Do you know where Gina Hall is?
Gina Renee Hall, an 18-year-old white female, was a freshman at Radford University, living with her older sister, Dlana, for the summer session. On the night of June 28, 1980, after finishing her midterm exams, Gina was in a celebratory mood and decided to go dancing at a Marriott nightclub in Blacksburg. Her sister, tired from her own exams, stayed home. This was an unusual night, as it was the only time her sister recalled Gina going out socially by herself. She left around 10:00 p.m., driving her sister's brown Chevrolet.
Later that night, around 1:00 a.m., Dlana received a call from Gina. She said she was at a lake house with a man named Steve and that she would be home in the morning. That was the last time anyone heard from Gina. When she didn't return the next day, her family grew deeply concerned and a search began. The investigation soon focused on Stephen Epperly, a former Virginia Tech football player, who was the man Gina had been with. He admitted to being with her at a friend's lake house and claimed he went for a swim while she stayed on the dock. He said they kissed, but she declined to be intimate with him. According to Epperly, Gina then drove him back to Radford and he never saw her again.
As the investigation intensified, the evidence began to paint a grim picture that contradicted Epperly's story. Gina's car was found abandoned under a railroad trestle. Inside the trunk, investigators discovered fresh bloodstains and hair. Near the river, a bundle containing the blood-stained clothes she had been wearing was found. Further investigation led police to the secluded cabin at Claytor Lake where Epperly had taken her. There, they found evidence of a violent struggle, including more than 30 bloodstains that matched Gina's blood type. Despite the mounting circumstantial evidence, Gina's body was nowhere to be found.
Based on the forensic evidence discovered, Stephen Epperly was arrested and charged with the murder of Gina Hall. His trial was historic in Virginia, as the prosecution proceeded without a body, a murder weapon, or a confession. The case against Epperly was built entirely on circumstantial evidence. In 1980, a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder, and he was sentenced to life in prison. This marked the first time in Virginia's history that a murder conviction was secured without the victim's body. For decades, Epperly maintained his innocence and the location of Gina's remains was a mystery. Years later, in 2016, some of her partial remains were reportedly discovered and were formally identified in July 2020, bringing a long-awaited, albeit partial, resolution to her family.
