later. He said he recognized Acevedo through the peephole and opened the door slightly, but the intruders forced their way in.
Hall said he saw "a flash" in one assailant's hands just before they jumped him and thought it was either a pistol or a knife. Acevedo later admitted he brought a steak knife with him but never used it, authorities said.
"There was one guy around my neck, another guy beating on me, and a third guy standing over me," Hall testified.
Hall said he broke free and grabbed his pistol, which was holstered on the kitchen table. He chased the youths down the sidewalk and to their car, parked nearly 100 yards away. The men were already inside the Geo Metro when Hall opened fire, striking the car four times.
Higgins questioned Hall's description of the beating inside his apartment, in which he suffered minor scrapes on his arm.
"Isn't it true that this one-minute beating on top of you didn't occur?" Higgins asked.
Hall, in turn, insisted he was attacked.
Higgins also questioned why Hall didn't stop pursuing the youths once he had run them out of his apartment and down the street. Hall admitted that he did not call police until after he had shot the three men.
Hall said he was afraid the men might return with weapons or more people, so he ran after them to make sure they drove away. He fired because he thought the driver was trying to run him over, he said.
Basile evoked remorse from his client when he asked how he felt after learning that Sanchez had died.
"I was really destroyed," Hall said. "I was crying for a long time. It's terrible. People push into your house and put you in a situation where you have to do something like that.
"I still feel bad. I'm going to feel bad all my life."
Hall is also charged with four counts of attempted manslaughter and one count of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. He faces up to 10 years in prison on each of the manslaughter and attempted manslaughter charges.
The case is scheduled to resume Monday afternoon before Judge Donald R. Venezia. The judge told jurors he plans to turn the case over to them on Tuesday.
Staff Writer Paulo Lima's e-mail address is lima@northjersey.com
I guarantee that the survivors will be making their presence felt in the justice system again real soon.
When Bernie Goetz defended himself, he crippled one of his assailants. That assailant never committed another violent crime. The four others went out and committed numerous violent crimes. One of them even beat and raped a 79-year old in her apartment before fleeing with her TV to sell it for crack money.
I hope this guy is set free, and I hope he sues the little b!tch who lied about him.
well, at the very least, you might not want to chase them for a hundred yards. Paranoid or not, I keep a weapon in close reach in my home at all times- if an unexpected knock comes at my door, I stand away from the door and ask who it is- if someone trys to push their way in, or break down the door, I'll be shooting them on my doorstep, or just inside. No injury to me (I hope) and no difficult explanations to law enforcement.
Yeah, you hafta wait until they come back more heavily armed.</sarcasm>
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