If you walked past Rob and Kandi Hall in a Meridian, Idaho, grocery store back in 2010, you wouldn't have looked twice. They were just another suburban couple. Rob worked IT for the Ada County Sheriff’s Office. Kandi was a seasoned paralegal. They had two teenage daughters and a life that, on paper, looked exactly like the "quiet life" they moved from California to find.
Then came the Walgreens parking lot.
On March 11, 2011, that quiet life didn't just crack; it disintegrated in a hail of gunfire that left a young attorney dead and a family man facing a 30-year prison sentence. Most people remember the headlines about the "Walgreens Love Triangle Murder," but the reality of the Rob and Kandi Hall case is far messier and more tragic than a simple tabloid story. It’s a case defined by "he-said, she-said" testimony, a controversial self-defense claim, and a web of betrayals that didn't start with the affair.
The Affair That Wasn't Supposed to Happen
Kandi Hall met Emmett Corrigan in September 2010. Emmett was a 30-year-old rising star in the Idaho legal scene, a father of five whose wife, Ashlee, was pregnant with their fifth child at the time. Kandi was looking for work after being fired from a previous firm—a detail that would come back to haunt her later during her own legal troubles.
The attraction was instant. Within two weeks of meeting, they were involved in a "torrid" sexual relationship, often meeting in the very law office where they worked.
But here is where the narrative usually gets simplified. People assume it was just a bored housewife and a hotshot lawyer. Honestly, it was a collision of two failing marriages. According to court records and testimony, Rob Hall had actually confessed to an affair of his own just before Kandi started hers. Kandi later claimed she stayed with Rob to work on things, but she was also seeking the ego boost she got from Emmett.
It was a recipe for a disaster that no one saw coming, or perhaps everyone should have.
That Fateful Night at Walgreens
The evening of March 11, 2011, was the breaking point. Earlier that day, Emmett’s wife Ashlee had found empty prescription bottles in his car—medications that some suggested made him act "out of character," almost aggressive. Meanwhile, at the Hall house, Rob was literally packing boxes to leave.
Kandi left the house under the guise of picking up a prescription. Instead, she met Emmett at a Walgreens parking lot. They left her car there, drove to a nearby subdivision in his truck, and had sex.
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While they were gone, Rob Hall arrived.
He hadn't just stumbled upon them. One of his daughters had seen Kandi’s car at the Walgreens and called him. Rob sat in his pickup truck, a .380 ACP caliber pistol with a laser sight tucked into the kangaroo pocket of his hoodie, waiting.
The Confrontation
When Emmett and Kandi pulled back into the lot, the explosion was immediate. Rob got out. Emmett got out.
"She doesn't want to be with you, Rob."
Those were supposedly some of Emmett's last words. The two men argued. Kandi tried to step between them, but the tension was too high. She turned away, and that's when the shots rang out.
The Amnesia and the Self-Defense Claim
This is where the Rob and Kandi Hall story gets truly bizarre. Rob Hall didn't just shoot Emmett; he ended up with a gunshot wound to his own head.
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The prosecution called it a botched suicide attempt. They argued that after Rob shot Emmett twice—once in the chest and once in the head—he turned the gun on himself but flinched, causing the bullet to only graze his scalp.
Rob had a different story. In a Dateline NBC interview, he claimed that Emmett was the aggressor. He said the gun fell out of his pocket during a scuffle, Emmett picked it up and shot him first, and Rob then managed to wrestle the gun back and fire in self-defense.
The problem? Rob claimed he had "retrograde amnesia" from the head wound and couldn't actually remember the shooting itself.
Medical experts at the trial confirmed he had a moderate concussion, but the jury wasn't buying the "I don't remember, but it was self-defense" angle. You can't really blame them. It’s a tough sell when you show up to a "talk" with a loaded gun in your pocket.
Why the Case Still Matters in 2026
We are now years removed from the initial shock, but the ripples are still felt. Kandi Hall didn't just lose her lover and see her husband go to prison; she ended up behind bars herself. In 2013, she pleaded guilty to grand theft for embezzling over $32,000 from a previous employer. She was released in 2020 and remains on probation through 2026.
Rob Hall is still serving his 30-year sentence at the Idaho State Correctional Institution. He won't even be eligible for parole until August 2028.
The case serves as a grim case study in "crimes of passion." In 2021, the Idaho Supreme Court again upheld his conviction, dismissing arguments that the jury wasn't properly instructed on the nuances of self-defense. It reminds us that "heat of the moment" is rarely a successful legal shield when premeditation—like bringing a weapon to a confrontation—is involved.
Key Takeaways from the Case
- Premeditation vs. Passion: The presence of the gun was the deciding factor. Even if Emmett was aggressive, Rob's choice to bring a firearm suggested he was prepared for a lethal encounter.
- The Credibility Gap: The judge in the case famously stated he had never seen a witness more "thoroughly discredited" than Kandi Hall, whose story changed multiple times.
- The Victim Impact: We often focus on the "players," but there were nine children between these two families who had their lives shattered that night.
Moving Forward
If you're following the legal updates, the next major milestone is Rob's parole hearing in 2028. Until then, the story of Rob and Kandi Hall remains a cautionary tale about the devastating intersection of infidelity, ego, and easy access to firearms.
For those looking into the legal specifics of the appeals or the Idaho statutes on justifiable homicide, the Idaho Supreme Court records from 2016 and 2021 provide the most granular look at why the self-defense claim failed.
The best way to understand the legacy of this case is to look at the advocacy work of Ashlee Birk, Emmett’s widow. She has spent the years since the trial writing and speaking about trauma and betrayal, turning a horrific tabloid headline into a platform for healing. Her perspective offers a much-needed counter-narrative to the sensationalism that usually surrounds this story.
Actionable Insights:
- Research the "Duty to Retreat" Laws: If you are interested in the legal side, compare Idaho’s self-defense laws with "Stand Your Ground" states to see why Hall’s defense was so difficult to prove.
- Review the Trial Transcripts: For true crime enthusiasts, the 2012 trial transcripts (available through Ada County records) offer a deep look at how Kandi Hall's testimony was dismantled by the prosecution.
- Monitor the 2028 Parole Date: Mark your calendars for August 2028 if you want to see how the Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole handles one of the state's most high-profile "crime of passion" cases.