Virginia Parole Board hears request for Stephen Epperly’s release for 1980 murder conviction
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Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story contained information about the Parole Board. The story has been updated. We apologize for the error.
PULASKI COUNTY, Va. (WFXR) — It’s been more than 40 years since Stephen Epperly was convicted for the murder of Gina Renee Hall. Now, he is back in front of the Virginia Parole Board with a request.
On May 14, Pulaski County Commonwealth Attorney Justin Griffith announced that he had the chance to address the board about the possibility of Epperly’s release on parole.
In a release, Griffith said Epperly’s release would be a regression to evil.
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“It is making sure everyone remembers the quest for justice that Everett Shockley began and that our office continues to see through and will continue to see through until Epperly’s end. It is making sure the parole board understands that “this nightmare will never end for Gina Hall’s family until Stephen Epperly meets his maker.”
Hall was a freshman at Radford University when she was killed in 1980.
On the night of her death, reports from Virginia State Police said she left the lounge with Epperley and went to a house on Claytor Lake. However, it is unclear if she went with him willingly.
Later that night, Hall called her sister from the house and said she was with a man named Steve.
This was her last call.
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During the investigation, Hall’s blood was discovered inside the lake house. However, her body was never found.
This marks the first murder conviction in Virginia without a body.
This is one of many times Epplerly has requested parole. In 2021, the Virginia Parole Board denied his last request.
WFXR News will continue to update this story as more information is released.
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