Shivangi Sinha
Jennifer Cave’s parents became worried when they discovered she had not shown up for work and was last seen with her friend, Colton Pitonyak. They went to the latter’s apartment and found Jennifer’s car parked outside. Inside, they discovered her dead and mutilated body in his bathtub. Colton was missing, as was his girlfriend, Laura Hall. Laura’s family, concerned for her, soon found out that she had fled with Colton to Mexico. CBS’ ’48 Hours’ episode ‘In Too Deep’ details the role Laura played in the murder and her subsequent encounter with the law.
Laura Hall Fled to Mexico After the Murder
Laura Ashley Hall was born to Loren and Carol Hall and aspired to a bright and fulfilling future. She enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin, where she befriended a boy named Colton Aaron Pitonyak. Allegedly, Laura and Colton frequently used drugs during this period and spent a lot of time together. Some reports suggest they were romantically involved for a while, but by August 2005, they were platonic friends who still hung out regularly.
On August 18, 2005, Jennifer Cave’s parents arrived at Colton’s apartment at Orange Tree Condominiums in Austin, Texas, and saw their daughter’s car parked outside. With no one answering the door, they called 911, but without a search warrant and no evidence of foul play, the police could not enter. Jennifer’s father took matters into his own hands and broke into the apartment, discovering his daughter’s body. She had been shot, and her hands and head were mutilated. He called 911 again, and when the police tried to locate Colton, they found him missing. The police soon discovered that Colton’s ex-girlfriend, Laura Hall, was also unaccounted for.
When Laura’s parents learned that their daughter had fled with an alleged killer, they were deeply concerned for her safety. They repeatedly tried to contact her, and when she finally responded, she revealed that she and Colton had gone to Mexico. Five days later, on August 23, 2005, the two were apprehended in Laura’s dark green Cadillac in Piedras Negras. Colton was arrested, but Laura was not initially charged. The police brought her in for questioning, but she was uncooperative and insisted that Colton was innocent and being wrongly accused.
Laura was brought in for questioning three days later, and this time, she provided a detailed account of her involvement. She claimed that on the evening of August 17, Colton had called her to his house, where he confessed to killing Jennifer. Laura stated that she was terrified and believed she might become his next victim. She alleged that Colton had forced her to drive him to Mexico out of fear, not because she was attempting to escape. In September 2005, Laura was charged with hindering apprehension for assisting Colton in fleeing the country.
During questioning, Laura claimed she arrived at Colton’s house and found Jennifer’s body. Colton allegedly said he needed to dispose of the body and began dismembering it. When asked why she didn’t report the crime to the police and instead helped Colton, Laura said she was foolishly in love with him and wanted to assist him in any way she could. She spent two years in prison, and in January 2007, during Colton’s trial, he blamed Laura for dismembering Jennifer’s body. In February 2007, Laura was convicted of tampering with evidence, dismembering a dead body, and hindering apprehension. She was sentenced to five years for the former charge and one year for the latter, to be served concurrently. Her DNA was found on the gun used to shoot Jennifer and on a flip-flop in the bathroom.
Laura Ashley is a Free Woman Today
In February 2009, the Texas Third Court of Appeals released Laura Hall on bond, which determined that her sentence was unfair. She returned to live with her parents in Bandera, Texas and awaited her re-sentencing hearing. In 2010, she received a maximum sentence of 10 years for tampering with evidence, one year for hindering apprehension, and a $14,000 fine. Hall spent her years in various prisons under the Texas Department of Justice. In 2011, although she was eligible for parole due to the two years she had previously spent in jail from 2005 to 2007, her parole was denied.
Laura was denied parole again in 2014 and was finally released on parole with mandatory supervision in 2018. Under the conditions of her release, she was prohibited from returning to Travis County or having any form of contact with Jennifer Cave’s family. In August 2018, Hall’s sentence concluded, making her a free woman. Since her release, she has kept a low profile, sharing little about her personal life. Currently, she resides in Kennedale, Texas. She has mentioned spending time with an ex-partner but has not disclosed further details.
Read More: Erik Arceneaux: Where is the Suspected Killer Now?
