De’von Hall ruled not guilty by reason of insanity

Last week Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Lauren Weis Bernstein declared De'von Hall not guilty for the brutal 2017 murder of his mother by reason of insanity.

On April 24, 2017, 48-year-old Alecia Benson was found battered in her home, reportedly struggling to breathe.  Four days later she succumbed to her injuries when life support was removed.

According to People, a witness told the 911 dispatcher that “They got in a tussling match and next thing you know she was on the ground and he was stomping her out.”

“It was like a switch that had gone off,” cousin Angela Benson-Williams told KCAL in 2017, “I didn’t recognize my cousin anymore.”

Tony Benson, Alecia’s brother added, “He turned into something that became vicious, and that was the sport he was in. The more vicious, the more accolades you get.”

Hall was located in the middle of the street smoking a cigarette.  When three deputies tried to apprehend him, he fought them off before they were eventually able to restrain him.

While Hall had battled with mental health issues for years according to family members, they said the issues became worse after his time with the NFL.  According to the LA Times, family stated that he would often be seen wearing headphones to combat the voices that he had said he heard in his head.

In July 2017, court proceedings were delayed due to questions about his mental health.  In December, Hall was ruled to be incompetent to stand trial and was sent to Patton State Hospital in San Bernardino for treatment.

“Mr. Hall will now go to a state hospital to get the type of mental health treatment that Ms. Benson always wanted for her son,” Hall's public defender Ashley Morgan Price said in a statement after the ruling.