Joseph Hall

Joseph Benjamin Hall, a 38-year-old White man from Akron, Ohio, was known to his family as Joey. His loved ones remembered him as a resilient and kind-hearted father, son, and brother who was always lending a hand to someone in need. A jack-of-all-trades with a talent for making the best of any situation, he was known for putting others before himself.

On the evening of November 30, 2022, Akron police responded to a call at Joey’s home in the 1300 block of Brandon Avenue in the Goodyear Heights neighborhood. Officers arrived just after 7:00 p.m. and found him lying on the living room floor with a gunshot wound to his chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:25 p.m.

The investigation quickly revealed that Hall had been in a heated argument with his girlfriend, 33-year-old Suzanne Thomas, over a car. Authorities issued a warrant for Thomas's arrest on a charge of aggravated murder, but she was never captured. Detectives also identified a second suspect, Darrell Lee Antwan Buchanan, as the alleged shooter. Buchanan, 38, was arrested on December 13, 2022.

The case took an unexpected turn on April 26, 2023, when Suzanne Thomas was found deceased in an abandoned lot near a scrapyard in Canton Township. Following her death, the charges against her in Hall's murder were formally dismissed. Prosecutors stated that her death was not believed to be connected to Hall's slaying.

In September 2023, Darrell Buchanan went on trial in Summit County Common Pleas Court. He faced two counts of murder, felonious assault, and having a weapon while under disability. Prosecutors argued that Buchanan had responded to a Facebook post from Thomas, in which she offered $100 for someone with a gun to accompany her to confront Hall. They alleged Buchanan went to the home with Thomas and shot Hall. Buchanan’s defense attorneys countered that he was not the shooter and that many questions in the case remained unanswered.

After hearing the evidence, the jury found Darrell Buchanan not guilty of all charges. As of the verdict in September 2023, with one suspect deceased and the other acquitted, the murder of Joseph Hall remains unsolved.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Akron Police Department Detective Bureau at 330-375-2490 or 330-375-2TIP. Tips can also be sent to the Summit County Crimestoppers at 330-434-COPS or by texting TIPSCO to 274637. Callers can remain anonymous.