SAN ANTONIO – The final defense witness in the murder trial of Frances Hall, 53, told the jury that, in his opinion, she did not force her estranged husband Bill Hall’s motorcycle from the road on the evening of Oct. 10, 2013.
Bill Hall was killed and Frances Hall was charged with his murder.
“I think the motorcycle moved into the Escalade,” said Ron Brandin, an accident reconstruction expert, who was called by the defense to testify on Wednesday.
Prosecutors said that while driving her Cadillac Escalade, Frances Hall forced Bill Hall off the road as the two sped along Loop 1604. His alleged mistress was also following Frances Hall in a Land Rover.
The alleged mistress told investigators that Frances Hall struck her vehicle as well as ramming into Bill Hall's motorcycle from behind.
“The specifics of how each crash, or the alleged crashes, occurred, I do not agree with,” Brandin testified.
Frances Hall's lawyers brought the front end assembly of an Escalade similar to the one on her vehicle into the courtroom. Brandin used it to demonstrate how, in his opinion, a crash into the rear of the Land Rover was highly unlikely.
He called the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office investigation into the crash an outcome based investigation.
“What an outcome based investigation is, is you show up at the scene and you go, ‘I’ve got this, this and this, or somebody tells you something and you go, ‘It must be murder,’” Brandin said.
Closing arguments and jury deliberations are set for Thursday morning in Judge Jefferson Moore’s 186th District Court.
A guilty verdict could mean life in prison for Frances Hall.