This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A 73-year-old Fairview man suspected of causing the death last year of his 65-year-old wife was sent to prison this month for other related crimes.
Ronald Leroy Hall was arrested last year on suspicion of killing Vivian L. Hall, but he was never charged with a homicide.
Last week, a 6th District judge sentenced Ronald Hall to prison for up to five years for falsely obtaining a prescription, assault and domestic violence in the presence of a child.
Hall admitted striking his wife the night before she fell into a coma, but authorities could not prove the blow caused the woman's death three weeks later at a hospital.
Hall struck his wife on Sept. 6, 2009, and she died Sept. 26.
He was arrested Oct. 30 after a relative called police to report she suspected foul play, which prompted police to interview others who were in the home the night the couple fought.
Hall struck his wife with an open hand hard enough to bruise her left eye, and the next morning she was unresponsive, according to a probable cause statement filed by police in 6th District Court.
Ronald Hall and his ex-daughter-in-law, Debbie Hall, called for an ambulance. Vivian Hall was taken to Sanpete Valley Hospital, then flown to a Salt Lake City hospital.
Ronald Hall initially told hospital personnel and police that his wife had fallen out of bed and hit her head on a nightstand, according to the court document.
But after Vivian Hall's death, Ronald Hall's daughter, Leslie Hall, told police that many family members believe he had beaten his wife but did not report their concerns because they were "very frightened of Ronald Hall because of the man he was," according to the court document.
During the follow-up investigation into the death, Debbie Hall told police Ronald Hall struck his wife at least twice, and that the woman needed help getting into bed.
Debbie Hall's 10-year-old granddaughter told police she was taking a bath when she heard "a whole bunch of fighting and ... yelling and slamming and slapping."
Police also learned that Ronald Hall and Debbie Hall each had filled a prescription for hydrocodone pills prescribed for Vivian Hall.
Charges were not filed against Debbie Hall, who claimed Ronald Hall asked her to get the pain pills so he could give it to "a guy named Kevin," according to the court document. Ronald Hall claimed he filled a prescription "because Debbie was selling them."
During his sentencing hearing, Hall told Judge Marvin Bagley that he had no intent to do anything wrong.
Hall's criminal history dates back to 1956, when he was 19 years old, and includes 20 arrests and 11 convictions, according to the court document.
The arrests include attempt to commit murder, aggravated kidnaping, aggravated sexual assault, aggravated robbery, burglary and grand larceny.