Daughters charged with mother's murder in 2019; Still no word on the trial date

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – It's been more than five years since a Pike County woman was shot and stabbed.

Her two daughters are accused of killing her. One was 12 and the other 14 at the time.

The two were charged with murder but had yet to stand trial.

Hall's family members said the last few years have been devastating.

“Pure hell,” said Ernestine Hall, Erica Hall’s aunt. “We need to be reminded that she is no longer here and we need to ensure that she does not receive justice.”

Ernestine still remembers the tragic day in January 2019 when she found out what had happened.

“She was leaning on her tire, the back tire was on the driver’s side,” she remembers. “It was so cold that night and the ground was so wet and muddy. I just call her name. I don't know where the girls were because I passed out. I just started calling and calling, but I knew she was dead. I kept calling and telling her to wake up, but I knew she was dead.”

Amariyona Hall, then 14, and her then 12-year-old sister, whose name was not released because she was a minor, were arrested and taken into custody.

According to the Pike County Coroner's Office, the mother was stabbed multiple times in the torso and back and also suffered a gunshot wound to the chest.

Family members said Hall was home alone with the two girls when an argument broke out.

“I remember it was about Christmas presents and all this and all that. She didn’t buy them any gifts, I don’t know,” Enrestine said. “You confessed to planning it.”

Amariyona was charged as an adult.

“The case of the younger one, who was 12 at the time, was closed in my opinion because she was in child welfare, and the case of the then 14-year-old (Amariyona) is still open,” said Ernestine Hall. “She is being charged as an adult, but they say they are investigating her mental health and have been doing so for six months. Because I'm a mental health therapist, it doesn't take six months for an assessment to be approved or results to come back. So that’s what we’re waiting for.”

“It’s hurtful on both sides,” said Akeviyona Hall, Erica Hall’s daughter. “That was my mom, and those were my sisters, full-blooded sisters. It's really hard. Not only did I lose my mother, but I also lost two of my sisters, and we were very close.”

For Akeviyona Hall, although she is doing better, it is still a difficult situation.

Family members now want justice and accountability.

“At this point, God has the final say, so I’m happy with whatever happens,” Akeviyona said. “I just want it to be over.”

The trial against Amariyona was initially scheduled for 2021. It was then continued.

Her trial was most recently scheduled for last June in Panola County.

However, the case was continued again.

There is currently no information as to when a new trial date will be scheduled.

WLBT reached out to the district attorney to find out when a new trial date would be scheduled. We are still waiting for an answer.

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