Fire Suspect Has Child Mind, Neighbors Say

The young man suspected of starting a fire that killed eight people at a fireworks store had two surgeries, including a lobotomy, after injuring his head in a skateboard accident as a teenager, relatives say.

As an adult, neighbors say, Todd Hall had the mind of a 12-year-old. He would wander into homes uninvited, pester people on the street and ride his bike on neighbors’ lawns.

On Friday, the 24-year-old Hall giggled like a delighted child and mugged for the cameras as he was arraigned on charges of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the fire.

“He doesn’t appear that he knows what he done,” said sheriff’s Deputy John Tordiff.

Investigators said Hall, egged on by a few friends, lit a box of firecrackers Wednesday at the crowded Ohio River Fireworks store in Scottown. Customers stampeded toward a door as flames erupted and fireworks exploded.

Prosecutor J.B. Collier Jr. would not rule out charges against the friends and said investigators were getting conflicting reports about who was with Hall that day.

In court, Hall giggled as photographers snapped his picture.

“Let me do my hair first,” he joked. Flanked by two deputies as he sat in the jury box, he flashed the peace sign.

“But I didn’t do it. It’s not fair,” Hall complained, interrupting Municipal Judge Don Capper as he explained the charges.

Hall was ordered held on $500,000 bail for a hearing July 12 and was provided with a court-appointed lawyer. He will be examined to determine if he is competent to stand trial. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

Hall has behaved strangely for years, neighbors say. “He’s the biggest nuisance you’ve ever seen in your life,” said Glen Stiltner, owner of a gas station near Hall’s home. Workers at Stiltner’s store said Hall would harass customers and steal cigarettes and lighters.

Hall’s father, James, said he had been trying to get help for his son ever since the 1987 skateboarding accident in Morgantown, W. Va. “I’ve had him in the best hospitals in the country,” the elder Hall said.

The lobotomy put Hall in a coma for six weeks. His father and stepmother went on ABC-TV’s “Nightline” on Sept. 23, 1992, to discuss the accident during a show about health insurance problems.

In 1994, Hall was charged with domestic violence against his father. The charge was dismissed after James Hall said his son was incompetent, court records said.

Meanwhile, three victims of the fire remained in critical condition, and authorities were using dental records to confirm the identities of the dead.