Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Beresford Hall, 45, of Wyandanch, was sentenced to 13 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision after pleading guilty in March to Burglary in the First Degree, for forcibly entering a Central Islip home armed with a gun while a family was inside, pistol whipping a teenager, zip-tying multiple family members, and stealing more than $6,000 in cash and jewelry.
“This defendant forcibly entered a home armed with a gun with multiple family members inside. Thanks to the victim’s girlfriend who saw the incident through the home’s doorbell video, she called the police who were able to apprehend the defendant before he could get away,” said District Attorney Tierney. “This dangerous individual is now off of our streets thanks to the hard work of my prosecutors and members of the Suffolk County Police Department, including Police Officer Bryan Lawrence and K9 Officer Rafeh.”
According to the investigation and the defendant’s admissions during his guilty plea allocation, on April 8, 2023, Hall was armed with a handgun when he ran up to a man who was opening the front door of his home. Hall put the handgun in the victim’s face and pushed him into the home.
The man’s girlfriend, who was not home at the time, observed Hall forcibly entering the home through a doorbell notification on her cellular phone, and called 911. Hall then forced the victim and the victim’s girlfriend’s 19-year-old and 16-year-old sons to lay on the floor face down. Hall zip-tied their hands behind their backs and pistol-whipped the 16-year-old boy. Hall then stole over $6,000 in cash and jewelry, a wallet and car keys, and threatened the other occupants of the home, including a 10-year-old and a 4-month-old baby. Upon realizing the home was surrounded by members of the Suffolk County Police Department, Hall cut the zip-ties off of the victims with a knife, and in doing so, cut their hands. Hall then allowed all the victims to leave the house one by one before walking out of the home himself. Police ordered Hall to place his hands behind his back, however he fled on foot before being apprehended by law enforcement with the assistance of Police Officer Bryan Lawrence and K9 Officer Rafeh.
At the time of this crime, Hall was indicted in Onondaga County for five counts of Robbery in the First Degree, for allegedly holding up an auto parts store, two convenience stores, and a gas station in Syracuse. Hall was also charged in Onondaga County with weapons possession after police alleged found a loaded handgun while searching his home. He was released on $200,000 bond. Those charges are still pending in Onondaga County.
On March 25, 2024, Hall pleaded guilty to Burglary in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony, before Acting Supreme Court Justice Richard I. Horowitz. On April 30, 2024, Justice Horowitz sentenced Hall to 13 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision. He was represented by Caner Demirayak, Esq.
This case was prosecuted by Pamela J. Bloomfield of the Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau and Kirsten Reilly of the Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Bureau, and the investigation was conducted by Detective Robert White of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Third Squad.
Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.
