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Nearly three months after a hung jury forced a judge in Lycoming County Court to declare a mistrial in the murder case against Dwayne Jaleel Hall, the city man pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm.
The move means Hall, 27, will spend the next 10 to 30 years in a state prison.
Hall initially was charged with homicide, but the charge was amended to voluntary manslaughter as part of a plea agreement.
By pleading no contest, Hall was admitting that a jury could find him guilty during his retrial in September of shooting 25-year-old Irahmeen Mills outside of a bar at 762 W. Fourth St. on Sept. 6, 2015, based on presented evidence. A no-contest plea has the same legal consequence as a guilty plea, without forcing Hall to admit to killing the man, according to President Judge Nancy L. Butts.
In May, a jury deliberated for nearly two full days and came back with a guilty verdict on two firearms charges, but they remained deadlocked on the most serious charges.
During his trial, Hall denied killing Mills and having a gun that early morning.
Although he maintained Monday that he didn't pull the trigger, Hall admitted to the handgun by pleading guilty to illegally possessing it while on parole.
According to testimony, Mills was drunk the night of his murder and was arguing with Hall outside of the bar.
During a video shown throughout the trial, a group of men can be seen walking out of the view of a mounted security camera. Panic follows as the bartender visibly hears the shot. Mills can be seen struggling back across the street and onto the steps after the .380 ACP round entered his torso. Hall was taken into custody a month later.
The agreement Hall entered was for a minimum of 10 years in state prison. The maximum was up to the court to decide.
Public Defender Joshua Bower argued for that maximum to be 20 years.
With a maximum that long, Hall would be on parole until his late-40s to mid-50s.
"I'm just here to get it over with," Hall said. "Do my time and spend time with my family."
Assistant District Attorney Nicole M. Ippolito argued for a max sentence of 30 years, citing Hall's history of violent crimes.
When Hall was 16, he was sentenced to serve four to 12 years in state prison for robbery. He was in for six years.
A jury also found him guilty in June of simple assault and disorderly conduct for his role in a bar fight at Ann's Tavern, 503 Rose St., just two months before Mills' shooting -- a trial Hall allegedly said was to waste county time and expenses.
In making her decision, Butts kept Hall's criminal history in mind.
"It boggles my mind that being 16 years old and being in state prison wasn't enough to make you not want to be in the criminal justice system again," Butts said. "The fact that you continue your lifestyle is a scary prospect. A sentence any less than this would depreciate how serious the offense really is."
Hall also was sentenced for both charges in the bar fight. They will both be served concurrent to the 10 to 30 years.
"I am grateful that we were able to hold Mr. Hall responsible for Irahmeen Mills' death," District Attorney Eric R. Linhardt said. "I wish for Irahmeen and his family, we could have done more. Ultimately, however, it was an imperfect case. The agreement our office reached reflects our recognition that we were going to have a difficult time in front of a jury obtaining a first degree murder conviction, no matter how many times we tried the case."