Ross Gardner: This was a relatively contained crime scene. Verify and try again. Two months before her death, they fought over the defendant giving his son money without Susan Hamilton knowing about it. Aguirre said he was calling her 10 or more times a day. At trial, Lane told the jury that Dr. Hamilton started to clean up the scene, but was interrupted by the page from his clinic. Search above to list available cemeteries. According to the investigation, he was the perpetrator of his wifes murder. Her husband, John Baxter Hamilton was convicted of murder, and is serving a life sentence. I was horribly wrong. talked to Susan Johnston, a For Susan's family and friends, the case is now closed, but it may never bring closure. Bc s John Baxter Hamilton thnh ph v nh gia ca phu thut mang theo hoa v tm thip cho v, nhn ngy l tnh nhn 14/2/2001. "Moments like that in the courtroom just don't happen like that. OKLAHOMA CITY, January 8, 2002 (LSN.ca) - Abortionist John B. Hamilton, 53, was sentenced today to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of his wife Susan on. He said he performed a surgery around 7 a.m., then came home to exchange Valentine's cards with his wife. The doctor and his wife built an envious lifestyle for themselves. John Hamilton and Alliena Susan Johnston: I said, "Susan, I don't think it's true. The doctor was still in shock, as the judge added his opinion. "He tried to get the key in the ignition, but he couldn't because he was shaking so much," Martin said. Bevel and prosecutors have denied those allegations. On re-direct, Hamilton's lawyer tried to diffuse the bombshell testimony by suggesting that the spatter could have resulted from the doctor performing cpr. A dozen roses? Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. degree murder trial of her stepfather, Dr. The group had faxed Hamilton a "wanted" poster the same week as the murder, and the doctor told Primetime he and his wife had both received threatening phone calls the week she was killed. Over the next few months, though, with the help of some unique forensic evidence, the D.A. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Susan's friend, for one, believed him, and encouraged Susan to do the same. "She was taken down almost immediately and spun onto her face, Spruill said. . He was jailed immediately and denied any bail. To the investigators, the only plausible explanation was that the doctor had bundled up the murder weapon to dispose of it somewhere along the way as he raced back for his second surgery, a bloody bundle that leaked. The-- they don't agree. he was upset. "Someone said there is a fine line between love and hate, and that man crossed it," Lane said in his opening statement in the first-degree murder trial for Hamilton, an Oklahoma City gynecologist, obstetrician and abortionist. Dick: They had to find the stripper. Officers say they can account for all the bloody footprints inside the house, but there is no evidence showing how the person got outside. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. That high society doctor was Dr. John Hamilton -- an OB/GYN who in addition to his regular practice, ran an abortion clinic -- a role that in conservative Oklahoma, would bring him some unwelcome notoriety. By the time the prosecutor had wrapped up his case, he'd laid out a theory of what happened -- that the doctor had used the neckties to pull his wife down from to the ground, then bashed her head in with that murder weapon never found. A crowd lined up to attend the proceedings -- loyal patients, former employees, and fellow physicians -- all standing behind the doctor. In 2001, Oklahoma abortion provider Dr. John Baxter Hamilton beat his wife and then choked her to death in their home. She said he would give her samples of medication she needed for depression when she didn't have the money to buy prescription drugs. Susan Hamilton, 55, had been strangled with two neckties and beaten. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. And I was wrong. They found a disturbing scene that didn't suit a moneyed neighborhood. PDF Oklahoma City murder case featured on "True Crime with Aphrodite Jones He and his wife, Susan, had met in 1985 at a friend's birthday party. Shibley and Horton told the (Oklahoma Department of Corrections) Dr. John Hamilton placed the initial 911 call after his wife was strangled and beaten to death in Oklahoma on Valentine's Day 2001. Dennis Murphy: There were people that thought this guy was being sandbagged, railroaded. 0 cemeteries found in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, USA. On February 14, 2001, the residents of Oklahoma City bore witness to a terrifying murder when Susan Hamilton was found strangled and beaten to death on her bathroom floor. A neighbor was about to give the cops the dish. Tom Bevel: He jumped out of his loafer shoes, which would have reorientated them, and he jumped over to her side and knelt down to try and assist her and to do CPR. Susan Hamilton died of blunt force trauma to the head and ligature strangulation or strangulation brought on by something being tied or pulled tightly around her neck, according to the medical examiner's preliminary report. Dick Horton heard the story firsthand from the friend. He has not given an inch in that regard., Murphy said Hamilton still has the "command authority of a physician and chatted about vacationing in Italy "as if he was still in touch with the outside world.. So he hid his wife's jewelry before the 911 forces arrived, fully intending to get it out of the house sometime later. Testimony is expected to continue this morning before District Judge Ray Elliott. John and Susan Hamilton had the seemingly perfect marriage. Watch Forensic Factor Season 2 Episode 3 - My Bloody Valentine Online Now Given the circumstances, he was accused of murdering his wife. Dennis Murphy, Dateline NBC: Who was she? They do on Perry Mason, but they don't in the real world.". It had all of the appeal of a romance novel gone bad. We actually believe that-- that-- John Hamilton was trying to clean things up before he got paged. Two years after their first date, they married at a local country club. In 1997, Mississippi abortion provider Dr. Malachy Dehenre shot and killed his wife in their . Nobody expected that to happen. And why was it delayed? Her husband, John Baxter Hamilton was convicted of murder, and is serving a life sentence. "Someone said there is a fine line between love and hate, and that man crossed it," Lane said in his opening statement in the first-degree murder trial for Hamilton, an Oklahoma City gynecologist, obstetrician and abortionist. The conviction of Oklahoma City resident Dr. John Hamilton in the 2001 Valentine's Day murder of his wife Susan Hamilton will be examined on "True Crime with Aphrodite Jones" in an episode titled "Loved to Death," airing at 9 p.m. Monday on Investigation Discovery. One blow crushed her skull, Gofton said. But when the first responder -- firefighter David Bradbury-- arrived on the scene, he thought there was something odd about the way the doctor was performing chest compressions. Dennis Murphy: It's changed Valentine's Day forever for you and your kids, huh? without bail since Feb. 14. Before Susan Hamilton died, Coffey said, the victim had changed her mind and thought that her husband was not having an affair. And I was, you know, I was so nervous. But because it was Valentine's Day, I wanted to give Susan her first Valentine's card. Why do you do that? For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. What made John show his dark side? It took the jury less than two hours to convict Hamilton of first-degree murder, and he was later sentenced to life in prison. I mean, because it was out there in view, I guess. Still, there was the doctor's seemingly solid alibi. Neighbors told police that in the weeks before the killing the Hamiltons had been having marital problems. Not necessarily a killer's shoe, countered the defense expert, but the shoe of Dr. Hamilton as he gave his wife CPR. Vandalizing his home. Dennis Murphy: They're gonna accuse you of trying to cover up the scratches that Susan made defensively as you were killing her. They kept him there for hours on end. Try again later. And while he may have stepped over his boundaries professionally, he said he never had an affair with her. It did in this case, though. Bevel was the last witness in the trial, and from everything he testified to under the defense attorney's gentle questioning, he'd helped dr. Hamilton. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. To the prosecutor, the Valentine's Day card John had received that morning lit the fuse for the violence that followed. It was never on any abortion protesters. He's crazy about you. City obstetrician charged in fatal beating of wife - The Oklahoman True Crime : Susan Hamilton (Murdered 2001) @Crimedoor Randy Scott: It indicated that she still felt something for John, but it just things weren't the same as they were gonna be. Susan.". It read, "A reward in heaven will be bestowed on anyone contributing to bringing this murderer to justice." By the time emergency workers arrived, it was clear that Susan Hamilton was dead. After 14 years of marriage, John Hamilton murdered his wife. He was born on April 23, 1950 in Phenix City, Alabama. But his argument wouldn't be enough. If this is real-- if this blood splatter is real science then why should two prominent, national authorities disagree with the findings? And it was there they noticed something else odd. Five Valentine's Day crimes of passion | Fox News Susan Hamilton's blood and skin were found on the steering wheel of the doctor's car, and a prosecution expert testified that his left shoe was spattered in a way that could only have happened while his wife was alive. Contact supportservices@okmedicalboard.org for more information. Abortion Doctor Guilty of Murdering Wife | PDF | Murder - Scribd But eventually, she said, "Yes, I'll go.". John Hamilton, 53, is on trial in the Valentine's Day slaying of his wife at their John Hamilton: Initially, she didn't want to go. You can always change this later in your Account settings. "I think John was so astounded that he had her that he had such a wonderful, perfect almost perfect wife, in his opinion," said Shary Coffey, Susan's best friend. John Hamilton in OK - Address & Phone Number | Whitepages He was banging his head into the screen. And here's the thing about that timeline: John had to have left the house by 9:20 to make it back to the hospital by 9:30, when he was seen scrubbing up for surgery. The prosecutor refused to release additional information about the slaying that took place at 3056 Brush Creek Road. OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ A prominent Oklahoma City doctor was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without parole for killing his wife on Valentine's Day. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. But he never had a chance to do that -- or to tell the cops that the killer had gotten the jewels -- that's because he was put in the back of the police car and never got back inside the house again. I was shaking so much I was unsuccessful. Aguirre testified Investigators have a word for rage crimes: "overkill." Link in bio. Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. They claim the defendant took from the house his bloody clothes and the blunt instrument used to beat the victim after she was strangled with a man's necktie and her face repeatedly smashed into a tile floor. Many still believe he is innocent, and he. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. Jurors have spent two days hearing testimony and looking at photographs of the bloody crime scene and injuries the victim suffered. A lot of the blood on his clothing could be explained by his attempt to administer CPR. John Hamilton: Please, please, send police, please send an ambulance, please. Macy said he will ask that bond be denied for John Hamilton. based on information from your browser. Dennis Murphy: So, you'd have to think that the opportunistic robber breaking in to steal some jewelry and the TV--. When the police in Farmington, New Mexico discover a broken window at a local head shop called The Eclectic, they expect to find evidence of a robbery. Susan Johnston: She was upset and angry with John. So, you don't have an object to compare it against. Her husband was arrested that day and later charged with her murder. Susan, in particular, became entangled with neckties, resulting in a severe head injury. a crowd lined up to attend the proceedings. He was sentenced to life without parole. Dennis Murphy: A lot of people don't get that. the bathroom floor. After all, he'd had a busy morning -- performing not just one, but two surgeries with only a brief stop at home in between. home at 3056 Brush Creek Road. They have got DNA, fingerprints, lab reports that haven't even been looked at yet. Tom Bevel: In order to say that, you have to have the murder weapon. Dennis Murphy: Until that Valentine Day morning, there was no-- no anger issues, no histories of this guy hit-- hittin' the switch and flipping out, and-. Sorry! One says, "The shoes is what convicts him." Abortion doctor strangled and beat his wife to death on Valentine's Day The Hamiltons' 14-year marriage apparently had been in trouble for some time before the slaying. On the other hand, his name appears in a few obituaries on the internet. would never do that,'" Horton Try again later. Afterwards, the doctor decided to swing back home. Steve Jimerson: Oh, they were la-la. "I always took threats like that seriously," he said. But that Wednesday morning, John arrived home from the hospital, and found a horrific scene: Susan, lying beaten and strangled on their bathroom floor. JUSTICE STORY: My deadly Valentine, tepid holiday card held key to Five Valentine's Day crimes of passion - news.yahoo.com Jim E. Hamilton Correctional Center - Department of Corrections And I didn't want any obstruction. David Bradbury: The way that this woman had been beaten, I mean, her face was swollen, her face was bloody. Johnston said she thought The defense says the scratches could have been made by a number of objects besides fingernails. Susan Hamilton, 55, had been strangled with two neckties and beaten. John would have been devastated.". Wes Lane: All the air in the courtroom was gone. Please, hurry. Randy Scott: That would cause a suspicion for us to wonder why he's wanting to scrape his hands up. Teresa Sterling: It was violent. He had been having an affair with a stripper and his wife became aware of it. Retha Chamberlain, Special Judge Russell Hall's court clerk, said the process to complete the paperwork would delay the appearance until then. His defense team argued that there was no direct evidence that Hamilton was the murderer, noting that no murder weapon was ever found. Instead they uncover a horrific crime scene, with two badly mutilated bodies. day. Dennis Murphy: And that you can almost envision whatever that murder weapon is, the-- the bludgeon coming right down on poor Susan's head causing the blood spatter. wife repeatedly throughout the "When he saw that this incredible woman was looking like she was leaving him, he lost it. Randy Scott: He has time to get back by the house 'cause their-- their house is very close to in between the two hospitals. been beaten with a blunt instrument. Vesta Hall: I have never, ever, one second, not one moment in time have I ever thought he was guilty. It was up inside the sleeve. John Hamilton, a prominent doctor in Oklahoma City, showered his wife with gifts, starting with a Porsche he gave her the day they married. And in photos of the crime scene, the prosecutor pointed out for jurors something that needed explaining -- a wet rag left in the pool of blood from the victim's head. Martin said Hamilton was hysterical when he found his wife, and after he called 911, he realized his car was blocking the driveway so he went to move it, getting his wife's blood and flesh inside the vehicle. "I didnt kill Susan.. Instead, he says, he came home between surgeries that morning to pick up his datebook and was horrified to find his wife lying on the bathroom floor in a pool of blood. told Horton her mother had Furthermore, he has previously requested a retrial, which has been denied each time. Psycho For Love: John Hamilton killed his wife, Susan; Sentenced to John Hamilton: No, she's not breathing, I don't get a pulse. And that justice would come out. Is it possible that here in conservative Oklahoma, she had been murdered by an anti-abortion zealot? Coffey testified that the defendant, also a friend, called her almost daily that last week, talking about the couple's problems. He was talking on the phone. Blood that then transferred from his hands and clothes to the car. a good marriage, even though Knowing that they were about to put his patient under anesthesia, Hamilton returned to the clinic, performed the surgery, and then came back home to finish cleaning up, Lane said. Even Susan's children were standing by their stepfather. He was acting bizarre. Shouldn't the killer have left a trace? Martin described the victim as being jealous of her husband's time away from her. Judge: Based upon the comments a majority of the jurors said to me in which they indicated they were very disappointed they didn't have the sentence of death as an option, I would consider yourself, you should consider yourself very lucky. Lane said a bloody imprint of what is believed to be the blunt instrument was discovered on the defendant's shirt. And she gets very suspicious of it and confronts John about it. John Hamilton in Oklahoma We found 15 records for John Hamilton in Norman, Tulsa and 9 other cities in Oklahoma. And we're thinkin' that maybe he was having an affair. Susan managed john's abortion clinic, working there two days a week. After all -- nothing can bring back the beautiful, headstrong, woman they all loved. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. was her doctor and gave her Steve Jimerson: I was afraid for his safety. Investigators uncovered evidence that Susan had found records of dozens of calls from her husband's cellphone to a topless dancer, and prosecutors say Susan told friends she was thinking about asking John for a divorce. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. As John Hamilton told it, by Valentine's Day the couple had already patched up the raw wounds of that ruckus over his unorthodox relationship with a stripper. Steve Jimerson: They all said he was just as normal and jovial as he always was. It was over by 8, and afterwards, John stopped by the hospital, where he had another procedure scheduled for later that morning. Around 8:50 a.m., he said, he was beeped because he was late for another procedure. And the only explanation of that event is the wounding to Mrs. Hamilton. asked him to move out of their Susan's friend, Susan Johnston, the woman next door, had pulled one of the investigators aside and put a bug in his ear, that the week before Valentine's Day, Susan Hamilton had confided about problems in her marriage. The defense was dealt a setback at the start of trial. I just, I wanted them to be able to get in and help. And the shoe splattered with Susan's blood from different directions as she was being killed? Dr. Hamilton had a more simple explanation for being late. or more times a day. Make sure that the file is a photo. The shoes were found next to Susan's body -- john said they fell off his feet as he was attempting to revive her. the defendant was calling her 10 Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. John Hamilton: Yes, I'm trying. Tom Bevel: I would believe that they thought that, yes. "There is a science to blood spatters," Lane said. Two weeks later he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. John Hamilton: Right. And that wasn't all. But Supervised and trained employees in office duties, computer programs, and phone dialog. I think she became particularly alarmed when he didn't answer it. As for the discovery of Susan's hair and blood tissue in his car, Hamilton explained it this way: he said after calling 911 he realized the EMTs wouldn't be able to get their ambulance past his car out front, so he raced out to move it. Detective Teresa Sterling: He's supposed to be there. There was no sign of forced entry in the house and nothing was missing, making it unlikely Susan Hamilton, who was 55, was killed by a burglar. killed, Susan Hamilton also doctors. Maybe he ends up terminating that to save his marriage. There were no Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Police haven't found the murder weapon or the clothes. "He (Hamilton) was really clinging to the defense lines that the blood result was not the way it was interpreted, Dennis Murphy, a "Dateline NBC reporter, told The Oklahoman on Wednesday. Dick Horton: Actually, we've turned it into a positive. "She was really upset that he But before that valentine's day was over, they would have a suspect in custody. He was only at home for a few minutes, because at 9 am his pager went off, the hospital calling him to get back for a second surgery. As is routine in domestic murders, the detectives would take a look at the spouse -- John Hamilton, himself. Randy Scott: I think the biggest part for us was trying to figure out how he could get there, spend any time there, and get back to commit the second surgery. the Hamiltons had over Christmas over the defendant's payment for his son's car repairs He was so kind, and you never heard him raise his voice or anything like that. John Hamilton: You know, I've come to find out that blood spatter is really junk science. Even the prosecutor, Wes Lane, had to admit that John had been telling the truth about that suspected affair. smashed into the floor. Many people have been searching the internet for his date cause. But beyond his professional accomplishments, little is known about his personal life, especially when it comes to his family. I didn't notice any blood on his mouth whatsoever. Dr. John Baxter Hamilton was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. When Susan's ex-husband learned of her murder -- and the domestic melodrama about the cell phone log -- he thought he knew right away what had happened. Randy Scott: There's no burglary prints to obtain downstairs. The prosecution wasn't going to be able to tap your expertise. Ever. "My wife's bleeding all over the place," Dr. John Baxter Hamilton tells the 911 operator. John Hamilton, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Oklahoma City before murdering his wife in 2001, was a well-known obstetrician-gynecologist. John Hamilton: I talked to the surgery nurse and she said, "The surgery before yours started 30 minutes late.". with John Hamilton. "You could have heard a pin drop," remembers Lane. Oklahoma City police declined on Wednesday to release additional information about the slaying. neighbor. The jurors, all women and the youngest members on the panel, wiped their eyes with tissues while Dr. Jeffrey Gofton, a forensic pathologist for the state Medical Examiner's office, testified he believes Susan Hamilton, 55, died from possibly three blows to her head with a blunt instrument. And there was nothing-- it-- and there-- and there was nothing stolen. Pictures of his injuries have been shown to the jury. Gardner carefully examined everything the doctor had been wearing that morning. Dr. John Hamilton placed the initial 911 call after his wife was strangled and beaten to death in Oklahoma on Valentine's Day 2001. . Dennis Murphy: You thought that the second operation was gonna be backed up? Drag images here or select from your computer for Susan Shibley Hamilton memorial. All rights reserved. And for that, they hired a blood stain expert Named Ross Gardner. On the steering wheel and driver's side seat and door sill, crime scene investigators recovered strands of susan's hair and a piece of her flesh. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. But Hamilton was late, not arriving until 9:30. Ross Gardner: Effectively, the inside and front of that shoe was in motion around this spatter event from Mrs. Hamilton that's radiating out. For example, John Baxter Hamilton, the most prolific abortionist in Oklahoma City, crushed his wife's skull with a blunt object, then returned to his abortion mill to do more abortions. And then there were these curious stains on the doctor's shirt -- the blood expert thought he saw a similarity between their angular shape, and the wound created on Susan's head. Mrs. Hamilton, 55, had worked as a physician's assistant at her husband's abortion facility, Oklahoma Women's Clinic. John Hamilton: I don't know. Try again later. Susan Hamilton was beaten with a blunt instrument, Oklahoma County District Attorney Robert Macy said in court documents that list 39 witnesses in the case. Mrs. Hamilton worked as a physician's assistant at her husband's abortion facility. There is a problem with your email/password. The surgical team was about to get started when they realized the doctor was still at home. upset about the incident because Susan Hamilton thought Bevel, an expert on blood spatter pattern analysis, testified that the blood found on the doctor was consistent with his account of trying to save his wife. If convicted of first-degree murder, Hamilton, 53, could be sentenced to life in prison with or without the possibility of parole. And he finally told her that it -- it was a patient and that she was down on her luck and havin' hard times and he was just helping her out. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. Ngy l tnh nhn nh mnh ca bc s ph sn What Happened To Dr John Hamilton? - Where Is He Now? Susan Hamilton Wes Lane: It was huge. Aguirre said the defendant There were things done that were dangerous. Taping him on the surveillance camera. In 1987, John Hamilton married Susan, and his wife began working part-time at Johns clinic. In addition to delivering babies, John Hamilton performed abortions at his clinic, and Susan worked there too. After the second surgery, he returned home to pick up his datebook, and found his wife, he said. At the end, I think she was calmer and she said, "I'm gonna think about it.". Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Afterwards he tried to clean up, but quickly gave up. Vesta Hall: She was beautiful, vivacious, intelligent, just a really neat lady. Wes Lane: He knew that she was still considering divorce. And I don't think they-- believed it. Feb. 13, 2003 -- Everyone says Susan Hamilton was the love of her husband's life. Tom Bevel: I was hired-- either the-- the next day, or within two days at least-- of-- of the actual crime-- by the defense. Was he trying to cover up earlier injuries? The appeals made their way all the way up to the u.s. Supreme court, but they ultimately failed. "She was angry, and she The court rejected Hamilton's. When left alone in the room, Hamilton seemed to be checking out his shoulder area. Autopsy photos in Hamilton trial make jurors cry - The Oklahoman Wes Lane: John Hamilton is a control guy. Dr. Hamilton 911 call Doctor, slain wife argued about affair, police say - Evidence taken from home where woman's body found Doctor leaves jail for funeral - Obstetrician permitted to attend wife's services Doctor accused in wife's death to remain in jail Suspect loses bail appeal - Doctor charged in wife's death to remain in jail pending trial