PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A senior citizen from South Jersey has been indicted after prosecutors said he choked his own daughter to death.
According to the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office, a grand jury on Wednesday indicted 71-year-old Dennis J. Hall of Franklin Township on a first-degree murder charge.
Hall allegedly called 911 on Thursday, June 11, to report that his disabled 40-year-old daughter Devin was not breathing. When emergency services arrived, officials said Hall told them he had strangled her.
First responders tried life-saving measures on her and took her to a local hospital. However, she died from her injuries the next day. An official medical examiner performed an autopsy and determined the immediate cause of death was asphyxiation.
Hall was arrested at the scene, and initially charged with attempted murder. After his daughter died, the charge was elevated to first-degree murder. If convicted, Hall could receive a maximum penalty of life in prison.
