48 Hours - Driven to Extremes - Encore

Episode Date: June 11, 2017

The investigation into a Texas-sized case of love, infidelity, road rage and possibly murder.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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I hate to say this because I'm a woman, but I think that a lot of women see successful men, self-made men, attractive men. They think, I want a piece of that. They're traveling at a high rate of speed. It doesn't matter if they're married or not. Oh my goodness. Frances and Bill Hall met when they were in high school. I think they were around 16. Neither of them had very much money.

They started dating and they were married by 18. them had very much money. They started dating and they were married by 18. Frances Hall is someone that you wish was in your family. She's very selfless, caring, and really always thinking about other people. Bill Hall loved Frances and his children, but Bill's fatal flaw is that he also liked the attention of younger women. Bonnie Contreras is Bill Hall's mistress. He had been dating her for about three years, and by most accounts it was a pretty open affair.

I'm trying to think of the most flattering way to describe Bonnie Contreras. Bonnie Contreras is almost like a master manipulator. She would take compromising photos, kind of just gather all these nuggets that if things ever went south, she had all the proof she needed to kind of force you to do what she wanted. My mother was on the verge of a nervous breakdown because Bonnie was taunting her constantly. Bonnie Contreras put Frances through hell.

She's texting and calling Frances. Bonnie would call her every explicit name in the book and just say, you're so fat and disgusting. You have this toxic love triangle. You've got a multimillionaire husband and wife and this mistress trying to wedge her way between them. I get a phone call from my mom and she said, I just saw your dad and I just saw Bonnie. When Frances first sees her husband Bill and then Bonnie, she's about two miles down the road this way.

And that's when she makes the decision to make a U-turn and finally confront this woman that's been you know wreaking havoc in her life so her husband and mistress they're driving toward us on this highway exactly they're coming this way they're still going 85 90 miles an hour i believe that she intended to kick bonnie's ass that day okay that's what she wanted to do she wanted to go over and she wanted to beat up Bonnie. Francis Hall took a 210 death tank to what should have been a fist fight. Francis was out for blood. I don't think anyone imagined that by the end of that day, there would be a dead body and someone in handcuffs. I'm Peter Van Sant.

Tonight on 48 Hours, Driven to Extremes. As a kid growing up in Chicago, there was one horror movie I was too scared to watch. It was called Candyman. The scary cult classic was set in the Chicago housing project. It was about this supernatural killer who would attack his victims if they said his name five times into a bathroom mirror. Candyman. Candyman? Now, we all know chanting a name won't make a killer magically appear.

But did you know that the movie Candyman was partly inspired by an actual murder? I was struck by both how spooky it was, but also how outrageous it was. We're going to talk to the people who were there. And we're also going to uncover the larger story. My architect was shocked when he saw how this was created. Literally shocked. And we'll look at what the story tells us about injustice in America. If you really believed in tough on crime,

then you wouldn't make it easy to crawl into medicine cabinets and kill our women. Listen to Candyman, the true story behind the bathroom mirror murder, wherever you get your podcasts. In the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Peru and New Zealand, lies a tiny volcanic island. It's a little-known British territory called Pitcairn, and it harboured a deep, dark scandal. There wouldn't be a girl on Pitcairn once they reach the age of 10 that would still a virgin. It just happens to all of them. I'm journalist Luke Jones and for almost two years I've been investigating a shocking story that has left deep scars on generations of women and girls

from Pitcairn. When there's nobody watching, nobody going to report it, people will get away with what they can get away with. In the Pitcairn Trials, I'll be uncovering a story of abuse and the fight for justice that has brought a unique, lonely Pacific island to the brink of extinction. Listen to the Pitcairn Trials exclusively on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. So, Nikki, where are we right now? Peter, we're in my parents' home. This is where a lot of memories were made.

Nikki Hall is Bill and Frances Hall's daughter. She and her brother Justin had great times during her parents' 32-year-long marriage. We spent Christmases, Thanksgivings, almost every holiday was spent here in this room. During Christmas, my mom loved watching everyone open their gifts, and this is the home that they built together. Nikki says being a member of the Hall family meant having loads of fun. meant having loads of fun. Give me a sense of what kind of a mother Frances was and what kind of a person she is. Just a loving, kind-hearted, honest individual.

She is always willing to lend a hand, especially when it came to my brother and I. She was more of the disciplinary. My dad was the one that said, let's just spoil them, let's give them, you know, whatever they want. And Bill Hall could spoil his children because he and Frances, who got married when they were just 18, had built an empire on wheels. Bill and Frances Hall bought their first truck in the early 1980s, and then they grew Bill Hall Jr. Trucking into a multi-million dollar business. At its height, worth $15 million. My parents worked together,

so at times, you know, it wasn't all love, but at the end of the day, they came home together. Mom cooked dinner. Dad was there. After Nikki and her brother became adults and moved out of the family home, Bill began to indulge his own whims. He bought a Harley Davidson street glide bike that he customized and painted powder blue, his company color.

He's a daredevil. He liked to drive crazy fast cars, bikes, 18 wheelers. He loved life in the fast lane. Fast cars and lots of women. Bill had cheated on his wife for years, and Francis knew it, but forgave him. As Bill confided to his best friend and cousin, Hank Hall, a fellow trucking millionaire. Do you think Bill still loved Francis, or was he ready to move on? Nah, Bill adored Francis.

Bill loved Francis so much that it was unbelievable. But what happened is, and tell me if I'm wrong or right, when you cheated in the past and she stuck with you, right, it kind of makes it seem like it's okay, right? So if he gets caught again, you know, he might get another pass. You know what I'm saying? The new someone in Bill's life was Bonnie Contreras, then a 28-year-old former exotic dancer. And when she met the aging playboy with the well-stuffed wallet at a spinach festival,

She met the aging playboy with the well-stuffed wallet at a spinach festival. Yes, a spinach festival. It was a match made in Texas heaven. Her story is that she was helping her aunt or someone sell chicken on a stick. Attorney Lee Cutter. And she just happened to see these five guys, and he was dressed really nice. I mean, he's met her supposedly for two minutes. I think she said, we locked eyes, and I knew right then. Bill and Bonnie's relationship lasted for three years,

and she told the local CBS station all about it. I love this man with everything I have. I still do. Bonnie knew that Bill was married with children and grandchildren, but she claims Bill told her he was getting a divorce. I wanted to have a family with him. My plans were to get married, to have a home, and to live the rest of my life with this man.

In many ways, Bill treated Bonnie as a true love. He showered her with money, paying her rent, buying her two cars, a BMW and a Mercedes, and even paying for her breast enhancement surgery. He was excited by her in the beginning. You know, she was an attractive younger woman that, you know, wanted to do everything she could to be the center of his attention. you know, wanted to do everything she could to be the center of his attention. But by 2013, Bill's friends say he was losing interest and trying to avoid Bonnie.

That strategy backfired in a big way on one Friday the 13th. She kept calling Bill, and Bill would decline her calls. And all the while, Bonnie's texting Bill saying, I'm going to tell your wife, I'm going to tell her about us, and ultimately calls Frances. Bill now had to contend with two angry women, his wife Frances and his girlfriend Bonnie. After she makes the call, she really takes it up a notch,

and she starts going to Frances and Bill's house. She'll take pictures of the outside of the house, and then she'll text it to Bill. And then she'll text it to the wife and say, you know, ugly, ugly, nasty things to the wife. The two women began engaging in a vicious texting war, exchanging hundreds of nasty messages. I was just defending myself, and never once did I threaten her. I never once threatened that woman. But that's not how it seemed to Frances' daughter, Nikki. Was it a little frightening on this end to be getting these kinds of communications and photos and anger expressed, even pictures taken of the family vehicles,

letting you know, I'm here? Yes, it was very scary. She had over 4,000 pictures of him and her, and she was going to just put those out on Facebook. She had our addresses. Humiliate him, destroy his reputation. Yes, yes. I'm a good person.

I never mean no harm on anybody. And never once confronted his kids. I would never threaten anybody in that way. Bill and Frances decided to get away for a long weekend to try and patch things up. But Hank says Bonnie ruined the trip with her relentless texting. She went 100 miles an hour, man. And, like, in other words, I'm not going to lose this guy

because he was going back to more of his family and trying to get away from her. Hank says Bonnie unleashed a torrent of angry and inappropriate texts, including naked photos of her having sex with Bill. Frances lost it. She physically assaulted Bill and kicked him out of the house. She just got up and woke him out of the house. She just got up and whooped him. You need to get out. Get out of my house. Bill spent the night at Bonnie's place. The next day was October 10, 2013.

Francis and Bonnie were about to unexpectedly meet on a two-lane Texas highway called Loop 1604. Francis sees her husband drive by on that big blue motorcycle. You know, a few seconds later, for the first time ever, she lays eyes on Bonnie Contreras, this woman who is ruining her life. Francis had finally had enough and was about to take a turn that led to an accusation of murder. And she grabs a steering wheel and she just goes, I'm gonna go confront her. Hot shot Australian attorney Nicola Gaba was born into legal royalty. Her specialty? Representing some of the city's most infamous gangland criminals.

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Lawyer X exclusively on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and listen to more Exhibit C true crime shows early and ad-free right now. Have you ever wondered who created that bottle of sriracha that's living in your fridge? early and ad-free right now. you're obsessed with, and the bold risk-takers who brought them to life. Like, did you know that Super Mario, the best-selling video game character of all time, only exists because Nintendo couldn't get the rights to Popeye? Or Jack, that the idea for the McDonald's Happy Meal first came from a mom in Guatemala? From Pez dispensers to Levi's 501s to Air Jordans, discover the surprising stories of the most viral products. Plus,

we guarantee that after listening, you're going to dominate your next dinner party. So follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to The Best Idea Yet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus. It's just the best idea yet. October 10, 2013. This stretch of Texas Highway 1604 became a crime scene, where jealousy and rage would intersect, and someone would soon be in handcuffs. The day began innocently enough. Frances was driving home after watching a volleyball game. When she spotted her husband's mistress.

At this point in time, 28 days have passed and she's found out about the affair. Lee Cutter, Frances' defense attorney, says that by this time, Frances was sick of Bonnie interfering in her marriage. I think at one point, Bill and Frances go to the movies and she knows about it Bonnie interfering in her marriage. I think at one point Bill and Francis go to the movies, and she knows about it and literally sits three rows back behind them, watching them the entire time, texting Bill, just going crazy.

It's pretty insane. So when Francis noticed Bonnie on the road that October day, her motor was revving. What made it worse was that Bonnie was driving the Hall family Range Rover, a vehicle Francis often drove. Francis makes a U-turn and floors it. They're coming this way. They're still going 85, 90 miles an hour. So Francis is getting behind Bonnie,

and every time she gets close to her, Bonnie will brake check her over and over again. It's this cat and mouse game. 911, what is your location? Francis Hall gave chase at a high rate of speed. Different witnesses called 911 and indicated that two black SUVs are racing, and it probably appeared that that was the case. Attorney Adam Cortez also represents Frances Hall. No one knows exactly what happened. Not Frances Hall. Bonnie Contreras definitely does not.

Actually, Bonnie says she knows exactly what happened. Please raise your right hand. Do you saw him? And she told her version of events to attorney Lee Cutter in this video deposition. Bonnie says she was driving down the highway when, out of the blue, something hits her back bumper. At first, I thought it was an accident. Maybe somebody had hit me from behind by accident. But then when I looked back and I looked through the rearview mirror, I saw that it was Ms. Hall, Frances.

Frances was driving a Cadillac Escalade, a giant SUV. Then she hit me more times. I then got thrown onto oncoming traffic. After I got thrown onto oncoming traffic, I was fighting cars coming at me. coming traffic. I was fighting cars coming at me. Bill was riding on his Harley motorcycle, also racing down the highway. Bonnie says he somehow got in between the two women's SUVs. Bonnie was in the lead vehicle. I see her clearly behind Bill, and I'm thinking to myself, she's not going to hit Bill. Like, I don't think she had the heart to do that.

So then I was just driving, and then I started screaming because I saw the Escalade getting closer and closer to him. Lee asked Bonnie to demonstrate with toy cars... Let's use the model cars as an example. ...what she says happened on the road. Now Bill's over here, and I'm speeding up, and I see Bill, and I'm wanting to stop, but I don't stop because I'm fearing for my life. I don't know what she's thinking, what she has in the vehicle, if she has any weapons. I don't know what she's thinking in her head.

And I see the Escalade coming, and she just, boom, she hits him. He flies off. The bite flies off. Bill was not wearing a helmet and suffered major blunt force injuries. She doesn't stop in her tracks at all. Neither woman called 911. And then she starts to hit me from behind again. I do a really, really fast U-turn right there. I almost hit a pole, and she did the U-turn really quickly behind me.

Then I started speeding back up towards where the accident had happened, and then she was speeding up behind me. She then continuously was hitting me. I sped up the Range Rover up to like 100. Bonnie claims Francis rear-ended her up to 15 times. Eventually, both women pulled over at the spot where Bill had been knocked off his Harley. The police were called as dusk turned to night. Hank Hall and other family members, alerted by phone calls from Bonnie and Francis, were at the scene, just a few miles from Bill's trucking company.

Bill was laying on the ground. He was breathing, like, you know, real hard. And I screamed out and said, what the hell's going on? You know, like, mad. And there was a police officer trying to tell me, hey, calm down, because when he heard my voice, Bill started breathing faster. And he was trying to kind of say something, but he was breathing hard, you know? Did he look at you?

Yeah, he knew I was there. I know that he knew that Francis was there. He knew that I was there. Nikki and other family members head to the hospital, where hours pass before they are told the devastating news. They told us, you know, he has passed away. So we were just completely in shock. I thought maybe he'll have a couple of injuries,

you know, a broken arm, broken leg, something like that, but never, never death. I never expected that. In shock, Nikki goes to find her mother, only to be shocked again. Where is my mom? How do I get a hold of my mom? Well, I learned that she's arrested in jail. Frances is being interrogated by police. After Bill dies, she has read her rights.

You have the right to remain silent. And she requests an attorney, but she cannot help blurting out what's racing through her mind. I've been with him since I was 16. I'm just in shock. There is nothing more to say. Frances Hall was charged with felony murder and aggravated assault on Bonnie Contreras. I was without both of my parents. We finally get a call around 5 in the morning. It was her mom.

And she was like, I know what happened to your dad, and I can't believe this happened. I just can't believe it. The tragic turn of events tore the close-knit Hall family apart. Hank Hall, Bill's closest friend, blamed Francis for his death. I was upset

at her. I was really, really mad at the point that she took my best friend. Bill was gone, but Francis swears his death did not happen the way Bonnie described to police. And positively did not hit Bill's motorcycle with her front bumper. Hi. positively did not hit Bill's motorcycle with her front bumper. Hi. It was an accident. I would have never in a million years have hurt my husband. But will anyone believe her?

If not, she could spend the rest of her life behind bars. During their 32-year-long marriage, life for Bill and Frances Hall was filled with family, especially me, wealth and happiness. Stay right there, Bill. Frances had everything money could buy. I love my baby.

Except her husband's fidelity. After Bill Hall Jr. died on October 10, 2013, Frances Hall hadn't spoken with any reporter. Hey, Frances. Hi. I'm Peter Van Sant. I know who you are. Until she met with 48 Hours to tell her version of what happened on that stretch of highway. From your perspective, this was what? An accident that I don't even know how. But it was an accident. I would have never in a million years have hurt my husband. You did not murder him?

No. I know never would I have hurt him. Remember, in the weeks leading up to the confrontation, Frances had received dozens of insulting, taunting text messages from her husband's mistress, Bonnie Contreras, including photos of the two of them having sex. On that October day, Frances is driving home from her niece's volleyball game.

And I see him and his bike. His motorcycle. And his motorcycle, and I see her a few car lengths in back. I pulled over and I stopped. I get a phone call from my mom, and she said, I just saw your dad, and I just saw Bonnie. I'm turning around. I'm going to confront her. I said, go ahead. You do what you got to do.

What were you planning to do when you made that U-turn? I wanted her to pull over. I wanted her to pull over. I wanted to confront this woman. I wanted to tell her, leave me the freak alone already. That's enough. I can't take you. If you want him, you can have him. Just leave me and my family out of this. Immediately after we got off the phone, I called Bonnie. I left her a message. Told you to watch your back, you stupid slut. Frances floors it, quickly catching up to her husband and his mistress. It's at this moment that Frances' and Bonnie's stories part ways.

He was in front, she was in the back, and I was in the back. I would come up to her, pull off to the side, and tell her to pull over. She'd say no. Are you gesturing, or was your window down? No, I was gesturing. I'd go off on the yellow line and tell her to pull over. She would, no, no, I could see her. She kept breaking on me. As soon as I'd come up

next to her, she'd brake and I'd brake. And you bumped the back of her car? Never did. I touched the car. Again, Bonnie claims Frances hit her back bumper multiple times. She's lying. While this is going on, Bill actually comes to this unfinished shoulder right here and pulls to the side of the car, lets both cars pass him. I saw him from my passenger window. I passed Bill. I saw him as I'm driving. And as soon as I looked to the front, she braked. They're coming 80 miles an hour down here.

Bonnie brakes, and it creates this chain reaction. Exactly. And Bill has to react. Bill has to react. And while he's reacting, remember, Francis is reacting in that Escalade. Bonnie swears that at that moment she saw in her rearview mirror Francis hit Bill head on, knocking him off the highway. Francis says that's a lie. I had already seen him pass me.

So it is so false the way they said that I hit him and that I knew what I was doing. I never hit him head on. Lee Cutter has studied every inch of the accident scene and the three vehicles involved. She is certain of what unfolded from Frances' perspective. And so her car is fishtailing a little bit while she's doing it, as Bill's coming to the side in that big old Harley,

and they make contact right about here, and Bill ultimately ends up actually right behind you in this big, tall grass down here. And yet, according to Frances, in the chaos of the moment, she never saw, felt, or heard Bill's crash. You didn't look in your rearview mirror? You didn't see a scene behind you as you drove off? No. No, I didn't see anything. My focus was in the front

because she kept braking on me and braking and braking. So based on what you are telling me right now, was this an accident or was this some form of murder that occurred out on this highway? You know, Peter, if anyone is guilty of anything, I would say it's Bonnie Contreras of reckless driving because everyone else had to react to her actions.

But it was just a tragic accident. Not murder?. Not murder. Absolutely not murder. And Lee is ready for battle. She's a former Marine ROTC with a history of winning on the big stage. She was once a teen beauty queen. Nothing is harder than defending someone

that you know and believe in your heart is innocent. Attorney Adam Cortez, a former boxer, will also represent Frances. He brings a brawler's attitude into the courtroom. Frances Hall is a nurturer. She's everyone's mother. She's everyone's rock. To say that she was intentionally trying to hurt Bill Hall, man, she's loved and still loves and always will love, I mean, that's just a ludicrous idea. Frances, what do you want people to know about you?

That I am not the person they portrayed me to be. I'm a very compassionate and sincere woman. He is the love of my life and will always be the love of my life. Who do you believe is ultimately responsible, the most responsible for your husband's death? I would say it was her. I got a black Pestilade and a black Range Rover driving on the wrong side of the road. They're traveling at a high rate of speed, 90, 100 miles an hour.

At the heart of this case is one simple question. Is what happened on this rural highway in Texas an accident or an act of murder? I sympathize wanting to confront your husband's mistress, but engaging in road rage, no, that's unacceptable. For Prosecutor Stephanie Paulison, the deadly confrontation that occurred along this dusty stretch of highway was nothing short of murder. And her co-counsel, Scott Simpson, knows they

will have to convince jurors that this was not a justifiable killing. We knew it was going to be a difficult case, but not because of the facts. All of my female friends kept telling me throughout trial, they would keep saying he had it coming. I don't think that he had death coming. He had a divorce coming. If everybody were sentenced to death for being a philanderer, what would the population look like? On August 30th, 2016, nearly three years after Bill Hall's tragic death, the murder trial of his wife, Frances, got underway. And for the first time since that deadly chase, Frances came face to face with the woman she blames for all of this. Her husband's mistress, Bonnie Contreras. Right away, Bonnie tells the jury she and Bill were targeted that day.

I see Bill with the truck. And I see him fly off the motorcycle. And then I see the bike fly. In her video deposition, Bonnie demonstrated what she says she saw in her rearview mirror. I see the Escalade coming and she just, boom, she hits him. He flies off, the bike flies off and then she kept hitting me and hitting me and I kept going faster and faster. And Bonnie says Frances continued her attack, ramming her SUV as many as 15 times.

I started screaming, crying. I said, oh my God, Francis is hitting me from behind. What do I do? To disprove Bonnie's story, the defense calls collision reconstruction expert Charles Rubel. This is the Black Range Rover, or Land Rover. Who also uses toy cars to demonstrate what he says happened. Bill Hall was following his wife. They're traveling at 70, 80 miles an hour. Ruble believes that when Bill maneuvered around the Escalade to avoid colliding, he veered right, hit the shoulder, and then tried to correct himself by veering left. That is when he accidentally struck Frances' rear window.

Bill lost control and was thrown off the highway. So, based on your analysis, there is absolutely no evidence that Bonnie's claim that Frances rear-ended her husband is true. There's no evidence. No evidence whatsoever. There's no evidence on the rear of the motorcycle of any contact. There's no evidence on the hood of the Escalade. The prosecution concedes that Bonnie's recollection of events

is not supported by the evidence. I wouldn't characterize her testimony as untruthful. I would just characterize it as mistaken. The Range Rover... Prosecution collision expert Timothy Lovett. Oh, I don't think Bonnie Contreras is intentionally lying about this collision. She's excitable.

She's got somebody that's just like a raging bull behind her. Lovett says the evidence clearly shows excitable. She's got somebody that's just like a raging bull behind her. Lovett says the evidence clearly shows that Francis rammed Bonnie's car multiple times. I have damage on this side of the bumper, and I have damage on this side of the front bumper as well. That's two. That's at least one more than just an accidental bump. As for why the damage on the bumpers appears so minor, the prosecution has an answer. When two vehicles are moving at a high rate of speed and they're going at the same speed, you're not going to see huge damage when they claw it. And as for how Bill died, prosecutors believe Francis sideswiped Bill's motorcycle,

knocking him off the road as she pursued Bonnie. It doesn't make sense to say this was an accident when you look at the surrounding circumstances. Prosecutors point to the day before the crash when Francis physically assaulted Bill. the crash when Francis physically assaulted Bill. And furthermore, they play the phone message that Francis's daughter, Nikki, left on Bonnie's cell phone during the chase. Told you to watch your back, you f***ing stupid slut. To me, and I want to think to any woman, that would speak very much to Francis's intent to hurt Bonnie. She was out for blood.

So you take the stand as a prosecution witness. Right. The prosecution calls Bill's cousin, Hank, who they believe is about to cap off their case by telling jurors Frances murdered Bill. But after hearing all of the evidence and seeing Francis in court, Hank has a change of heart. But you end up saying something on the stand that the prosecution doesn't want you to say in front of this jury.

They asked me if I thought that Francis had killed Bill. And I took a moment and I told him no. And the DA looked at me like... Are you kidding me? Yeah. Kind of look? Yes. And did you look over at Frances after you said that?

She grabbed herself and started crying. And in a way, at that moment, that's when the whole family comes back together. Got back together. It kind of got everybody close again. After nearly a three-week trial, Frances Hall chooses not to testify, leaving her fate in the hands of a Texas jury. As a result of her rage, a man is dead. And justice is holding this woman responsible for that man's death.

She's been living in hell for years. Let her go home. Let her be with her family. And let her mourn her husband. For all his 50 years, Bill Hall lived to the max, building and taking everything and anything he wanted. Right till the end. The multimillionaire. Two women fighting for him.

I miss him tremendously. I just wish he was here. The only man I've ever been with, the father of my children. Bill's hunger for life grew into an appetite for destruction. And then, out on a rural Texas highway, everything good was gone. This is a story of loss. I miss my family. For Nikki, who believes this was an accident, not a murder, it comes down to this. Her father, dead. Would she now lose her mother too?

Would Frances Hall be put away by a jury sworn to justice? She's a strong, strong, strong woman. That being said, she wasn't going to go murder her husband and say, if I can't have him, no one can have him. That's just not Frances. But the state of Texas argued hard. Bill may not have been Frances's intended target, but her actions that day resulted in his death. And now, she had to pay the price. This dangerous intersection of emotion and betrayal and humiliation, it occurred because you made that U-turn. Yes. Yes.

And with that, I will live for the rest of my life. Testimony lasted seven days. Then, it was in the jury's hands. They deliberate a single day. And on September 8th, 2016, they spoke as one. Convicted of both aggravated assault and murder, Frances Hall faced a possible life sentence. I didn't do it. I would have never in a million years have hurt Bill. Never. I'm very happy on the convictions she got on both counts. That gave me peace.

But along with the guilty verdict came one last step. A separate sentencing trial. Frances had a final opportunity and her legal team conjured a bold defense. Sudden passion. If ever there was a person that the sudden passion provision was written for, it's Frances Hall. Absolutely. Sudden passion, a legal term for a profoundly human moment. A wife chasing down her cheating husband and his unrepentant mistress. mistress. Sudden passion, that you were so entrenched or, you know, stuck in the heat of the moment that you are unable to think clearly. Now, if you cause a death, it's murder, but at punishment, you can get a lower punishment. You can get basically manslaughter punishment. That lowers it to two to 20. Huge, huge difference. Lee Cutter and Adam Cortez made their passionate case for sudden passion. And this time, Frances Hall took the stand in her own defense.

I am not this evil person that they have said I am. Show mercy, please. You can't get up and give a big middle finger to the jury. The prosecution fought back, saying Francis sideswiped her car into Bill Hall's powder blue Harley in a mad, mindless attempt to confront Bonnie Contreras. Mercy is for someone who says, I did wrong, give me mercy. Not for somebody who says, you got it wrong, but give me mercy anyway. Four days after her conviction, Frances learns her fate.

We assess her punishment of confinement in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for a term of two years. Order in the court, please. Order in the court. Order in court, please. Order in court. I felt like, wow, yes, only two years, but there goes my mom. Off she goes. And I know that I could have done life for this. So for that I was grateful. But it's still two years away from my children.

It's two years that I won't be there for my grandchildren. She didn't kill my grandpa. She would never do that. Passion is what this tale came down to. And for at least one Texas family, love for a man

whose passions for life led him down the wrong road. Brilliant guy, smart guy. But like I say, you know, you can be the smartest man in the world, and guess what? You make mistakes too. Some three years after his death, his family is shattered, and Bill Hall Trucking has filed for bankruptcy.

As you stand here in this jail talking to me, shattered and Bill Hall Trucking has filed for bankruptcy. As you stand here in this jail talking to me, do you still love Bill Hall Jr.? Oh, with all my heart, I will never love another like I love this man. Wait, wait, okay. Wait, wait, okay. Bonnie Contreras filed a lawsuit against Frances Hall, alleging infliction of bodily injury and emotional distress. She is seeking $2.5 million. Frances Hall is expected to be released from prison in September 2018. Visit 48hours.com to hear more of Bonnie Contreras' deposition.