Sunday, July 5, 2026

Defendant pleads guilty in connection to 2023 murder of cousin

Gabriel Jackson plead guilty to first degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon in connection to 2023 murder of cousin Adriana Hall. (Courtesy NHCSO)

WILMINGTON — Gabriel Jackson pleaded guilty to first degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon in connection to 2023 murder of his cousin, Adriana Hall. 

He will serve up to six years in the Department of Adult Correction for robbery with a dangerous weapon and life with the possibility of parole for the homicide. 

The 975 days Jackson spent incarcerated prior to the plea will be credited to his sentence for robbery with a dangerous weapon. The charge for auto larceny has been dropped as a part of the plea deal. Additionally, per judge orders, Jackson must also undergo counseling. 

Jackson was 17 years old and living with Hall at the time of the murder. Because he was a minor at the time the crime took place, Jackson was charged in the Juvenile Court but later transferred to the Superior Court for sentencing due to the nature of the incidents.

Early in the morning of Oct. 7, 2023, prosecutors believe Jackson shot Hall in the head while she slept. Hall, a nurse and mother to two young daughters, was found by law enforcement in her apartment on Adirondack Way on Oct. 8. Law enforcement were contacted by her family for a welfare check after they were unable to reach her.

Tracking Hall’s stolen vehicle, detectives were able to locate the car with Jackson in the driver’s seat. He was found at a park in Wilmington.

Further investigation revealed more than 188 pages of text messages between Jackson and his girlfriend and codefendant, 16-year-old Ali’Yonna Hutchins,. The correspondence detailed Jackson’s plan to murder Hall, steal her car along with other valuable items, and then flee with Hutchins.

Hutchins pled guilty to accessory after the fact and was sentenced up to 8 years in the Department of Adult Correction in March of 2025.


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