The Kandi Hall case is an Idaho true-crime story in which a paralegal’s affair with her attorney boss ended in his shooting death in a Meridian pharmacy parking lot on March 11, 2011. Kandi Hall’s husband, Robert “Rob” Hall, killed attorney Emmett Corrigan that night and was later convicted of second-degree murder. Kandi was never charged in the killing, but she was convicted in a separate embezzlement case tied to a former legal employer. Two families were left shattered, and Rob Hall remains in prison in Idaho.
The People Involved and How the Affair Began
Kandi and Rob Hall had been married more than a decade and had two teenage daughters when they moved from Southern California to Meridian, Idaho, in 2006. Rob took a technical support job at the Ada County Sheriff’s Office. Kandi worked as a paralegal. The marriage had already been damaged by Rob’s own infidelity, which Kandi said had hurt her self-esteem.
In September 2010, a mutual friend introduced Kandi to Emmett Corrigan, a new attorney who had just passed the Idaho bar. By November, Corrigan had opened his own criminal defense practice and hired Kandi as his paralegal.1Findlaw. State of Idaho v. Robert Dean Hall Within two weeks of meeting, they began a sexual relationship. Kandi later described the affair as an “ego boost” that made her feel “on top of the world.”2Oxygen. Robert Hall Convicted of Killing Wife’s Lover Emmett Corrigan
Corrigan was also married. He and his wife, Ashlee Birk, had met at Utah State University in 2003 and married six months later. By March 2011 they had five children, the youngest born shortly before Corrigan’s death.3Idaho Statesman. Robert Hall Sentenced in Murder of Emmett Corrigan Rob Hall discovered the affair months before the shooting.
The Night of the Shooting
On the evening of March 11, 2011, Rob and Kandi were at home discussing whether to try to repair their marriage. Kandi then left to meet Corrigan. Her teenage daughter spotted her car at a Walgreens at the corner of Linder and McMillan roads in Meridian and alerted Rob.2Oxygen. Robert Hall Convicted of Killing Wife’s Lover Emmett Corrigan
Rob drove to the parking lot in his pickup. During a phone call between Rob and Kandi, Corrigan grabbed the phone, told Rob, “I’m going to crack your f***ing head,” and instructed him to stay put.1Findlaw. State of Idaho v. Robert Dean Hall Corrigan drove over to confront him.
Shortly after 10 p.m., the two men met face to face. Rob was carrying a compact .380 ACP pistol with a laser sight in the front pocket of his hoodie. A verbal argument turned physical. Kandi testified that Corrigan lunged at Rob and shoved him in the chest, and that she turned toward her car and then heard three gunshots.
Corrigan was hit twice, once in the chest and once in the upper right forehead. Both wounds were fatal.1Findlaw. State of Idaho v. Robert Dean Hall Rob suffered a grazing wound to the top left side of his head. Prosecutors argued the third shot was a failed suicide attempt. The defense said it happened during a struggle over the gun.2Oxygen. Robert Hall Convicted of Killing Wife’s Lover Emmett Corrigan Rob’s head wound caused a traumatic brain injury and retrograde amnesia; he later said he did not remember the shooting.
Rob was arrested and initially charged with first-degree murder.4KTVB. More Details Emerge in Meridian Murder Case Forensics pointed at him alone: he was the only person with gunshot residue on his hands, and his DNA was the only DNA on the gun’s trigger.
Rob Hall’s Trial and Conviction
The case went before a jury in Ada County’s Fourth District Court, with Judge Michael McLaughlin presiding. Evidence began on October 10, 2012. Rob Hall did not testify, though his statements to police were admitted.
Kandi Hall was the sole eyewitness, and her account collapsed on the stand. Judge McLaughlin later said that in 31 years on the bench he had never seen a witness “more thoroughly discredited,” pointing to sharp contradictions between her pretrial statements and her trial testimony.1Findlaw. State of Idaho v. Robert Dean Hall The defense also tried to introduce Facebook posts by Corrigan, but the judge excluded them as hearsay and too speculative to tie to Rob.
On October 25, 2012, a jury of seven women and five men found Rob Hall guilty of second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.5Idaho Press. Robert Hall Sentenced to Up to 30 Years Judge McLaughlin sentenced him to 17 to 30 years, with credit for about a year and a half already served.3Idaho Statesman. Robert Hall Sentenced in Murder of Emmett Corrigan Ashlee Birk told the court the killing “ended my family.” Kandi Hall was not at sentencing; she was already in an Idaho Department of Correction program tied to her own case.
The Appeal
Rob Hall appealed on several grounds, including the trial court’s jury instructions on justifiable homicide, the exclusion of Corrigan’s Facebook posts, and the admission of testimony about a concealed weapons class he had taken.6Idaho Press. Supreme Court Affirms Robert Hall’s Murder Conviction In October 2015, the Idaho Court of Appeals affirmed on all grounds.
The Idaho Supreme Court took the case on review and, in an amended opinion issued November 15, 2016, affirmed the conviction. It found no error in the jury instructions, holding that the evidence did not support an “ongoing attack” by Corrigan that would have triggered Idaho’s justifiable homicide statute, and noted the defense had not properly preserved its objection at trial.1Findlaw. State of Idaho v. Robert Dean Hall Hall’s petition for rehearing was denied.7Findlaw. State of Idaho v. Robert Dean Hall – Petition for Rehearing
Kandi Hall’s Embezzlement Case
Kandi Hall’s own criminal case had nothing to do with the shooting. Before joining Corrigan’s firm, she had worked at Martens Law Office in Boise. After she resigned in October 2010, the firm contacted police in November 2010 about financial discrepancies. Investigators concluded she had diverted funds from 57 business clients into her personal accounts over roughly six months.8KTVB. Wife of Murder Suspect Arrested on Theft Charge
In May 2011, two months after Corrigan’s killing, Kandi was arrested and charged with felony grand theft by possession. She pleaded guilty to stealing more than $30,000. On December 11, 2012, she was sentenced to 14 years in prison with two years fixed, with the judge retaining jurisdiction so that she could enter a correctional program and potentially be released early on probation.9Idaho News. Kandi Hall Sentenced to Prison in Theft Case She ultimately served about 18 months.2Oxygen. Robert Hall Convicted of Killing Wife’s Lover Emmett Corrigan
Where Things Stand Now
Rob Hall remains incarcerated at the Idaho State Correctional Institution. His parole eligibility date is August 24, 2028, with his next parole hearing scheduled for March 2028. His full sentence satisfaction date is August 23, 2041.10Idaho Department of Correction. Resident Search – Robert Dean Hall
Kandi Hall, in a later interview for an episode of Dateline: Unforgettable, said she carried “a lot of guilt” over what the affair had done to her own children and to Corrigan’s five children. “It makes me sick how I could do something like that,” she said.2Oxygen. Robert Hall Convicted of Killing Wife’s Lover Emmett Corrigan
Ashlee Birk, Corrigan’s widow, remarried and turned to advocacy. She wrote a book series called The Moments We Stand about faith, forgiveness, and healing after betrayal, and she appeared on The Dr. Phil Show.1111Alive. Dr. Phil Show Does Not Provide Healing for Ashlee Birk She has also been an advocate for Marsy’s Law in Idaho, a push to strengthen victims’ rights in the state constitution, and has spoken about feeling silenced during the criminal trial.12Marsy’s Law for Idaho. Victims’ Voices – A Closer Look Birk has said publicly that she has forgiven both Rob and Kandi Hall.