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Written by: A. Smith
Published September 25, 2025 @ 9:55 AM ET
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. – A Norcross woman has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to murder and multiple other charges in the 2021 death of her 8-year-old daughter, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Brittany Hall, 31, was convicted of felony murder, 11 counts of child cruelty, concealing a death, and making false statements, according to the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office.
Hall and her girlfriend, Celeste Owens, initially reported 8-year-old Amari Hall missing on Nov. 19, 2021, telling investigators the girl had disappeared from their hotel room while they slept. But investigators soon grew suspicious after uncovering evidence of abuse against Hall’s other children, prosecutors said.
Cameras inside the hotel room captured footage of the couple beating all three children, according to the district attorney’s office. A review of Owens’ cellphone also revealed a series of disturbing internet searches, including “What to do when a child 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 said surveillance footage later showed Owens renting a U-Haul, which she drove to DeKalb County. Amari’s body was discovered in a wooded area there.
Owens was tried in December 2023 and convicted on 20 counts, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, and child cruelty. She was sentenced to life in prison plus 235 years.
Prosecutors believe Owens fatally struck Amari in the head, while Brittany Hall helped conceal the crime. A medical examiner testified during Owens’ trial that Amari weighed only 54 pounds at the time of her death and showed clear signs of abuse, including a lacerated liver.
“This mother failed to protect her children and joined in the abuse,” District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said in a statement. “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.”