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Wife of slain Texas trucking magnate now charged in massive fraud

Frances Hall was convicted in 2016 of killing her husband and now faces a felony fraud charge

Frances Hall was convicted in 2016 of killing her husband, Bill Hall Jr. Authorities now allege she was part of multimillion-dollar fraud while she was co-owner of Bill Hall Jr. Trucking. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

A San Antonio woman convicted of killing her husband while chasing his mistress on a highway has been charged with felony fraud relating to the company the husband and wife co-owned, Bill Hall Jr. Trucking.

Frances Hall, 59, provided false payroll information over a seven-year period to avoid more than $9 million in insurance premium payments while she was co-owner of the company with her late husband, Bill Hall Jr., a Thursday release from the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) claims.

“Between 2009 and 2016, Frances Hall allegedly provided false payroll information to Texas Mutual Insurance Company and concealed payroll reports to get lower insurance premiums on their extensive gravel hauling business,” TDI said. “The scheme allowed the company and its owners to avoid more than $9 million in premium payments.”

Hall turned herself in to Bexar County, Texas, authorities Tuesday, more than a month after a warrant had been issued for her arrest. She is currently free on bond. 

She garnered national headlines in 2016 when she was convicted in the death of her husband of 32 years, Bill Hall Jr.

Together, the couple had built Bill Hall Jr. Trucking, which hauls gravel and other materials for road construction. The carrier is still active and doing business under the name of Iron Horse Transportation and Construction with a fleet of 44 trucks, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.


In 2013, Frances Hall knocked her husband’s motorcycle off a San Antonio highway while she was chasing his mistress, who was in another vehicle on the same road. Bill Hall Jr. was following his mistress’s vehicle. Frances Hall said it was an accident.

Frances Hall was convicted of murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in 2016. She received a two-year sentence — the lightest sentence possible — after jurors found she acted with “sudden passion.”

If convicted of felony fraud, she could face up to life in prison and a $10,000 fine. Frances Hall did not immediately respond to FreightWaves’ request for comment.

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4 Comments

  1. Nancy D

    I just saw the Dateline episode about the original case (the wife, husband and mistress, ending with the wife being tried for his death). At the end of the episode they mentioned felony charges were brought against her for insurance fraud so I wanted to see what the status was, which led me here. Looks like they were both corrupt and evil-from such humble beginnings, and then destroyed by greed and wealth, and the power they imagined they had. Makes you wonder how it all would have gone for them if they hadn’t become so rich. A modern-day morality play-this is what Shakespeare was talking about. Unbelievable!!

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Noi Mahoney

Noi Mahoney is a Texas-based journalist who covers cross-border trade, logistics and supply chains for FreightWaves. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in English in 1998. Mahoney has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working for newspapers in Maryland and Texas. Contact [email protected]