D.A.: Kansas teen was strangled by 'ligature'
OLATHE, Kansas (AP) -- He calls himself "Jack" and considers himself a "Sweet Troubled Soul" on his MySpace page. His interests include "eating small children and harming small animals."
The page appears to belong to Edwin R. Hall, the man accused of kidnapping 18-year-old Kelsey Smith and killing her, lending disturbing significance to the bizarre claims in light of the charges against him.
The Johnson County District Attorney's office said Friday that Smith was strangled with a ligature, though spokesman Brian Burgess would not say exactly what was used.
Hall was charged Thursday with first-degree murder in Smith's death and aggravated kidnapping for her abduction Saturday from a Target store parking lot. His bond was set at $5 million.
Only the name "Jack," which Hall is known by to neighbors, is used on the MySpace page, and the picture posted strongly resembles the 26-year-old.
The person on the MySpace page also uses the same age and location as Hall, and a person with the same name as his wife, Aletha, has a page linked to "Jack's."
In a photo on the page, the man is posing with a young boy. Neighbors said Hall and his wife have a 4-year-old son.
It was Hall's neighbors who told police he resembled the man they were looking for.
Cameron Migues, 30, said he and his wife laughed when they noticed a similarity between Hall and the man pictured in a surveillance video that police were using to solicit leads in the abduction. But then a video of the truck was released, and "we put two and two together," said Migues, who called a police hot line Wednesday morning.
Hall was being held at the Johnson County jail and appeared in court via a video feed looking tired and downcast. He spoke briefly, waiving reading of the charges until he could hire his own attorney. His next appearance was scheduled for June 14.
His attorney of record as of Friday, Paul Cramm, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
If convicted, Hall faces a minimum sentence of 25 years to life in prison for the murder charge and more than 12 years for aggravated kidnapping, Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline said.
Kline said it was unclear whether the case would be tried in state or federal court but that the death penalty would be possible either way.
It is a federal offense to cross state lines while committing a kidnapping resulting in a death. Authorities have not said where Smith was killed.
"If we believe the crime is severe enough, and we do in this case, we will go to the jurisdiction that provides the most severe penalty," Kline said. "The discussions continue almost around the clock."
Detectives talked to Hall shortly after Smith's body was found Wednesday in a wooded area in Missouri.
Authorities have declined to offer a motive but say there is no evidence that Smith and Hall knew each other.
Neighbor Harold Barry, 50, said he was surprised when he heard Hall had been arrested. Hall recently helped him repair his pickup truck, he said.
"If I can go see him, I will see if I can help him out," said Barry, who added that Hall seemed especially close to his son.
"He loved his son his so much," Barry said. "He had his small kid in that truck every time I saw him."
Smith had been missing since Saturday night, when she went to a Target store in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park to buy a gift for her boyfriend.
Surveillance video showed her being forced into her car around 7:10 p.m., and the car drove off. It was found in a nearby mall parking lot about two hours later.
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