Claudia Hall | Homicide Watch DC

Alphonso Cleveland Sentenced to Nine Years for Killing his Wife, Claudia Hall

Kristian Hernandez — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 15:23:18 -0400

Alphonso Cleveland was sentenced Friday to nine years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for strangling his wife Claudia Hall, to death, and stabbing her.

"This homicide was violent, brutal and very personal," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Veronica Sanchez,"This was someone [Hall] loved and cared about."

Cleveland, 52, plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter in April but was originally suspected of second-degree murder while armed in the January 3, 2014, murder.

Hall, 51, was the first homicide victim of this year. She was found dead by police in her apartment on the 300 block of 18th Place Northeast at approximately 2:20 p.m.

Outside the courtroom, Herbert Smallwood, 34, Hall's nephew, said he disagreed with the government allowing Cleveland to plea for involuntary manslaughter.

"It should have been second-degree murder," said Smallwood. "I did sixteen years for a drug charge, and this man is getting nine years for killing someone. You do the math."

During sentencing, Sanchez said that if this case would have gone to court prosecutors would have highlighted through testimony from the medical examiner that it took three minutes for Cleveland to asphyxiate Hall, and that this manner of homicide was especially heinous.

"He's diabolical, he's clever and whatever you give him is not enough," said Hall's brother James Hall, during his impact statement.

Sanchez joined Hall's family members in asking Judge Robert Morin for the maximum sentence of 10 years under the conditional plea agreement.

Defense attorney Andrew Stanner argued that Cleveland suffers from mental health issues, and that the murder was driven by his drug addiction.

"It's not our position that this is nothing other than awful and morally wrong," said Stanner, "Mr. Cleveland has no prior history of violence and he is an older man."

Stanner recommended Cleveland serve his sentence at a federal medical facility and receive mental health and drug treatment. He also said to the court that the murder was not premeditated and Cleveland showed "no malice" and was not an "evil man."

Hall had the chance to address the court during the sentencing hearing and apologized to Cleveland's family and asked Judge Morin to "have mercy."

"I understand that what I did was wrong, taking the life of my wife," said Hall."I deserve to go to jail, I deserve to be punished."

According to prosecutors, Cleveland tried to hide the murder by prompting a chair against the front door and cleaning blood off the floor before fleeing the scene.

Sanchez argued that Cleveland also robbed Hall after killing her. She said that items belonging to Hall, including her wallet, were found on him when he was arrested by police a day after the murder.

Hall's son was also present at the sentencing hearing Friday. The young man wore a t-shirt with a picture of Hall and the words, "I Miss You Mom," but he could not hold back his tears long enough to deliver his impact statement in front of Judge Morin.

"You may have broken the chain, but the family is still standing," said Hall's, sister Irene Hall, "We will stay together as a family."

Alphonso Cleveland Pleads Guilty in Stabbing Death of Claudia Hall

Megan Arellano — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 21:19:53 -0400

Alphonso Cleveland, 51, pleaded guilty Thursday to voluntary manslaughter in connection with the stabbing of his 51-year-old wife, Claudia Hall. He was initially charged with second-degree murder in connection with the case.

Hall was found by police on January 3 in her apartment on the 300 block of 18th Place Northeast.

Prosecutors said Thursday that Hall kicked Cleveland out of the apartment they shared in December 2013 because Cleveland was not helping with the bills.

According to plea documents, Cleveland said that on January 1, Hall invited him over, but the two got into an argument over the cable bill, which Cleveland was not paying.

Charging documents say one witness saw Cleveland banging on Hall’s apartment door demanding to be let in one day before her death.

Plea documents say that Cleveland said the argument became physical and that he choked Hall until he killed her. Cleveland also admitted that he stabbed Hall in the bottom half of her stomach, then placed her on the bed, documents say. Prior to leaving, Cleveland placed a chair against the front door to prevent anyone from entering the apartment, according to the documents.

Charging documents say that a witness later discovered Hall unconscious and not breathing after forcibly entering the residence.

Cleveland is scheduled to be sentenced on June 13.

Plea documents have been added to this post below.

Cleveland, Alphonso Plea Documents (PDF)Cleveland, Alphonso Plea Documents (Text)

Alphonso Cleveland Held in Connection with Claudia Hall Murder

Ivan Natividad — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 18:21:34 -0500

A DC man suspected of killing his wife in DC's first homicide of 2014 was ordered held Monday at his first court appearance on the charge.

Alphonso Cleveland, 51, faces a charge of second-degree murder while armed. His wife, Claudia Hall, 51, was fatally stabbed.

Hall was found by police January 3 around 2:20 p.m. in her apartment on the 300 block of 18th Place Northeast.

Charging documents allege that Cleveland stabbed Hall during an argument over a cable bill.

According to those documents, witnesses told police that more than a week before Hall was found dead, she had kicked Cleveland out of the apartment they shared because he had not payed bills he had agreed to pay.

One witness told police that one day before Hall's body was found, they saw Cleveland banging on Hall's apartment door demanding to be let in, documents state.

Another witness told police that when they went to check on Hall at her apartment both doors to the home were locked and a folding chair was wedged up against one door, which prevented the door from opening freely, charging documents state.

The witness forcibly entered the residence and found Hall lying on her bed unconscious and not breathing. Police found blood on a knife handle in a open kitchen closet, and blood on the wall and the floor of the kitchen, charging documents state.

Cleveland is scheduled for a preliminary hearing January 21 with Judge Robert Morin.

Charging documents are below.

Claudia Hall found dead in 2014's first homicide

Chris Amico — Sat, 04 Jan 2014 14:44:55 -0500

Police found a woman dead inside a building in the 300 block of 18th Place Northeast on Friday afternoon, marking the year's first homicide.

Claudia Hall, 51, had suffered "apparent trauma to her body," police said in a statement.

Alphonso Cleveland, 52, was arrested Saturday on suspicion of second-degree murder while armed in connection with Hall's death.

MPD's full press release is below.

(Washington, DC)- Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch have announced that an arrest has been made in the homicide which occurred in the 300 block of 18th Place, Northeast.

On Friday, January 3, 2014, at approximately 2:23 pm, patrol units from the Fifth District responded to the 300 block of 18th Place, Northeast for the report of an unconscious person. Upon arrival, they located an adult female inside the 300 block of 18th Place, Northeast, suffering from apparent trauma to her body. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel responded and did not find any signs consistent with life. The decedent remained on the scene and was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the District of Columbia, pending an autopsy to determine cause and manner of death.

The decedent is identified as 51 year-old Claudia Hall of Northeast, Washington, DC.

On Saturday, January 4, 2014, Detectives from the Homicide Branch arrested 52 year-old Alphonso Cleveland of Northeast, Washington, DC, charging him with Second Degree Murder while armed in connection to the homicide of Claudia Hall.