Hall, 41, of Benham, is the fourth person arrested in the case by Kentucky State Police Det. Michael Cornett.
The state police executed an indictment warrant on Hall at his workplace at Creech Chevrolet in Harlan. Hall was arrested for his alleged role in the death of Browning, a former Harlan County sheriff in the 1980s, who was campaigning for the sheriff’s seat when he was killed in 2002.
Hall was the narcotics detective under former Harlan County Sheriff Steve Duff. During the third day of the Bell County trial, Hall was named by Dewayne Harris as the alleged man who put the plan into action to have Browning killed. Hall has been charged with complicity to murder and complicity to first-degree trafficking a controlled substance.
According to the indictment, on or about Feb. 25, 2002, until March 22, 2002, in Harlan County, Roger Hall, with the intent to promote or facilitate the commission of a crime, agreeing with one or more persons, that at least one of them will engage in conduct constituting such crime, by paying Raymond Harris to kill Paul Browning Jr. It is also alleged that on or about Jan. 1, 2001, until on or about Jan. 1, 2004, that Roger Hall, with the intent to promote or facilitate the commission of a crime, agreeing with one or more persons that at least one of them will engage in conduct constituting such crime, by taking payoffs in return for providing assistance in the trafficking a controlled substance in the first degree.
Raymond Harris and his nephew, Dewayne Harris, were sentenced in Bell County Circuit Court in May for their involvement in the case following a lengthy trial.
Harris, 61, of Fairview, was found guilty by a jury in March for shooting Browning in the head. During the penalty phase of the trial, the jury recommended life without the possibility of parole on a charge of murder. The charge of complicity to commit arson was 10 years, and the two counts of complicity to tampering with physical evidence was five years each.
During Harris’ sentencing, Bell County Circuit Judge James L. Bowling Jr., made the decision to reduce the penalty to life without the possibility of parole for 25 years.
Harris’ nephew, Dewayne Harris, and Johnny Epperson pleaded guilty to their involvement in the murder of Browning, and they will be eligible for parole.
Dewayne Harris and Epperson testified that Raymond Harris shot Browning off KY 987 at Brownings Creek in Bell County before his body and truck were taken to KY 2012 and burned at Balkan in March 2002. Dewayne Harris testified that Hall gave the order to have Browning killed and provided $1,000 for payment.
It is alleged that the master plan to kill Browning was put together in Harlan County. Dewayne Harris testified that he and Hall engaged in conversations planning the death of Browning, who was running for sheriff.
Dewayne Harris testified that he was paying Hall for providing him protection and keeping him informed of who informants were.
Dewayne Harris testified during the trial in Bell County that Hall was worried that Browning would not keep him as a deputy if elected after that fact was stated on a hidden videotape by Browning.
Dewayne Harris was sentenced to 30 years in Bell County in May for his involvement in the murder of Browning. Epperson was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Assisting with the arrest of Hall were troopers Walt Szczepan, Bryan Johnson and James Earl Hensley. The case is still under investigation by Cornett.
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