Comedian Jeff Ross' roast of convicted murderer at center of death penalty appeal to SCOTUS
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The Roastmaster himself, comedian Jeff Ross is finding himself somewhere he probably never pictured: at the center of a death-row petition headed to the Supreme Court for consideration.
An attorney for Gabriel Paul Hall — who was sentenced to death in 2015 for the murder of a retired professor and the man's disabled wife — is asking the Supreme Court to review Hall's sentence. The petition alleges that a comedy roast performed by Ross and featuring Hall was filmed while the inmate was awaiting trial, the footage was then used by the prosecutors to help prejudice the jury against Hall, leading to his death sentence.
McKenzie Edwards, an attorney representing Hall, tweeted the petition on Wednesday, writing, "A Texas jail volunteered to let Comedy Central comedian Jeff Ross roast its inmates. It encouraged inmates to participate. Texas then used the footage to sentence my client, Gabriel Hall, to death. We're asking SCOTUS to review the constitutionality of Mr. Hall's sentence."
A Texas jail volunteered to let Comedy Central comedian Jeff Ross roast its inmates. It encouraged inmates to participate. Texas then used the footage to sentence my client, Gabriel Hall, to death.
We’re asking #SCOTUS to review the constitutionality of Mr. Hall’s sentence. pic.twitter.com/JFNFskKHDw— McKenzie Edwards (@mckeds) December 28, 2022
Hall was being held at the Brazos County Detention Center in 2015 when Ross, an insult comic known as the "roastmaster general," taped the special Jeff Ross Roasts Criminals: Live at Brazos County Jail. The petition also alleges that the nine-person film crew was allowed to interview Hall without first informing his attorneys, who had requested that sheriff's deputies seek their consent before allowing Hall to have contact with anyone.
The taped footage contained "numerous vulgar provocations by Ross and damaging responses from Petitioner (Hall)," according to the petition. Although Hall's segments weren't included in the final cut of the comedy show, the footage was played for the jury as evidence against Hall during sentencing.
Jerod Harris/Getty Images
McKenzie, along with co-counsel Robert C. Owen and Raoul D. Schonemann, asks the Supreme Court to consider whether the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals erred in ruling that the State didn't violate Hall's Sixth Amendment rights to an impartial jury.
The petition states, "The State gave a third-party civilian otherwise unobtainable physical access to Petitioner and then used the statements that civilian elicited from Petitioner as evidence against petitioner at the penalty phase of his capital murder trial."
Hall confessed to committing the murders, which occurred when he was an 18-year-old Texas A&M Consolidated High School student. The unaired footage from the special shows him joking with Hall about whether he'd hurt a fly. But when Ross asked Hall about hurting people, Hall replied, "Eh, they're annoying. We'll leave 'em to their own devices, so," Law and Crime reported.
The petition for a writ of certiorari will be considered by the Supreme Court during their conference on Jan. 6. If at least four of the nine justices believe that the case is worth considering, it will be added to their docket for a hearing.
Representatives for Ross did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.
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