A murderer who attacked a teenager and then beat her to death was finally sentenced to 18-and-a half years in prison.
Keith Hall, 62 lied for nearly two decades after he murdered Rachel Wilson, 19, in 2002. He then left her body on farmland near Middlesbrough.
Police officers found Ms. Wilson’s corpse in 2012 It was a devastating loss for her family, who had always hoped that she would return home safe and well.
Hall was in an abusive relationship to his victim. He used the money she made as his sex worker for cocaine and heroin to feed his heroin addiction. Hall was then charged with murder.
The killer, who kept a hair clip of his victim, 19, for years, denied any involvement in her murder, but he admitted manslaughter on May 1, 2015.
Keith Hall, 62, lied for almost two decades after he killed 19-year-old Rachel Wilson in 2002. After he was convicted of manslaughter, the killer has been in prison for 18-and a half years.
Rachel Wilson, 19, vanished in May 2002. Witnesses claimed that she was afraid and sometimes had bruises from Hall’s attacks.
Judge Paul Watson, QC sentenced him to 18-and a-half years imprisonment at Teesside Crown Court for manslaughter and living off the proceeds of prostitution. He also attempted to pervert the course justice.
Hall was 42 years old when he killed Wilson. He had been living with Wilson for about two years.
Jonathan Sandiford, QC, the prosecutor, stated that Rachel Wilson’s disappearance in May 2002 was the result of her addiction to controlled drugs and the mistreatment and violence she received from the defendant.
Witnesses claimed that she was afraid of Hall, and suffered bruises on her neck from his attacks.
It was believed that he had beaten her one last time, and killed her when she returned to her apartment after a night out on the streets with what Hall believed was not enough money. The judge however said that no one other than the defendant knew the truth.
Hall murdered her, then dumped her naked body in his van and dumped it in a drainage ditch. She remained undiscovered for over a decade.
The killer tried cover his tracks by claiming that she had sex with a man from the local fair.
But he kept a handwritten note from her and took a hair clip from her, which he believed was a memento.
CCTV image of Rachel Wilson, 19, before she was murdered by Hall in 2002
Hall was in an abusive relationship with his victim and used the money she earned as a sex worker for his heroin and cocaine use. Pictured: Keith Hall’s home
Hall made a comment to a friend about Ms Wilson’s body after it was discovered in 2012. Then he tried to get the witness lying about what he had said. This led to Hall being charged with trying to pervert justice.
Hall, who is now very ill, avoided prosecution over many years thanks to his lies, and he was allowed to enjoy his freedom, the judge said.
The judge praised Cleveland Police officers for handling the largest homicide investigation, calling it colossal’. He also said that the investigation was a credit to a force that in recent times has been too frequently maligned.
Ms Wilson’s sister Nicola stated that she had waited 19-years to find out what had happened to her in a victim statement.
She spoke out about Hall’s guilty plea and said that she believed it was because the police had built a strong case against Hall.