Murder charge in Kansas teen's slaying

Jun 07,2007 00:00 by UPI

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- Officials in Kansas on Thursday charged a man with kidnapping and killing of 18-year-old Kelsey Smith, who disappeared from a shopping center parking lot.

Johnson County, Kan., District Attorney Phill Kline charged Edwin Roy Hall, 26, of Olathe, Kan., with first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping, KSHB-TV in Kansas City, Mo., reported.

Edwin R. Hall - myspace photo
Smith, of Overland Park, Kan., was found dead in a wooded area in south Kansas City, Mo., Wednesday afternoon. She had been missing since Saturday.

Hall was being held on $5 million cash or surety bond, KSHB reported.

Overland Park Police Chief John Douglass said Wednesday Hall was picked up and questioned after police received a tip. He said he had no information why Smith was targeted, or if Hall was believed to have acted alone.

Smith graduated from Shawnee Mission West high school days before her disappearance. She planned to attend Kansas State University and study veterinary medicine.