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Paula Halls' conviction has been overturned.

Judge John Moody said Paula Hall’s rights were violated when the Christian County Prosecutor’s Office failed to provide her defense lawyer with correct information regarding a state’s witness.
Wright County Judge John Moody, who was the judge who heard the case in Taney County on a change of venue, heard evidence Wednesday in Christian County during a hearing for 43-year-old Paula Hall of Sparta.
In his findings, Moody wrote, “Had (Sanders) known of the sentence, she could have sought further discovery regarding any agreements between the Christian County Prosecuting Attorney’s office and Ms. Bonham.”
“There is no question the information could have been useful in impeaching witness Lisa Bonham by demonstrating motive to lie.” Click to read Moody’s findings.
A jury convicted Hall for the November 2003 murder of sixty eight year-old Freda Heyn and she was sentenced to twenty years in prison.
Hall’s attorney, Rita Sanders, argued that the conviction should be overturned because errors by the prosecutor violated Hill’s due process rights. Prosecutors say the errors did not affect the outcome of the trial.
Moody allowed both sides to present evidence on Wednesday during a post-conviction hearing.
The witness that concerns Sanders most is Lisa Bonham, who served time in lockup with Hall.  She told the jury she overheard Hall tell fellow inmates in the Christian County jail that she killed Heyn.
Sanders says prosecutor’s failed to tell her that Bonham had been convicted of passing bad checks, forgery and a probation violation in Christian County and had pending charges in Greene County at the time of Hall’s trial. She says prosecutors in Christian County entered into a deal with Bonaham and asked Greene County prosecutors to go easy Bonaham because she testified for the state in Hall’s trial.
Sanders also questioned why Bonham’s Christian County sentence of five years probation was amended in April 2009, just two months after Hall’s conviction, to 120 days already served.

Christian County Prosecutor, Amy Fite, will have 30 days to appeal the judge’s decision, which would then send the post-conviction relief to the Missouri Court of Appeals. Fite could also decide to skip the appeal and retry Hall.
Sanders said she will ask Moody to order Hall’s release on her own recognizance.

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