Adriana Hall

Adriana Hall, a 34-year-old nurse and mother of two young daughters, was found dead in her Wilmington, North Carolina, apartment on Sunday, October 8, 2023. Family members had become concerned when they could not reach her and she did not show up for her job at Novant Health. They requested a welfare check, and shortly before 11 a.m., Wilmington police officers entered her residence in the Hawthorne at Oleander apartment complex on Adirondack Way. Inside, they discovered Ms. Hall deceased from a gunshot wound.

The investigation revealed no signs of forced entry. Prosecutors later stated that Ms. Hall had been shot in the head while she was sleeping early in the morning on October 7. Her cousin, 17-year-old Gabriel Alexander Jackson, had been living with her at the time. Investigators determined that after the shooting, Jackson stole his cousin’s car and other valuables, discarded the firearm in a neighbor’s yard, and fled.

Police tracked the stolen vehicle to a nearby park, where they found Jackson in the driver's seat and arrested him. He was initially charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery, and auto larceny. The investigation soon led to a second arrest. Jackson’s 16-year-old girlfriend, Ali’Yonna Hutchins, was taken into custody and charged in connection with the crime. A search of their communications uncovered more than 188 pages of text messages detailing a plan to murder Ms. Hall, steal her car and other items, and run away together.

In March 2025, Ali’Yonna Hutchins pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact. She was sentenced to serve between 73 and 100 months in prison and was given credit for time served.

Gabriel Jackson’s case was transferred from juvenile court to New Hanover County Superior Court. In June 2026, he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon. As part of a plea agreement, the auto larceny charge was dismissed. A judge sentenced Jackson to life in prison with the possibility of parole for the murder, with an additional sentence for the robbery. He was also ordered to undergo psychiatric counseling and receive educational and vocational training while incarcerated.