Oklahoma woman sentenced for shooting her 3 teen children in the head while they were sleeping

MUSKOGEE, Okla. (TCD) -- A 43-year-old mother will spend the rest of her life in prison after shooting and killing two of her children and injuring another within the boundaries of the Muscogee Creek Nation Reservation.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced March 29 that a judge sentenced Amy Hall to life in prison for each of two counts of murder and 240 months in prison for one count of assault with intent to commit murder. She pleaded guilty to the charges in November 2022.

In the early morning hours of Nov. 1, 2018, Hall went into her 18-year-old son’s room and shot him in the head while he was sleeping. The son, identified by The Associated Press as Kayson Toliver, immediately died from the gunshot wound. Hall then reportedly went into her 16- and 14-year-old daughters’ room and also shot both in the head while they slept.

According to the attorney’s office, Hall’s 14-year-old daughter survived her injuries, while her 16-year-old child remained unconscious and died several days later in the hospital.

Hall reportedly told investigators her 14-year-old daughter escaped into the bathroom and started to cry. The daughter told Hall all was "OK," and she exited the bathroom and retrieved the gun from her mother, according to The Associated Press.

Another 18-year-old man was in the home at the time, sharing a bed with Tolliver, but he did not sustain any injuries and was left unharmed. Hall did not plan to shoot him, according to an affidavit reviewed by The Associated Press.

Hall was arrested following a pursuit with the Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Office. The attorney’s office said Hall’s vehicle reached speeds of over 110 miles per hour during the chase.

Hall told law enforcement she planned to take her own life after killing her children, but then her younger daughter took the gun, The Associated Press reports.

Hall reportedly told officials "some part" of her committed the crimes because she wanted to protect her children from their father, who she alleged was abusive.

Hall and the father, who were separated at the time, had been in a two-year custody battle over their children. According to The Associated Press, Hall filed an emergency order requesting temporary sole custody of the kids. However, in 2016, the father reportedly claimed Hall had psychologically abused the children and was mentally unfit.

In a statement, United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson said, "The horrific violence visited upon this family was unimaginable, and nothing will ever make things right."

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