Man accused of trying to hire hitman on Topix indicted; released from jail on bond

Tristan Hall

A Corbin man, who is accused of allegedly offering $5,000 on the popular Topix website to have someone kill a former local radio personality and business owner, got some good news and bad news Monday.

The bad news was that the Whitley County Grand Jury indicted Tristan James Hall, 29, for criminal solicitation to commit murder.

The good news was that Whitley Circuit Judge Paul Winchester agreed to lower Hall’s bond from $1 million cash to a fully secured $75,000.

This means that Hall could be released from the Whitley County Detention Center, where he has been held since his arrest on May 23, by either putting up $75,000 cash, $150,000 worth of property or a combination of the two.

Hall was released from custody after posting bond about noon Tuesday. As part of his bond conditions, he is required to wear an ankle-monitoring device. 

Hall’s attorney, Warren Scoville, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf Monday.

Winchester scheduled a July 23 pretrial conference in the case.

According to his indictment, on Jan. 10, Hall allegedly advertised that he would pay someone $5,000 cash for the murder of Melissa Jones Davis and the concealment of her body.

Kentucky State Police Trooper Jay Sowders, from Post 10 in Harlan, began the investigation when troopers were contacted by Jones about the post that appeared on the popular Topix website on Jan. 10.

The post, which was made by an individual who identified him/herself as, "serious as a heart attack," offered the money in exchange for the murder of Jones and concealment of her body.

According to the arrest warrant, the individual, whom police say was Hall, offered to pay half of the money up front and the other half, "once the job is complete."

At the preliminary hearing last month, KSP Detective Richie Baxter testified that a search warrant was issued for the IP (internet protocol) address of the individual who posted the message. The IP address came back to a Time Warner Internet account owned by Hall.

"IP addresses are as unique as DNA," Baxter testified.

Under Kentucky law, the charge is a class B felony, carrying a potential prison sentence of 10 to 20 years.