John C. Hall

John C. Hall

Man arrested for murder, setting fire

November 11, 2009

Crawfordsville - A man has been arrested for killing another man and setting him on fire.

Justin Morris, 25, was arrested for killing his mother's boyfriend, 52-year-old John Hall in her home. He reportedly the house on fire to try to cover up the crime at 1502 Payton Street Friday morning. Investigators were called to the scene after firefighters discovered Hall's body inside the burned house.

"There was something in my gut and my heart that said, 'Justin did it'," said neighbor Hailey Graves.

Graves says she knows Morris, but is still trying to figure out why he killed Hall.

"Just anger. Rage, maybe?" she said.

"There was an argument between Mr. Morris and Mr. Hall and apparently it became physical and as a result, there was some head trauma to Mr. Hall," said Crawfordsville Police Chief Kurt Knecht.

Police say Morris attacked Hall and then took him into the front bedroom of the house.

"At that point, the bedroom was intentionally set on fire," said Knecht.

Hall had left his mother's house about a month ago and he found refuge across the street.

"I was shocked. I was surprised. I was disappointed," said Graves.

People who know the family say there were no obvious signals that Morris might snap.

"To my understanding, he thought that John was a good choice for his mother," said Graves.

The investigation is still ongoing and police are hopeful more questions will be answered in the coming days.

"He just did it. I guess no one really knows," Graves said. "The only truth, Justin knows. Justin knows the truth."