JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The video was difficult to hear and lasted hours.
On Wednesday, jurors in the first-degree murder case against Tiara Hall listened to and watched home surveillance video of her final encounter with boyfriend Raynaldo Wolkooski on Nov. 29, 2021.
Hall admits fatally shooting the 35-year-old – she called 911 to report it – but claims it was self-defense. She is charged with first-degree murder, and faces life in prison if convicted.
Key evidence in the case includes a four-hour-long video from Hall's Brentwood home that shows Wolkooski screaming at and strangling her, at one point taking her gun out of her purse and holding it.
The recording also includes audio of Wolkooski apparently beating her in her bathroom while he held her captive for nearly three hours. Hall's screams can be heard throughout and, at one point, something hits the bathroom wall so hard the camera mount on the bedroom wall shakes.
Hall took the stand to testify in her own defense Wednesday. She said she was scared and intimidated by Wolkooski’s conduct.
Prosecutor Donna Thurston pushed back, noting the time lag between the end of the incident between the couple and the shooting – about four hours.
The confrontation stopped around 3 a.m. and the shooting didn’t occur until about 7:30 a.m. Thurston noted Hall left the home to load the gun while Wolkooski slept, then returned to shoot him, rather than escape.
Closing arguments got underway late Wednesday afternoon.