The investigation into a Texas-sized case of love, infidelity, road rage and possibly murder.
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This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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real people. Real crimes
real life drama.
I hate
It is because I'm a woman. I think that a lot of women see successful men
Self made man attractive man,
They think I want a piece of an underground, regular, hiring,
that doesn't matter if they merit or non homo,
listen bill how mad when they were in high school.
on sixteen. Neither
had very much money. They start
Eighty and they were married by eighteen
four
this hall is someone that you wish was in your family, she's very selfish
carrying
and really always thinking about other people, bill hall, loved frances and his children.
Bills. Fatal flaw is that he also lies the attention of younger women
bonnie contours is bill halls mistress. He had been dating her for about three years and by most
also was a pretty open affair.
I'm trying to think of the most flattering way to describe bunny contreras by contrast,
is almost like a master manipulator. She would take compromising
does Canada 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.
Mother, was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, because Bonnie was taunting. Her constantly Bonnie contreras put francis through Hell.
she's texting and calling francis body
we collar every explicit name in the book.
To say, you're, so fat disgusting
we have this toxic glove triangle
multimillionaire, husband and wife, and this mistress trying to wait 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 frances, foresees her husband bill and then body she's about two miles down the road 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
husband and mistress their driving toward us on this. I they're in this way they're still eighty five. Ninety miles an hour, I believe,
intended to kick Bonnie's ass that day. Okay, that's what she wanted to do. She wanted to go over and she wanted him to beat up on. Francis hall took a two ten def tank to what should have
in a fit state. Francis was out for blood
I don't think anyone imagine that by the end of the day there would be a dead body and someone in handcuffs
Peter Van said tonight on forty
hours, driven to extremely high,
lindsey, Graham the host of wandering podcast american scandal. We bring to life some of the big
controversies. In. U S, history, presidential lies environmental disasters, corporate fraud. In our new a serious, we look at the kids for cash scandal, a story about corruption inside america's system of juvenile justice.
in northeastern pennsylvania residents had begun noticing and alarming trend. Children were being sent away to jail in high numbers,
often for committing only minor offences. The f b I began looking to local judges and when the full picture emerged it made national headlines. The judges were earning
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and
and
so Nicky. Where are we right now Peter aware and my parents home? This is where
a lot of memories were made. Nicky hall is bill and
Francis halls, daughter she and her brother justin had great times during her parents,
thirty. Two year long marriage we spend
christmas is thanksgiving,
almost every holiday was spent here in this room during chris
That's my mom loved watching every one open their gifts, and this is the home that they built together
he says, being a member of the whole family meant having loads of fun sense of what
kind of mother Francis was, and what kind of a purse
She is just too
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 spoiled and let's give em, you know whatever they want and bill home
could spoil his children because he and Francis who got married when they were just eighteen, had built an empire on wheels
human Francis hall bought their first struck in the early nineteen eighties, and then they grew.
bill whole junior trucking into a
Multi million dollar business at its height worth fifteen
million dollars, my parents work together
oh at times, you know it wasn't all love, but
into the day they came home together. Mom could dinner.
I was there
after Nicky in her brother became adults and moved out of the family home bill began to indulge his own winds. He bought a harley davidson streak.
Bike that he customize and painted powder blew his company. Color he's a dare devil,
He liked to drive crazy, fast cars, bikes, eighteen wheelers, he loved life in the fastest
fast cars and lots of women bill had
He turned on his wife for years and Francis knew it but forgave him as bill confided to his best friend and cousin, hang call of fellow trucking.
In our duty bill still loved francis, or was he ready to move on now bill adored francis bill love francis, so much it
unbelievable. What happened is and tell me if I'm wrong right when you cheated and pass and she stood with you right
kinda makes it seem like it's. Ok right, so we gets caught again in all. He might get another pass in. All I'm saying,
the new someone in bills. Life was Bonnie contreras, then a twenty eight year old, former exotic dancer and when she met the aging play boy with the well stuffed wallet at a spinach festival. Yes,
a spinach festival. It was a match made in texas. Heaven Hearst
is that she was helping her aunt dirt, someone's
chicken on a stick. But tourney lee cutter
and she just happened to see these five guys and he was just really nice communities met her supposedly for two minutes,
I think she said we locked eyes and I knew ever. I knew right then building
on these relationship lasted for three years and she told the local cbs station all about it. I love this now everything I have. I still do
and he knew that bill was married with children and
and children, but she claims bill told her. He was getting a divorce. I wanted to have a family with him. I prefer to get married to have a home.
To live the rest of my life. What this man in many ways been treated bonnie as a true love. He showered her with money, pain, her rent by her two cars, a Bmw and a mercedes, and even pain for her breast enhancement surgery
He was excited by herman beginning no, she was an attractive younger women that you know wanted to do everything she could to be the centre of his attention, but by tooth
thirteen bills. Friends say he was losing interest and trying to avoid body that strategy backfired in a big way. On one friday, the thirteenth she kept kind
and bill would decline or cause and all the while bonnie. Sixteen, both thing, I'm going to tell your wife I'm going to talk about us and ultimately calls francis
well now had to contend with two angry women, his wife, Francis and his girlfriend body
after she makes the con. She really takes it up a notch and she
starts going to francis and bills house shall take pictures,
outside of the house and in short text to bill lynch text it to the wife and say you know, ugly ugly, nasty
Thanks to the wife, the to win
began engaging in a vicious texting war, exchanging hundreds of
nasty messages. I was just defending myself and never once did I threatened her. I never once threatened that woman
but that's not how it seemed to Francis whose daughter Nicky was it a little,
frightening on this and be getting these kinds of communications and,
those and anger expressed even pictures taken of the family vehicles,
letting you know I'm here, yes,
very scary. Is she had over four thousand pictures of him in her and she was gonna just put those out
on facebook? She had
addressing ameliorate destroys reputation. Yes, yes, I'm a good person
for me, no harm on anybody and never once confronted his kids. I would never threatened anybody in that way.
bill on France's decided to get away for a long weekend to try and patch things up. But hank says
any ruin the trip with her relentless text.
she were a hundred miles, an arm like another,
I'm not gonna loses god, because he was going back to more
family and trying to get away from her heading.
Bonnie unleashed a torrent of angry and inappropriate texts, including naked photos of her having sex with bill. France has lost it. She physically assaulted bill
kicked him out of the house. She does got up and walked in it. Get out get out of my house. Bill spent the night at bodies place. The next day was
Ober tenth, two thousand thirteen, francis and Bonnie, were about to unexpectedly meet on a two lane. Texas highway called loop. Sixteen o four
Francis user has been dry by on that big blue motorcycle. He now a few seconds later, for the first time
where she laid eyes on Bonnie contrast. This woman
is ruining her life branches had finally had enough and was about to take a turn that led to an accurate,
vision of mirth and she drives a steering wheel,
you just goes? I'm gonna go confronted
and.
october tank, two thousand thirteen this
dredge of texas highway. Sixteen o four became a crime scene
where jealousy and rage would intersect
and someone would soon be in handcuffs that day began
simply enough francis wisdom,
been home after watching a volleyball game which she spotted her husband's mistress
At this point in time, twenty eight days have passed and she's found out about the affair,
Lee cutter frances
Hence attorney, says that by this time
francis was sick of Bonnie interfering in her marriage. I think at one point two billion
just go to the movies.
And she knows about it and literally sits three rose back behind them, watching them the entire time texting bill just going crazy. It's pretty insane
so in France's notice body on the road that october day her mode.
Was reading. What made it worse was that Bonnie was driving
all family range rover a vehicle frances.
Often drove francis, makes a u turn and floors it
in this way. There's someone eighty five ninety miles an hour, so Francis is getting behind body.
Every time she gets close to her body will break checker over and over again it's this cat and mouse game.
I'm one one. What is your location frances
gave chase at a high rate of speed different witnesses called nine one one and indicated that two black suvs are racing and probably appeared that that was the case. A turn
Adam Cortez also represents francis hall. No one knows exactly what happened. Not francis hall, by contrast, definitely does not.
Actually Bonnie says she knows exactly what happened 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 act
I didn't. Maybe somebody had hit me from behind by accident, but then, when I looked back and I looked to the view mirror, I saw that it was MR hall, Francis Francis was driving a cadillac escalate, a giant
The then she hit me more times.
got thrown onto upcoming traffic after I got there
and to oncoming traffic I was fighting cars coming at me-
bill, was riding on his hardly motorcycle. All
racing down the highway Bonnie,
as he somehow got in between the two women's suvs. Bonnie was in the lead vehicle,
I see her clearly behind the bell and I'm thinking to myself she's not going to hit bill like she. She didn't think she had the heart to do that.
So then I was describing and then I was started screaming because I saw the escalate getting closer and closer to him
ass Bonnie to demonstrate with toy cars, but is that, while car set an example,
She says happened on the road bills,
We here, I'm speeding up in.
I see bill in wanting to stop it. I dont stock rearing,
life. I don't know what she's thinking, what she hasn't a vehicle to chechnya, weapons of sheep- I don't know, what's she's thinking in her head, and I see
As we come in and she does she hit fellow, he flies off. The bite flies out. Who was not wearing a helmet and suffered major blunt force injuries. She doesn't stop in her trial.
At all. Neither woman called nine one one and then she starts to hit me from behind again. I I to a really really fast. You turn right there. I almost had a pool and she did the utah really quickly behind me. Then I started speeding backup towards where the
said it had happened, and then she was speaking
behind me. She then continuously was hitting me. I sped up the ranger over up to like a hundred bonnie clean.
Frances rearing ended her up to fifteen times. Eventually, both women pulled over at the spot, where bill had been knocked off his harling, the police were called as dusk turn.
to night, hank hall and other family members alerted by phone calls from Bonnie and francis we're at the sea just a few miles:
from bill's trucking company bill was laying on the ground. He was breathing, like you know, real
my screamed honestly. What the what the hell's going on you know like mad, and there was a police officer.
Gonna tell me I come back when he heard my voice, those started breathing faster and he was trying to
Can I say something, but he was breathing hard. You know they look at.
Yeah. He knew I was there. I know that he knew that france's there. He knew that I was there Nicky
their family members had to the hospital where hours passed 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
couple of injuries. You know a broken arm, broken leg, somethin like that, but never never death. I never expected that in shock. Nicky goes to find her mother only too.
Shocked again, where is my mom? How do I get a hold of my mom
Well, I learned that she's arrested in jail for answers
being interrogated by police after bill dies. She is read her.
it's an she request, an attorney, but she cannot help learning out what's racing through her mind,
There is nothing more to say:
Francis hall was charged with felony murder and aggravated assault on bonnie contreras. By was without both in my parents we. Finally,
car around five in the morning. It was her mom
she's 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 toward the close knit hall family apart hank hall bills, closest friend, blamed
francis for his death. I was upset 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 bills motorcycle with her front bumper
It was an accident by one of the many years of work by us, but will anyone
leave her. If not, she could spend the rest of her life behind bars.
during their
two year long, marriage, life for bill and Francis hall was,
filled with family wealth and happiness. France's had everything money could buy, except her.
spends fidelity after bill. Whole junior died on October tenth, two thousand thirteen francis hall hadn't spoken with
the report raises
I'm peter Van sant
until she met with forty eight hours to tell her version of what happened on that stretch of highway
I'm your perspective. This was what I don't that I dont even know how, but it was an accident
many years of work by has, but you did not murder, you never would have
Remember in the weeks leading up to the confrontation, Frances
had received dozens of insulting taunting
messages from her husband's mistress, bonnie contreras, including photos of the two of them having sex on that
I told her day. Francis is driving home from her nieces volleyball game, and I see him in his pipe is motorcycle. This motorcycle and I hate her a few currently
in back I pulled over and I stopped. I get a phone call from my mom.
She said I just saw your your dad and I just saw Bonnie I'm turning around I'm gonna come from her. I said
Go ahead. You do what you gonna do what we're
planning to do when you made that? U turn I wanted her to pull over, I wanted her to pull over. I want it to come from this one. I wanted to tell
leave me the freak alone. Already, that's enough, I can take you.
I want it and you can have it 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 and be light
francis floors, it quickly catching up to her husband and his mistress. It's at this moment that France's
bonnie stories part ways
wasn't frightened she was in the back and I was in the back. I would come up to her pull off to the site and tell her to pull over sheet
no. Are you gesturing like what was your window down now? Pilots, jesting I'd go off to
the yellow line and tell her to pull over. She would know. No. I could see her. She kept breaking on me
As soon as I come up next to her she break and not break, and you bob,
back of recall, never did I touch the car again. Bonnie claims France's hitter back bumper, multiple times
while this is going on, will actually comes to this unfinished shoulder right here and
close to the side of the cars like him. I saw him for my passenger window
I saw him as a driving ban
I look to the french she breathed
miles an hour down here, bonnie breaks and it creates a chain reaction. Exactly bill has to react, elastic
acting while he's reacting. Remember Frances is reacting in that escalate body swears that at that moment she saw in her rearview mirror france's hit bill head on, knocking him off the highway
francis says: that's a lie:
already seen him pass me solely in full for the way they said that
hit him, and then I knew what I was doing. I never hear him head on leak
or has studied every inch of the accident seen and the three vehicles involved,
She is certain of what unfolded from france's per se.
As far as stealing a little bit more she's doing. It has failed to sign in big all harley and they they make contact.
right about here and fill out millions of actually right behind you in this big tall rest and yet, according to francis
in the chaos of the moment. She
or saw felt or heard bills. Crap
you're. Looking look in mirror, you didn't see us
behind you as you drove oh, no, no, I didn't see it
they lie focused was in the front cause she kept breaking on me and breaking and break
so based on what you are telling me right now was this and accidents
or is this some form of murder that occurred on this? I Peter, if
one is guilty of anything, I would say its body, contrary of reckless driving, because everyone
how to react to her actions by knows just a tragic accident
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
harder than defending someone that you know.
Believing your heart is innocent attorney. Adam Cortez of former boxer will also
represent francis. He brings
brawlers attitude into the courtroom. Francis hall is.
a nurture she's everyone's mother, she's, everyone's rock to say,
She was intensely trying to her bill. All man she's love,
still loves and always will love. I mean that's just a ludicrous idea
francis. What do you want people to know about you, but I am not the person they portrayed me to be very compassionate, sincere woman. He is the love of my life.
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
The.
the I got, a black blade and a black range rover driving on the road or traveling at a high rate of ninety hundred miles an hour. The
This case is one simple question is what happened
on this rural highway in texas and accidents or an active murder. I sympathise wanting to confront your has.
his mistress but engaging
and rode rage as unacceptable.
Four prosecutors, stephanie policies and the deadly confrontation that occurred along this dusty stretch of highway was nothing short of murder and her cold council scott simpson,
knows they will have to convince jurors that this was not a justifiable killing. We knew is gonna, be a difficult case, but not because of the facts. All
I have female friends kept telling me throughout the trial. They they were kept, keep saying he had it coming. I don't think that he had death coming. He had a divorced coming if everybody were sentenced to death
for being a philanderer. What would the population look like on august
thirtieth, two thousand and sixteen nearly three
years after bill halls, tragic death, the murder trial of his wife, Francis got under way, and for the first time since that deadly chase francis came
face to face with the woman she blamed for all of this. Her husband's mistress, bonnie contreras,
right away. Bonnie tells the jury she and bill were targeted that day
a new model in hungary.
deposition. Bonnie demonstrated
She says she saw in her rearview mirror. I see that as clay coming. She does she hit fellow. He flies off the life,
The bite flies off. Adventure pity me and hitting me, and I kept going faster and faster
bonuses. Francis continued her attack ramming.
suv as many as fifteen time
screaming to disprove Bonnie story. The defence calls
Listen. Reconstruction, expert, charles rouble. This is the black
moreover, or landrover, who all
who uses toy cars to demonstrate what he says happened. Male hall was following his wife
your travelling at seventy eighty miles an hour. Ruby believes that wind bill maneuvered around the escalate to avoid colliding. He veered right, hit the shoulder and then tried to correct himself by veering left. That is when he acts
gently struck, France's rear window bill, lost control and was thrown off the highway
so, based on your analysis, there is absolutely no evidence that bodies claim that Francis rear ended. Her husband is true. There's no evidence no evidence,
whatsoever. There is no evidence from the rear, the motorcycle of any contact, there's no evidence on the hook, the escalate,
the prosecution concedes that bodies recollection of events is not supported by the evidence. I wouldn't characterized her testimony is untruthful. I would just characterize it as an stake at the right rover, prosecution, collision, expert, Timothy love it, oh, I don't think Bonnie contreras is intentionally lying about this collision. She's excitable she's gus
body this just like a raging bowl behind love. It says the evidence clearly shows that francis rammed bodies car multiple times. I have
damage on this side of the bumper and I
damage on this side of the front bumpers. Well, that's too that at least one more than just an accidental.
As for why the damage on the bumpers appears so minor. The prosecution has an answer
to vehicles are moving at a high rate of speed and they're going to the same speed. You're not gonna, see huge damage when they climb and ask
how build died, prosecutors believe Francis sides,
wiped bills. Motorcycle knocking him off the road ass she pursued Bonnie, it doesn't make sense to say this is an accident when you look at this around these outcomes. Tat prosecutors, point to the day before the crash, when Francis physically assaulted
and furthermore, they play the phone message that Francis his daughter, Nicky left on bodies cell phone during the chase carried you to watch your backing lie to me
and I want to think to any woman that would speak very much to france's intend to hurt bonding. She was out for
so you take the stand as a prosecution. Witness the prosecution calls bills cousin hank, who they believe is about to cap off their case by telling jurors Francis murdered bill.
after hearing all of the evidence and seen 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 to say in front of this jury. They asked me if, if I thought that francis had killed bill and Matt took a moment, I told them. No,
today, the melee. Are you kidding me kind of lobbyists and did you look?
word francis after you send them? She grabbed herself and started crying
in a way. At that moment, that's when the whole family comes back to get back together, qana got everybody close again after
really a three week trial, Francis
chooses not to testify leaving her fate in the hands of a texas
Europe as a result of her range,
and justice
is holding us. Women are sensible
That means-
she's been living in the
where
the
yeah.
For all his fifty years. Bill hall lived to the max,
building and taking everything, and in
thing he want
right till the
the multi millionaire
Two women fighting for him. I miss him tremendously. I just wish he was here. The only man I've ever been with don't bother my jumper bills. Hunger for life grew into an appetite
destruction and then out on a rural, texas, highway. Everything good was gone.
this is a story of of loss by
Miss my family for Nicky, who believe
this was an accident, not a murder. It comes down to this. Her father dead.
Which he now lose her mother. To would Francis hall be put away by a jury sworn to justice?
she's, a strong, strong, strong woman. That being said,
Wasn't gonna, go murder, her husband and say: if I can have, no one can have him. That's just not francis but the state of texas.
argued hard
bill may not have been francis is intended target, but her actions that day resulted in his day.
and now she had to pay the price this
dangerous intersection of emotion and betrayal.
humiliation in
because you made that? U turn yes! This
and with that I will live for the rest of my life.
Testimony lasted seven days, then it was in the chair
rees, hands they deliberate a single day and on September eighth, two thousand sixteen they spoke as one
it's all guilty of the convicted of both aggravated assault and murder. Francis hole faced a possible life sentence for a million years bill. Never I am very happy on the conviction she got on both counts
They gave me peace, but, along with the guilty verdict came one must step a separate,
Sentencing trial, Francis had a final opportunity and her legal teen conjured a bold defence, sudden passion. If ever there was a person that the sudden passion provision was written for its francis are absolutely sudden passion, a league
term for a profoundly human moment, a wife chasing down her cheating husband and his unrepentant mistress
said and passion
that you were sold entrenched.
You know stuck in the heat of the moment that you are unable to think clearly now, if you can,
death, its murder, but at punishment you can get a lower punished.
When you get basically manslaughter punishment. That lowers it to twenty huge huge differ,
Lee cutter and Adam Cortez made their passionate case for sudden passion and this time france
hold, took the stand in her own defence
Nah evil
Sid. I m sure you can't get off and you
been big middle finger to the jury. The prosecution fought back say:
france's side, swiped her car into bill halls powder blue, hardly in a mad,
Less attempt to confront Bonnie contreras,
see this for someone who says I did wrong you'd be mercy
that, for somebody says you ve got it wrong, but giving mercy any for days
After her conviction, francis learns her fate
That's a party finally, institutional division on the text, part of justice, return to
I felt like wow. Yes, only two years by there goes my mom off. She goes, and I know that I could have done this forefront that I was grateful, but it's two years away from my honour. It tends to be here.
I will be there for my grandkids kill my vampire 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
but 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, do you still love
hold you in all my heart. That they're, like I love,
Why.
Bunny contreras filed a lawsuit against francis hall, alleging infliction of bodily injury and emotional distress
She is seeking to point five frances hall is expected to be released from prison in September. Two thousand. Does it forty eight hours? Don't come to your more of body? Contreras deposition, hey Brian,
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Transcript generated on 2023-06-03.