Wife found guilty of killing San Antonio trucking tycoon

Frances Hall, 53, was convicted Sept. 8 on murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charges in San Antonio. Frances Hall, 53, was convicted Sept. 8 on murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charges in San Antonio. Photo: Bexar County Sheriff's Office Photo: Bexar County Sheriff's Office Image 1 of / 33 Caption Close Wife found guilty of killing San Antonio trucking tycoon 1 / 33 Back to Gallery

A jury found Frances Hall guilty of murder and aggravated assault Thursday night after all-day deliberations, agreeing with prosecutors who said she wanted to kill her husband's longtime lover for ruining her marriage but ended up killing her husband instead.

The courtroom erupted in gasps and sobs as the judge said she was guilty on both counts.

When Bexar County Judge Jefferson Moore remanded her to be held without bond over the weekend, Frances Hall had to be led out of the courtroom in sobs.

“Please, I want to see my babies!” she said.

Hall was accused of killing Bill Hall Jr., by knocking his motorcycle off the road with her Cadillac Escalade, then hitting another SUV driven by Bonnie Contreras — all in a single highway chase on Oct. 10, 2013 on South Loop 1604.

At least 50 relatives from both sides of the family hugged and cried after Frances Hall was taken into custody and led from the courtroom.

Relatives filled each side each day for the past two weeks. Attorneys from both sides said they were all there in support of Hall.

“We're very surprised by the verdict, shocked and disappointed,” Brown said after the verdict was read. “This is a tragedy. They lost the patriarch, and now they've lost the matriarch.”

When asked if they would appeal the conviction, Brown said, “There’s plenty of error that gives us grounds for appeal.”

Bill Hall, 50, a San Antonio trucking tycoon, was flung from the motorcycle and died the same night at a hospital. Frances Hall, now 53, also was found guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, accused of hitting the Halls’ Range Rover driven by Contreras, who was not in court for the verdict.

Contreras testified Frances Hall chased her and hit the back of the Range Rover up to 16 times, and when Bill Hall Jr. got between the vehicles, she rear-ended his bike. Prosecution witnesses said the physical evidence shows the Escalade struck the motorcycle from the side. Experts hired by the defense said it was the other way around — that the motorcycle hit the SUV before it left the road.

Contreras testified the affair lasted three years, with the much-older Bill Hall paying for her residence and upkeep and for cosmetic surgery. Contreras said Frances Hall “never stopped” after her husband fell off his bike, but continued to chase her.

“As a result of her rage, a man is dead,” Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Paulissen said in closing arguments earlier Thursday after five days of testimony in the murder trial that started last week. “Of course the defendant hated Bonnie Contreras, any wife would. She didn't need to intend to kill Bill. But her actions caused it.”

Defense attorneys had called the death an accident and Bill Hall drove beside his wife’s SUV, hit it, lost control of his blue custom Harley Davidson motorcycle and crashed into a grassy field just off the highway.

In closing arguments, Paulissen attempted to discredit the defense’s experts, who had criticized the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office for what they called a botched investigation.

Defense attorney Leigh Cutter said in her closing arguments that the state had three years to get the one witness who said he saw the motorcycle hit the SUV.

“Edward Botello was a 911 caller, and they told him to leave the scene twice,” she said. “They knew Bonnie was wrong. Why didn't they want him? Because what he had to say did not fit their theory.”

The defense did not call Botello and prosecutors said they tried to compel him to testify but he ignored a subpoena.

The Halls, who married at 18, had owned Bill Hall Jr. Trucking Ltd., a business they started with one truck in 1989. A third-generation trucker, Bill Hall grew the business to deliver road-building materials with more than 100 trucks.

An affiliated company, Bill Hall Jr. Trucking GP LLC, which owned a fleet of trucks and trailers used by Bill Hall Jr. Trucking Ltd., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in June after creditors threatened to repossess various assets, the company’s bankruptcy lawyer said at the time.

The punishment phase is expected to begin at 9 a.m., Monday in the 186th state District Court.

Frances Hall faces five to 99 years or life in prison.

ezavala@express-news.net

Twitter: @elizabeth2863