'It's been hell': Family of Hailey Hall, beaten to death in 2016, still waiting for trial

Cameron Knight | Cincinnati Enquirer

It's been more than two years since 16-year-old Hailey Hall was beaten to death. The trial for the man accused of killing her was supposed to start Wednesday but was instead delayed again.

William Arnold, 36, is charged with murder, kidnapping, abduction, felonious assault and tampering with evidence in Hailey's death. He was arrested March 1, 2016, the day after Hailey was attacked.

On Wednesday, Arnold's lawyer Thomas Koustmer asked for a continuance. He said he'd only been assigned to the case for a few months. Arnold has requested new counsel at least twice causing delays.

"It's been hell," Hailey's mother Rhonda Byrd told The Enquirer. “It’s been hard. It’s been painful. It’s been too long.”

About a dozen of Hailey's friends and family came to court Wednesday.

Hailey was a 10th grader at St. Bernard-Elmwood Place High School. Byrd joked she was the "prettiest girl in Elmwood" with many friends and a bold personality.

"She didn’t see any bad in anyone," Byrd said. "She wasn’t fearful of anything.”

On Feb. 29, 2016, she went to the Inner Circle nightclub in East End, police said.

Prosecutors said Arnold then beat Hailey unconscious and took her to a hotel room for several hours before he and another unidentified individual took Hailey to Mercy West Hospital later that day.

Hailey's injuries included head trauma, lacerated liver, punctured and collapsed lungs, contusions, and bruises throughout her body, police said.

The doctor's told Byrd even if Hailey did survive, she would never be the same due to brain damage.

“She had bruises from her head to her toes," Byrd said. “She never did wake up.”

She was transferred to University of Cincinnati Medical Center where she died 15 days later on March 14.

Prosecutors said Arnold cleaned his car, which Hailey had ridden in, and hid the vehicle from police.

A report from the Hamilton County Crime Laboratory state Hailey's blood was found in a 2008 BMW registered in Kentucky.

More: 16-year-old beaten to death by 34-year-old 'boyfriend,' police say

Arnold has been jailed since his arrest. He was charged in Hailey's beating, but also faced drug charges.

Prior to his arrest, the Cincinnati Regional Narcotics Unit was investigating Arnold, according to court records. Prosecutors said he sold heroin to a confidential police informant. Police also found heroin in Arnold's possession on the day of his arrest, court records state.

In June 2017, Arnold was sentenced to four years in prison for drug trafficking. He is serving that sentence now.

Cincinnati Police Detective Charles Zopfi has been working the case since 2016. This year, he was eligible for retirement, but he made a promise to Hailey's family.

"I'm not going anywhere until this is done," Zopfi said. In the days after her death, he said, "there is no justifying anything that happened to her.”

Byrd said her daughter's grave always has flowers and gifts on it. She said so many people came to her funeral that parking ran out and people were turned away.

She believes Arnold is responsible for her daughter's death.

“This guy, when he did this, he ripped out my heart and soul and stomped on it. I’ll never be the same," Byrd said. "I want to watch him suffer like I did with my daughter for 15 days."

Arnold's trial was rescheduled for September 24.