Hall was aware and fearful of his father's abusive nature, heightening to the point of murdering the whole family. The existence of unpleasant stimuli can lead to delinquent behavior, as the individual seeks to escape from it, by disposing of it (Agnew, 2012). 'Dad was kinda mean. So I thought maybe it would be him to leave', said Hall (Wallace, 2013). Hall was motivated by the urge to dispose of the negative stimuli – extensive child abuse and neglect – to make his father 'leave'. 'I wasn't really thinking about if he was gonna die or get unconscious', Hall said about his thoughts before committing the murder (Wallace, 2013). Hall was mainly focused on disposing of the negative stimuli. Moreover, Krista was a victim of his abuse, both physically and mentally. Jeff had an affair outside of marriage and often hurled demeaning texts at Krista over the phone and threatened to divorce her (Wallace, 2013). 'He's been on the phone a lot, texting a lot when Mom isn't around', Hall told detectives (Wallace, 2013). Hall was aware of the unfair treatment his mother was receiving and sought to address it. Agnew's (1992:57) research in the stress literature led him to the discovery that the removal of positive stimuli can also cause strain. Strain experienced by the individual due to the loss could invoke delinquency as the individual attempts to prevent the loss, retrieve what was lost, or seek vengeance on those who removed the positive stimuli (Agnew, 1992:57). Hall was close to his step-mother, to the point of calling her his mother during questioning. She was the positive stimuli in his life, and he experienced strain at the thought of her leaving. 'I didn't want my mom to leave', said Hall (Wallace, 2013). The anticipated removal of the positive stimuli, was highly conducive to Hall committing crime as a result – killing his father who threatened divorce.
