Suspect in California parole agent's murder in court as current, former DAs lob accusations over his previous release
The suspect in the murder of California parole agent Joshua Byrd appeared in court Monday as finger-pointing over his previous parole took place between the Alameda County District Attorney and her predecessor.
Suspect Bryan Keith Hall's arraignment at the Wiley M. Manuel Courthouse in Oakland was postponed until August 22. He is currently being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.
District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson said in a press conference that charges against Hall include murder of a peace officer, robbery of a passenger on the bus Hall was on following the shooting, theft of a vehicle during his escape attempt, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Other enhancements include a two-strikes enhancement, which would make it a third strike if convicted. Jones Dickson said her office would seek life without the possibility of parole.
Byrd was shot and killed on Thursday at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation parole offices in East Oakland. The 48-year-old Hall, a parolee with a long criminal history, was arrested the same day following an intense manhunt. The motive in the shooting was not clear, but Jones Dickson said Monday that Byrd was not Hall's parole agent and they had had no prior contact.
Suspect's prior plea following attempted murder charge
The CDCR said Hall was most recently charged in November 2022 with attempted murder in connection with a stabbing. In February, following a plea deal with the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, Hall pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon, and the attempted murder charges and other special allegations were dismissed.
Hall was immediately released on parole because of time already served, the CDCR said.
On Monday, former Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, who left office in December 2024 following a recall vote, claimed her office was not to blame for Hall's early parole in the 2022 stabbing. In a press release, Price said she wanted to "set the record straight" about Hall's release, noting the 2022 crime took place before she was in office and that his plea deal was negotiated following her tenure.
"There are those who are intent on spreading disinformation about this tragedy by attributing it to me or members of my Executive Leadership team," said Price in a prepared statement. "The truth is that 98% of all cases are resolved through plea bargains - the criminal justice system could not function without plea bargains. Additionally, the re-entry team that I created was immediately disbanded under the new DA so any opportunity for the DA's office to assess Mr. Hall's mental condition or assist in his safe release into our community was lost."
Price called on Jones Dickson to address why Hall, who has a lengthy criminal history in Alameda County dating back to June 1996, was allowed to plead to a lesser charge in the 2022 stabbing and be released on parole.
"The community needs to know this decision was made by a line deputy District Attorney in the normal course of business under DA Ursula Jones Dickson," said Price. "DA Ursula Jones Dickson can provide the name of the deputy and address the concerns about his or her decision if she so chooses to do so. She owes the public a truthful explanation."
Jones Dickson responds to claims from predecessor
However, in her subsequent press conference, Jones Dickson disputed Price's account and said Price's prior directive against charging enhancements led directly to Hall's early release.
"As a result of that, great bodily injury was not charged, and in addition to that, not only great bodily injury, but strikes were alleged, but they could not be considered under that directive," said Jones Dickson. "And specifically, prosecutors could not - they had to plead strikes under the law - but they could not use those strikes as it relates to any plea bargain without permission from the prior administration."
Jones Dickson said Hall's plea was negotiated in January, and the sentencing in February occurred when Price's directive was still in place.
"My first order of business was to get rid of that directive," said Jones Dickson, who assumed office 11 days after Hall was sentenced.
Jones Dickson said since none of the enhancements and none of the strikes were allowed to be considered in Hall's plea, he was able to serve half his time, two years in custody instead of four.
"Had he had that same allegation with the enhancements and strikes, we would have been looking at more, like, 12 years and 85% [of time in custody].
Legal analyst Steven Clark said the 2022 plea deal will continue to be a factor hanging over the case.
The DA has to explain to the community exactly why they made this plea agreement with Mr. Hall," said Clark. DAs have to make discretionary decisions every day, but when you go from attempted with a knife to credit for time served, I think that's a big jump downward, and a lot of people wanna know why he was given that benefit of the doubt."
On Friday, Byrd was honored with a law enforcement procession from the Alameda County Coroner's Bureau in Oakland to a funeral home in Sacramento. First responders stood at attention and saluted on highway overpasses as the procession headed east on Interstate Highway 580.
Also on Friday, a moment of silence was held in Byrd's honor at graduation ceremonies for new CDCR correctional officers in Galt.
Byrd spent 11 years with the CDCR, mostly as a correctional officer. Last year, he became a parole agent working with the Oakland parole unit.
