The 1991 Easley Wal-Mart Murders: Larry Eugene Hall Kills Sisters Wendy and Lori Murphree
A seemingly forgotten case, I only learned of it because I was researching “Larry Gene Bell” from the 1985 “Shari Faye Smith and 9 year old Debra May Helmick” case. But on July 16, 1991 in Easley, South Carolina Larry Eugene Hall, 29, approached Wal-mart employee Melinda Brackett in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart as she entered her car. He asked for directions, then pointed a gun through the window, forced her into the passenger seat, took the driver’s seat, robbed her of $2.26, cigarettes, and a lighter, sexually assaulted her, and forced her at gunpoint toward nearby woods.
Another Wal-Mart employee, Dale Bridgeman, noticed something was wrong. Bridgeman got two other employees, Langston and Grimes, and drove his truck directly into Hall and Brackett’s path. Brackett warned them that Hall had a gun. Hall waved the gun, pushed Brackett aside, and walked away.
Some time later, Wendy Lou Murphree, 19, and her sister Lori Leigh Murphree, 15, were shot near the same Wal-Mart. The South Carolina Supreme Court later described Hall as approaching the sisters in the back parking lot and shooting them “without provocation.” A witness saw Hall shoot Lori once, then stand over her and shoot her again after she fell. No eyewitness saw Hall fire the shots that killed Wendy, but several witnesses saw him standing over both sisters with the gun. Both girls were shot twice at close range, once in the chest and once in the head. Wendy died at the scene. Lori died shortly afterward at a hospital.
Hall fled into a yard directly behind the Wal-Mart. Police officers (Berry Seaborne and Wendell Hunter) confronted him there. He dropped the gun when ordered, but then picked up a large piece of timber, swung it at officers, and dared them to shoot. Officers tackled and subdued him. The $2.26, cigarettes, and lighter taken from Brackett were found in his pocket.
According to Hall v. Catoe, 360 S.C. 353, 601 S.E.2d 335 (2004), the court said defense lawyer Christopher Olson testified that Hall told him he shot “the other girl” because she had witnessed the first shooting. Court records say he had epilepsy and was taking Dilantin and Phenobarbital during trial. Hall’s Dilantin level was reported as 39, while the normal therapeutic range was 10 to 20. The same record describes a grossly abnormal EEG, an IQ of 72, sensory dysfunction, language and organizational deficits, organic personality disorder, and schizoid personality features. Hall also argued in post conviction proceedings that he had suffered a seizure the night before sentencing and had taken abnormal Dilantin doses during trial.
Hall was convicted of murder, kidnapping, first-degree criminal sexual conduct, armed robbery, and resisting arrest. He was sentenced to death for murder, with additional prison terms for the other crimes. The death sentence was later vacated. In Hall v. Catoe, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that Hall’s trial lawyers were ineffective for failing to object to the solicitor’s penalty phase argument. The solicitor asked jurors to compare the worth of Hall’s life with the lives of the victims and used the false phrase “this killer who stabs and stabs,” even though the Murphree sisters were shot, not stabbed. The court treated the argument as an improper comparison of human worth. It was emotionally inflammatory, unrelated to the circumstances of the crime, and not ordinary victim impact evidence. The convictions stayed in place, but the death sentence was sent back for a new sentencing proceeding.
Hall died in prison. The South Carolina Department of Corrections record of death lists “HALL, LARRY E.,” SCDC number 112241, date of birth December 24, 1961, date of commitment July 21, 1982, date of death March 3, 2021, cause of death “Natural Cause,” assigned institution Kirkland, and death location Kirkland.
From my searching there is barely any coverage of it besides some news paper articles and one podcast and the podcast was pretty recent maybe 2-3 years ago. Wendy Murphree was 19 and Lori Murphree was 15 two local sisters whose lives were tragically cut short in this very random attack. If anyone from the Easley/Pickens area has respectful memories of the sisters, the community impact, or how the case was remembered locally, any forgotten details or things not mentioned in the court reports and newspapers, please share them here. Let’s keep the focus on honoring the victims and the facts of the case. Last but not least may the two sisters rest in peace.
