A 19-year-old Point Loma man who killed a promising law student while driving drunk in Pacific Beach was sentenced Monday, Nov. 6, to seven years in state prison before a packed courtroom filled with the victim’s family and friends.
Probation was denied for Daniel Scott Hall, who pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and hit and run in the death of Christopher McCallister, 25, who attended the University of San Diego. He was struck by Hall’s car in the 1400 block of Garnet Avenue on June 24 around midnight.
Deputy District Attorney MacKenzie Harvey said Hall went to a party that night and “drank beer and rum straight from the bottle.” Hall told a probation officer he was dared to drink rum from a bottle by people at the party. Harvey said two friends of his told him he was too drunk to drive.
Hall’s blood/alcohol level was .23, which is nearly three times the felony limit. His blood also tested positive for recent use of the tranquilizer Valium, and there was a small amount of marijuana in his car, according to the probation report.
San Diego Superior Court Judge George Clarke said Hall was at a stoplight on Garnet Avenue, but didn’t move when the light turned green. A taxicab behind him honked, and Hall then quickly accelerated. He narrowly missed hitting a parked car, but sharply turned left and struck McCallister.
McCallister was struck so hard his body went over the hood and into Hall’s windshield. His arm went through the windshield where he grabbed the rear view mirror, which broke off and landed with him in the street, according to the probation report. He died several hours later of blunt force trauma and multiple skull fractures.
“After you struck him, you just kept on going,” said Clarke to Hall, saying he showed “disregard for human life.”
Hall continued to drive away even with a shattered windshield that. A witness followed him for a few miles and San Diego Police stopped him near the SeaWorld exit on Interstate 5. Hall told probation officials he only remembered drinking rum and then waking up in county jail.
The victim’s mother, Gerri McCallister, said her son “had only one more year to complete law school…and now will never be able to realize his dream.”
“I cry for him every day. It doesn’t get better or easier with time. I can never talk to him or hug him,” she said. “Part of me died when my son died. He should still be here. Daniel Hall chose to drink and then drive. It is obscene to me that Daniel killed Christopher in this manner.”
“He had hopes and dreams of becoming a lawyer, marrying his girlfriend. So many people looked up to him,” said the victim’s sister, Kellie Matijasevic, tearfully.
Hall, dressed in blue jail clothing, also cried during the sentencing. His father, Peter Hall, said his son is “torn apart with agony over the death of Christopher McCallister.” He said his son is terrified while in jail and shows “excruciating remorse for his actions that night.”
“He’s a convicted felon now. The world will be a cold place for him,” said Peter Hall.
Speaking before the judge, Hall said, “I never imagined causing so much pain for so many people. I hope someday I can be forgiven, if that’s not too much to ask.”
Hall was taken to the hospital recently after throwing up blood from two ulcers, according to court records. Before he was arrested, Hall assisted his family as a caretaker for his mother, who suffers from major medical problems.
Police also found a fake beer can in Hall’s car that night that contained $2,510 in cash along with a digital scale. Hall admitted to a probation officer he had been selling small amounts of marijuana recently. Hall had been working at a Point Loma market, and attended evening classes at Grossmont College.
He could have received a maximum 11-year term in prison. Clarke didn’t say why he did not impose the maximum penalty, but Hall had no criminal or juvenile record except for two infractions for speeding. He was fined $1,400. The judge gave him credit for the past 136 days in jail. Hall wrote a letter of apology to McCallister’s parents.