Pine Bluff widow gets 16 years for murder

PINE BLUFF -- A woman found guilty of second-degree murder in the July 28 shooting of her husband has been sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Patricia Ann Hill, 69, of Pine Bluff was convicted Tuesday night of killing Frank Hill, 65, also of Pine Bluff, after she discovered a charge for a pornography channel on the couple's cable bill. Frank Hill's body was found in a shed behind the couple's home.

Patricia Hill was charged with capital murder, which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison, but the jury convicted her of the lesser charge after about two hours of deliberations.

Attorneys for Hill reached a sentencing agreement with prosecutors late Tuesday night after a two-day trial in Jefferson County Circuit Court. The agreement came after it was discovered that an item of evidence had been omitted inadvertently from materials furnished to the jury during deliberation.

Court reporter Lajuana Grady discovered the omission after the jury returned with the verdict, at which time defense attorney Bill James moved for a mistrial.

"We argued that mistrial was not appropriate, but before the judge ruled we resolved the issue with the negotiated plea," said Kyle Hunter, Jefferson County's prosecuting attorney.

Hill faced between six years and 30 years in prison on the second-degree murder charge, and up to 15 years on the firearm charge. The plea bargain resulted in a sentence of 15 years on the second-degree murder conviction and one year for the use of a firearm in commission of the slaying.

She will spend at least the next three years and three months in the Arkansas Department of Correction.

Hunter said Hill will be eligible for parole in eight years, but with good behavior time that could be cut to four years. With credit for the 270 days for time served, Hill's earliest possibility of parole eligibility would be July 2022, Hunter said.

"That does not mean she'll get parole, but she'll be eligible to apply," Hunter said. "Obviously, we believe the facts justified a conviction on capital murder, but we're satisfied the jury listened to all of the evidence and came back with a verdict."

Prosecutors said Hill deliberately killed her husband after finding the bill. She walked 40 yards to the backyard shed, which she described as Frank Hill's "man cave," and confronted him. Prosecutors said Patricia Hill walked back into the house after the confrontation, got a .22-caliber pistol, then walked back out to the shed where she shot her husband in the leg and in the head.

James argued that Hill, pushed beyond her level of endurance in an unhappy marriage and years of depression, flew into a rage that rendered her incapable of appreciating the illegality or the consequences of her actions.

"A lot of times when the jury isn't exactly sure what happened, they end up with murder two," James said Wednesday. "We thought we had an argument for not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect, but there were some problems with the case."

James said the offer of 16 years, which is 29 years less than the maximum punishment, was accepted because Hill indicated that she did not wish to go through another trial.

"Ultimately, my client didn't want to cause any more hurt for the family, because we'd have just had to try it again," James said. "She wanted to get it over with for herself and for her family, but also for his family. She was particularly concerned about his family.

"She's got a lot of remorse about what happened."

State Desk on 04/25/2019

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