PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria man was found guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of his girlfriend nearly one year ago.
Derreck Hall, 46, was convicted Tuesday of first-degree murder for killing 37-year-old Latrista L. Warfield in January 2025. He was also found guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm by a repeat felony offender.
On the morning of January 19, 2025, Peoria Police responded to the Grove apartment complex in the 1400 block of West Candlelight Court on a report of a woman shot.
Upon arrival, officers found Warfield lying in a pool of blood in the hallway of one of the apartment buildings. A trail of blood led back to Hall’s apartment. Warfield was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy determined she had been shot five times.
Hall testified in his own defense during the trial, claiming that Warfield had provoked him. However, the court rejected that claim based on evidence showing Warfield was shot multiple times, including twice from behind indicating she was attempting to flee when some of the shots were fired.
Evidence also revealed that Hall did not call 911, and instead left the scene, changed his clothes, and hid the gun.
Hall did not contact police until more than 12 hours later, when he called to turn himself in.
Sentencing for Hall is scheduled for March 4, 2026.
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