Ex-Cub Mel Hall faces life in prison

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Former major league outfielder Mel Hall sexually abused or inappropriately touched three girls in addition to the 12-year-old he was convicted of raping, according to testimony Wednesday as jurors prepared to hand down a sentence that could land him in prison for life.

The prosecution's final witness during the punishment phase testified that she was 14 when Hall touched her inappropriately and told her he wanted to have sex with her. Late Tuesday, two women testified Hall sexually assaulted them when they were underage.

Jurors got the punishment phase of the case about 3:15 p.m. Wednesday. They took about 90 minutes Tuesday to convict Hall on three counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and two counts of indecency with a child.

On Wednesday, a woman testified that Hall was her softball coach when, during an end-of-season pool party, he made lewd noises and grabbed her around the waist.

"He just grabbed me how I thought was inappropriate," said the woman, now 19. She said Hall also would watch her take batting practice and make crude comments and tell her he wanted to have sex with her.

Defense attorneys for Hall, 48, called his ex-wife and his daughter to testify on his behalf Wednesday. Both said they didn't believe he was guilty and said he was a good person.

"My dad would not do that," said his daughter, Bianca Hall, who had to stop to compose herself throughout her emotional testimony.

Mel Hall, who had been stoic and unemotional throughout most of the trial that began Monday, smiled and nodded as his daughter spoke of their relationship. When she become emotional while describing how much she loved and trusted him, Hall bit his lip and looked away.

During the trial this week, witnesses testified that Hall was impressed with the 12-year-old girl's talent and wanted to start a basketball team. The woman testified that Hall exposed himself to her and her younger brother at home, when their parents were away. The boy testified that he thought they were playing a game and never told his parents.

"I trusted him," the woman testified. "I honestly had no idea anything was inappropriate at the time. I looked up to him. I just thought this is how normal people act."

Hall's interaction with the girl progressed to inappropriate touching and him showing her how to perform oral sex, she testified. She said he also showed her pornographic movies at an apartment Hall shared with his girlfriend and their infant son.

The two women who testified Tuesday told similar stories of how he won their parents' trust and then charmed the young girls.

One said she was 15 and Hall was in his first season with the New York Yankees when the abuse began in 1989. The other testified that she a 14-year-old basketball teammate of the 12-year-old victim when she was raped in 1999. Hall has been charged in that case.

Hall's 13-year major league career ended in 1996. He hit .276 with 134 home runs and 620 RBIs in a career that included stints with the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, Yankees and San Francisco Giants. He also played four years in Japan.