EXCLUSIVE: Inside Talk Show Queen Tamron Hall's Domestic Violence Battle — 20 Years After Brutal Murder of Stepsister Renate
Tamron Hall's stepsister Renate Newton's 2004 murder remains unsolved.
April 7 2025, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
Talk show host Tamron Hall has opened up about her family's pain in an effort to help domestic violence victims, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Hall's stepsister, Renate Kimberly Newton, was brutally murdered over 20 years ago – and the case remains unsolved to this day.
An autopsy revealed Hall's stepsister was bludgeon to death.
In July 2004, Newton, a 48-year-old mother-of-two, was found unresponsive, floating in her Houston home's backyard pool.
An autopsy found she had been bludgeoned to death, and her body was marked with signs of domestic abuse.
At the time of her murder, Hall, 54, said Newton was planning to leave her partner – and although he was considered a person of interest in her death, he never faced any charges.
Hall, who was 33-years-old at the time of her step-sister's murder, recalled: "The police said there had been signs of struggle, hair pulled out, her fingernails broken.
"Renate had called Mom the night before and told her that she was ending the relationship. Now my sister was dead."
The talk show host also noted Houston police "told us to sit tight and not make waves while we waited for them to collect more evidence and arrest the person of interest."
The talkshow host said her stepsister was planning to leave her romantic partner at the time of her murder.
Adding to her family's pain, Hall said: "That man came to the funeral and sat in front of me, the man I knew killed my sister."
She continued: "He was never charged due to a lack of evidence. Because of that, I can't even legally say his name."
Amid her grief and guilt over not doing more to help her sister leave the abusive relationship, Hall has now made it her mission to spread awareness about domestic abuse and help victims.
Hall said for a decade she couldn't speak about Newton's murder because it was 'too painful.'
She said: "Victims of domestic abuse get caught in a cyclical bond of trauma, desperately thinking they can change things or that they're not strong enough to leave.
"I wish I'd said something more direct, something Renate could have responded to, something like, 'You're in danger with this man. How can I help?'"
Hall noted for about a decade she was unable to speak about Newton's murder, explaining: "I didn't speak publicly about my sister's death ... It was too painful, too devastating to talk about."
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Hall called on family and friends of domestic violence victims to contact the National Domestic Violence hotline for resources in their area.
Ten years after Newton's death, Hall launched her crusade against domestic violence in 2014.
She said of her advocacy: "I decided I need to be braver, to be fiercely honest. 'God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and love,' says the Bible. I would tap into that power."
Hall further recommended that family and friends of victims contact the National Domestic Violence hotline (1-800-799-7233) to be connected with resources in their area.
The talkshow host added: "If you know someone who's trapped in an abusive relationship, listen to them.
"Don't judge. Don't jump in right away with advice. Let them talk. Get them somewhere safe."
