Marty Gordon
The Virginia Parole Board says Stephen Epperly will continue to remain behind bars for his conviction in the 1980 disappearance and murder of Radford University student, Gina Hall.
The announcement comes just weeks from the date, June 28, 1980, she was last seen.
Epperly’s parole request, which was the most publicized, was one of five this past month that included individuals from our area.
In addition to denying Epperly’s request, the parole board also deferred any future hearing for three years. He had been given a hearing every year over that time-period under a “geriatric” age ruling.
Epperly, who is 72, has served 46 years in prison.
He had also requested a move to a minimum-security facility. So far, the parole board has not released any decision on the latter. Epperly has served most of his sentence at a Richmond prison, except for a brief time at the Bland Correctional Center.
What the five individuals denied parole this past month have in common is their age of over 50 with five being over 60.
William R. Smith, 50, was denied parole in his 1993 murder conviction. Smith was arrested after the attempt to rob a restaurant manager during a night deposit.
He along with two other individuals were convicted in 1993 of a robbery, murder and assault and battery in Montgomery County. Smith was given a life sentence on the homicide and 25 years on the kidnapping and robbery.
Lorna Crockett was abducted and shot while also making a night bank deposit.
60-year-old Gary O. Shanks’ parole also was denied. He was convicted in 1980 to 40 years for kidnapping and grand larceny in Montgomery County. He was also charged with robbery and malicious wounding in Pulaski County.
He had additional charges in West Virginia and North Carolina. Shanks was accused in the malicious wounding and robbery of Bobby McDaniel, a Hazel Hollow Road man. He had served time for a murder he committed while a teenager.
Shanks had been charged in a Blacksburg convenience store robbery during which he wore a mask to conceal his identity.
The parole board concluded he should serve more time of his sentence before being released.
60-year-old Robert A. Bain had been charged in 1986 for grand larceny in Montgomery County and murder in Wythe County. He had been given a life sentence to run concurrently with the other charges.
Bain was convicted in the murder his mother-in-law. The parole board ruled he needed to continue to serve his sentence.
Edward H. Dehart, Jr. of Riner, who had gone on a six-month crime spree and led police on a manhunt entered Alford pleas for 21 felonies.
According to previous testimony, DeHart was accused of stealing numerous construction tools from sites where he made deliveries as an 84 Lumber employee, starting a fire in one of these instances, stealing numerous vehicles and storing stolen tools in a storage facility he rented.
DeHart escaped arrest several times before leading sheriff’s deputies on an Aug. 12, 2011, Interstate 81 chase that ended in a wreck.
His parole request had been because of his age, currently 61. The Virginia Parole Board ruled he needed to serve more of his sentence.
