Harrodsburg doctor indicted in wife's death on Herrington Lake

DANVILLE — A Harrodsburg doctor has been indicted on a murder charge in the death of his wife May 29.

The indictment says Dr. Steven C. Hall "murdered Isabel Hall by striking her with a pontoon boat and causing injuries to her that resulted in her death."

Hall, 47, told Kentucky State Police that his wife's death on Herrington Lake was an accident.

The couple had gone to the lake to celebrate their 21st anniversary, but they got into an argument after Steven Hall made an " off-color comment" about another woman's breasts, Detective Bill Collins testified at a June 4 preliminary hearing.

The two got into a struggle, during which Isabel Hall bit Steven Hall on the back of his shoulder. He responded by shoving her into the water. Hall told police that his wife began yelling, "Help! Help me! He's going to kill me!"

Steven Hall told police that he put the boat "full throttle" toward his wife "to try to scare her" but that he struck her instead. Isabel Hall was 49.

State police Detective Chris Short is the witness who appeared before the grand jury, according to the indictment released Thursday.

Hall lived in Harrodsburg and has a family practice there, but he was indicted in neighboring Boyle County because that's where the alleged crime happened.

Hall remains in the Boyle County jail in lieu of a $2 million bond.

In June, Hall's defense attorney filed a motion seeking to reduce the bond to $100,000 in cash, $100,000 in property and home incarceration.

The motion noted that Hall "has been advised that his medical license is currently suspended because of the charge against him."

"This fact alone secures the defendant's presence at trial," the defense attorney wrote in the motion. But the district judge did not act on the motion, and an order reducing the bond was not signed.

Hall might be arraigned as early as Aug. 4 in Boyle Circuit Court.

This story was originally published July 10, 2009 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Harrodsburg doctor indicted in wife's death on Herrington Lake."