Norcross mother, Brittany Hall, sentence to life for murder, abuse of 8-year-old daughter

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA – A Norcross mother has pled guilty to murder in connection with the beating death of her 8-year-old daughter.

Brittany Nicole Hall, 31, pled guilty to felony murder, 11 counts of cruelty to children, concealing the death of another and making false statements for the 2021 death of Amari Hall. Brittany Hall was sentenced to life in prison, the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office said on Wednesday, Sept. 24. 

Hall and her girlfriend, Celeste Owens, reported Amari Hall missing on Nov. 19, 2021. The couple, who lived with Amari Hall and her two younger siblings in a Norcross hotel, told police that they woke up around 10 a.m., and noticed that Amari Hall was gone. 

Investigators determined that Hall and Owens were not telling the truth about the child going missing and were able to find evidence of abuse of the other children. Investigators searched Owens’ phone and found web searches on the day of the initial report that included, “What to do when a child just doesn’t listen”, “Lakes near me,” “How do sewers on the streets work”, “Why do kids run away,” “How do I report someone missing”, and “U-Haul: Customer Account.” Investigators uncovered more than a dozen videos recorded by a “nanny-cam” and uploaded to the phone showing the adult couple beating all three children.

Police also found surveillance footage showing Owens renting a U-Haul van that she subsequently drove to DeKalb County. Investigators were able to locate the child’s body in a wooded area of DeKalb County. In December, Owens was found guilty of malice murder, felony murder aggravated battery, aggravated assault, child cruelty and other charges, and was sentenced to life plus 235 consecutive years in prison.

“This mother failed to protect her children and joined in the abuse,” Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “This ended tragically. We continue to pray that her siblings can heal from the abuse they endured and that this plea brings closure to them and their extended family.”

Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Sabrina Nizam and Assistant District Attorney Aspen Talley prosecuted this case. The District Attorney’s Office stated the Gwinnett County Police Department provided invaluable assistance in closing this case.