Washington County man gets life sentence for first-degree murder

Samuel Robert Hill (left), 27, sits Monday in Judge Mark Lindsay’s courtroom with his defense attorneys John Bailey and John Barry Baker at the Washington County Courthouse in Fayetteville.
Samuel Robert Hill (left), 27, sits Monday in Judge Mark Lindsay’s courtroom with his defense attorneys John Bailey and John Barry Baker at the Washington County Courthouse in Fayetteville.

A Washington County man was sentenced Thursday to life in prison for first-degree murder and 30 years and a $15,000 fine for attempted first-degree murder for killing his stepfather and shooting at his mother in 2014.

The sentences will be served consecutively.

Samuel Robert Hill, 27, was charged with capital murder for killing Allen Hill, 61, at the elder Hill's home on Whitehouse Road near Elkins the night of Aug. 20, 2014. He also was charged with attempted capital murder for shooting at his mother, Roberta Hill.

The defense didn't dispute he killed his stepfather. His lawyer argued Hill suffered from schizophrenia and urged jurors to return a verdict of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. The jury instead convicted him on the lesser charges.

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