Politics not the motive for 10-year-old killing his father, authorities say

RIVERSIDE – A 10-year-old Riverside boy who has a reported history of violent behavior was charged Wednesday in the shooting death of his father last weekend.

Police have not released any possible motives, though they have determined that Jeff Hall, 32, was not killed because of his political beliefs. Hall, who has been described as the president or regional director of the Southwest States National Socialist Movement, was killed early Sunday at home.

Court documents showed that the youth, whose name was not released by authorities due to his age, has shown a pattern of violence at home and school, possibly due to reported abusive behavior in his life.

The Riverside County Coroner’s Office released a statement that said Hall died of a single gunshot wound fired “by known assailant.” At 4 a.m. Sunday, police said the boy used a handgun to shoot his father. At the time, Hall’s wife, who is not the boy’s mother, and five children were all home.

The boy was charged with intentionally shooting his father inside his Riverside home. He was also charged with using a gun in the commission of the killing. Lt. Ed Blevins of the Riverside Police Department, who indicated the weapon used was a handgun, did not say who owned the gun or reveal the caliber of the weapon.

Hall’s son was booked at juvenile hall for investigation of murder, Blevins said. “It was an intentional act,” he said, though declined to release any details about the shooting, including any possible motives.

The National Socialist Movement promotes white separatism on its website.

Hall lost in a November election to replace incumbent Tom Evans on the Western Riverside Municipal Water District board.

Hall and the boy’s mother, Leticia Neal, divorced in 2000, said reports, despite a discrepancy in the divorce dates and the boy’s age. Hall was granted custody in 2004 after charges of abuse and neglect, including molestation, though no charges were filed against the mother.

No plea has been entered on the boy’s behalf, though he was granted a public defender. Authorities say that the suspected youth, who was being held at Riverside’s juvenile hall, cannot be tried as an adult.