Teen pleads guilty to slaying of Ballard store clerk

A teenager who killed a Ballard convenience-store clerk during a robbery in July pleaded guilty today to first-degree murder.

Elijah Hall, who was 17 at the time of his arrest, is facing up to 25 years in prison, according to Dan Donohoe, spokesman for King County Prosecuting Attorney's Dan Satterberg.

Because of the seriousness of the crime, Hall, now 18, was charged as an adult in the July 26 slaying of 28-year-old Manish Melwani.

According to charging documents, Melwani was in the backroom of the Pit Stop Express and 76 gas station at 15th Avenue Northwest and Northwest 58th Street when Hall walked into the store.

Video from the store shows Hall wearing a dark-colored beanie cap, sunglasses and a dark-colored bandanna. He also wore a dark jacket, dark pants and black shoes with a white stripe on them.

The video shows that when Melwani walked out of the backroom, Hall crouched behind the counter and pulled a gun out of his pocket, prosecutors said.

Melwani approached the teen and tried to grab him, but was shot twice, according to the charges.

Melwani managed to wrestle the gunman onto the counter, but Hall was able to pry himself loose, charging papers say. A witness in the store parking lot who saw the teen run away from the Pit Stop Express called 911.

Hall was connected to the crime after a man called police to say he found clothing matching that of the slaying suspect near his home in the 1400 block of Northwest 60th Street, according to the charges.

While officers were collecting the clothing, one detective noticed a teen nearby who identified himself as Hall, gave the detective his address and said he'd heard gunshots the night of the murder.

He was arrested the following day, according to court documents, after the state crime lab matched Hall's fingerprints to those found inside the Pit Stop Express.

Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983 or cclarridge@seattletimes.com

Information from Seattle Times archives is included in this report