John Hamilton: I'm telling the truth now. She would've never hidden it in her underwear and all of a sudden the, you know, it just clicks that he's tryin' to make it look like a robbery. Time for a new episode! And I was, you know, I was so nervous. A very nice, innocent guy was facing a nightmare. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Her head bludgeoned, surrounded by a pool of blood. her mother, Horton testified in the first- He says he did The scene was a bloody mess. 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. Retha Chamberlain, Special Judge Russell Hall's court clerk, said the process to complete the paperwork would delay the appearance until then. You'd have to believe that he committed the violent murder in that narrow window between his two surgeries. "The prosecution will present one theory," Martin said. Then the prosecutor rose for his cross-examination. Dr. Hamilton had a more simple explanation for being late. said. Jurors have spent two days hearing testimony and looking at photographs of the bloody crime scene and injuries the victim suffered. Taping him on the surveillance camera. Given the circumstances, he was accused of murdering his wife. I still had 15 or 20 minutes. Nothing was stolen, and yet, there was this curious story that cropped up in the days after Susan had been murdered. He and his wife, Susan, had met in 1985 at a friend's birthday party. Horton: Anybody that you ask, nobody that I know that knew John Hamilton would say that he had the capability of doing it. Horton said her mother got mother didn't sound like herself, although We all know red is for the ribbon on the box of chocolate, not for the pool of blood in the master bath. They have got DNA, fingerprints, lab reports that haven't even been looked at yet. Isn't that what Valentine's Day is supposed to be about? (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. Tom Bevel, a veteran of almost three decades with the Oklahoma City P.D. The defense's expert was saying that Dr. John Hamilton most likely created those blood stains by bashing in his wife's skull. John Hamilton: I was frantic. That goes to another issue of we talk about possibly being staged or draw attention to me instead of emotionally upset over the loss of his wife. "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. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. If convicted of first-degree murder, Hamilton, 53, could be sentenced to life in prison with or without the possibility of parole. After 14 years of marriage, John Hamilton murdered his wife. Dr. John Hamilton, though, was ready to explain it all, and his version of the truth would be completely different than the prosecutor's. And there wasn't an objection. She didn't sound like my mom.". Even though she had a great education, her passion was to be a good mother. she tried to act strong at first. In the week before she was And it was there they noticed something else odd. Lane said a bloody imprint of what is believed to be the blunt instrument was discovered on the defendant's shirt. John Hamilton, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Oklahoma City before murdering his wife in 2001, was a well-known obstetrician-gynecologist. His theory was that the stains on the shirt were left by the murder weapon as it came in contact with the garment. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. I was scared. 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. To investigators, that delay opened up the doctor's window of opportunity by up to an hour. Search above to list available cemeteries. Wes Lane: This had a lot of dots to connect. she hadn't done before. "He tried to get the key in the ignition, but he couldn't because he was shaking so much," Martin said. Testimony is expected to continue this morning before District Judge Ray Elliott. Randy Scott: She gets the bill and upon looking at the bill she notices-- she starts marking and finds a huge number, and I'm talkin', close to 100 phone calls to this phone, back and forth to John. loyal patients, former employees and fellow physicians, all standing behind the doctor. And if there was another pair, she'd go get those. ). Prosecutors may finish calling their witnesses today. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. Then, Holly covers the case of Dr. John Hamilton who loved his wife Susan a little too much. Oops, we were unable to send the email. her husband were working on their But because it was Valentine's Day, I wanted to give Susan her first Valentine's card. Dennis Murphy: So that was the reason you went home? 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. "His face showed Wes Lane: All the air in the courtroom was gone. As a Finnish lawyer, Simon Ekpa has made a name for himself in the legal profession. And, as you might guess, it was a job that came with a little danger -- anti-abortion protestors were a curbside reality. The national media outlets refused to identify Hamilton as an abortionist, referring to him only as a local obstetrician. The-- they don't agree. If I really did it, if it would, if it would clear my conscience, but I didn't do it. He died in October 2021, according to information obtained from a different source. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison with or without the possibility of parole. "I don't just snap," he said. "There is a science to blood spatters," Lane said. However, the investigation revealed that the murderer was John Hamilton himself. The major one is that I've lost the love of my life. It was looked for extensively. Wes Lane, the prosecutor, was surprised to find he had an unpopular case on his hands. Investigators never recovered the murder weapon. He did not think it could have come from giving CPR. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. After all, only two people in the world knew what was really going on inside the Hamilton marriage. You'll hear that story.". This account has been disabled. the bathroom floor. So he hid his wife's jewelry before the 911 forces arrived, fully intending to get it out of the house sometime later. 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.. Larry Spruill, a crime scene investigator, was on the stand for a second day Thursday, detailing what the evidence means and how it got there. Two weeks later he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. But his argument wouldn't be enough. without bail since Feb. 14. Hamilton took the stand to testify in his own defense. A dozen roses? Sorry! Family members linked to this person will appear here. "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. Detective Teresa Sterling: He was acting very upset. In this article, youll learn more about Susan Hamiltons murder. Ross Gardner: Effectively, the inside and front of that shoe was in motion around this spatter event from Mrs. Hamilton that's radiating out. With that revelation, the defense expert became the star witness for the trials prosecution. The card had been found inside john's Jaguar. ", Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Furthermore, he has previously requested a retrial, which has been denied each time. Susan Hamilton suspected her husband was having an affair with a patient and stripper whose telephone number turned up 60 times on the defendant's cell phone bills. He was talking on the phone. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. Wes Lane: It was huge. So the strategy would be to pick apart both the evidence and the logic of the prosecution's case. And while there were scenarios to serously consider: a berserk robber, or maybe the legion of activists opposed to the couple's abortion practice, the crime scene wasn't telling them that. Dick: They had to find the stripper. Susan Hamilton Murdered 2001 Murdered , Bludgeoned , Strangled On the morning of Feb. 14, 2001, Dr. John Hamilton phoned 911 requesting urgent help for his wife. 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. Friends say that when they met each other, they made an instant connection. Shibley and Horton told the The patient, as Susan discovered, was a stripper at a nightclub. "He was just obsessed with her," District Attorney Wes Lane later told Primetime. I gave her her Valentine's card. Investigators though, weren't ruling anything out -- especially not after finding a Valentine's Day card, from her to him, opened that day. Mack Martin, the doctor's attorney, said, "We're going to enter a plea of not guilty, obviously. 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. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. the Hamiltons had over Christmas over the defendant's payment for his son's car repairs It was one of those moments. Dr Hamilton was a talented obstetrician-gynaecologist in Oklahoma City. A crowd lined up to attend the proceedings -- loyal patients, former employees, and fellow physicians -- all standing behind the doctor. Just, you know, just a very light-hearted conversation. John Hamilton, an obstetrician-gynecologist, called 911 on Valentine's Day, 2001, to report that he had arrived to find his wife, Susan, apparently dead in a pool of blood in the bathroom. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Area Effectively managed high-volume of product sales. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. But I didn't wanna believe that or give up. Make sure that the file is a photo. 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. I don't have anything to lose. . smashed into the floor. Multi-directional blood spatters or spatters of blood coming from different directions reflecting movement were discovered on the defendant's shoes, but not on the slacks he was wearing, Lane said. All rights reserved. If you can get whiplash in a courtroom, that's what happened. Investigators had to interpret the blood evidence left behind. Dennis Murphy: And they thought they were very clever 'cause they took you, in effect, off the market. said Johnston, who also is married to a doctor. She had been strangled, and her face had been repeatedly What made John show his dark side? There are no volunteers for this cemetery. ". The doctor said he'd even started seeing a therapist on his own, to earn back Susan's trust, and that she, Susan, had decided to go into counseling with him. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. 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. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. 0 cemeteries found in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, USA. The prosecutor refused to release additional information about the slaying that took place at 3056 Brush Creek Road. "I didn't find any evidence of blood leading up to the front door. I was never gonna see Susan again. 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. On Tuesday, District Judge Virgil Black allowed the doctor to attend his wife's graveside service under the supervision of sheriff's deputies. A final report will not be completed for several weeks. Hamilton was wearing bloodstained clothing, but no shoes or necktie, while the victim had a necktie around her neck. 2023 www.oklahoman.com. And he was in there. She went in the closet and got one and gave it to me. Dick Horton: Actually, we've turned it into a positive. In 1987, John Hamilton married Susan, and his wife began working part-time at John's clinic. However, there is no credible evidence that he is still alive or dead. Louise Shibley, the victim's Afterwards he tried to clean up, but quickly gave up. It read, "A reward in heaven will be bestowed on anyone contributing to bringing this murderer to justice." News network NBC did a Dateline episode about the case. Oops, something didn't work. And so, the motive was love lost. John Hamilton in Oklahoma We found 15 records for John Hamilton in Norman, Tulsa and 9 other cities in Oklahoma. "He said he was wracking his Hamilton, 62, was an Oklahoma City obstetrician, gynecologist and abortionist. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. His long silence behind bars ended as he prepared to tell the jury -- and us -- what really had happened that Valentine's Day morning. "They have still got all kinds of scientific and technical evidence that has to be evaluated and reviewed, Martin said. He left in a hurry, obviously, the first time that he was at the house. On "Dateline NBC, as in his legal appeals, Hamilton criticized Bevel and the accuracy of his blood spatter analysis, which Hamilton called "junk science.. Because Dr. John Hamilton was late. It was never on anyone that, there were calls that were made to Susan that scared her that weren't brought out. last telephone conversation that she and neighbor. Late that Valentine's Day afternoon, they arrested John Hamilton for the murder of his wife. Prosecutors claim the defendant had fingernail scratches on one of his shoulders when he was arrested. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Susan Johnston: He just couldn't have done it. And Susan's getting ready you know, trying to get dressed. In murder cases constructed on the interpretation of blood evidence, it's not unusual for juries to hear from dueling experts when they go to trial. 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. But suspicion began to point closer to home. He was scraping his knuckles on the screen, mesh screen in the police car. John would have been devastated.". A judge earlier ruled there was probable cause to detain Hamilton pending formal charges being filed. By the time emergency workers arrived, it was clear that Susan Hamilton was dead. Have a good day. Please, please. Wes Lane: Nothing. After all -- nothing can bring back the beautiful, headstrong, woman they all loved. Good amount of blood. It did in this case, though. much.". John Hamilton, a prominent Oklahoma City gynecologist, has been in jail without bail since Feb. 14. Had he hurt himself? Why do you do that? Hamilton is serving a life sentence without possibility of parole at the state penitentiary in McAlester. The prosecutor tossed out an open-ended question: Wes Lane: Well, Mr. Bevel, is there anything that either the state's experts or the Oklahoma City Police Department missed in their examination of the evidence? the victim told them the defendant smothered her. And I don't think they-- believed it. 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. Try again later. One of their arguments was that Tom Bevel should never have been allowed to testify. Dick Horton: Well, Susan was a very disciplined individual. It took the jurors just two hours to reach their verdict. Daughter of Kamille Kareen and Louise Sibley.Mother of 2 children.Lived to age 55 years.Murder victim. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Gibson Paul found himself getting dumped on Feb. 14, 2011, grabbed a gun and opened fire . Dr. John Baxter Hamilton It took only about two hours for the jury to reach a guilty verdict and Hamilton was sentenced to life without parole. A name that would shock everybody. The doctor was still in shock, as the judge added his opinion. One blow crushed her skull, Gofton said. Wes Lane: He knew that she was still considering divorce. And finally, there was the story told by blood. Something happened in that bathroom that absolutely triggered him, which he grabbed the ties, and he then, surprised her, and in his rage, did all the rest of the work. Neighbors told police that in the weeks before the killing the Hamiltons had been having marital problems. Then came the prosecutor, Wes Lane's, turn on cross-examination. At around 8:30, he bumped into his former medical partner, Dr. Karen Reisig. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. They kept him there for hours on end. Western leaders say the nation lacks credibility, Rishi Sunak leads minutes silence for Ukraine as Boris Johnson lights candle at poignant service, CVS eyes European expansion as vet groups profits boom. 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. Randy Scott: John Hamilton was just not the victim's spouse that we were seein'. Several witnesses have testified the couple were always together and frequently took It looked like the start of an attempted -- and then abandoned -- clean-up. John Hamilton: His own expert is saying he's guilty. John Hamilton: It was a shock to everybody. He was arrested and booked into jail about five hours later. Afterwards, the doctor decided to swing back home. And I think she just wanted to have somebody to talk to. "The police said, 'There's my man. There was a detail that the witness wanted to talk about. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. 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. It started out negative. Susan Hamilton was angry and stayed at Coffey's house that night, Coffey said. Dennis Murphy: They're gonna accuse you of trying to cover up the scratches that Susan made defensively as you were killing her. "Anything else, they don't want you to hear. I just, I wanted them to be able to get in and help. 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. problems. There was a problem getting your location. Shary Coffey, Susan Hamilton's best friend for 37 years, testified the victim told her on Feb. 7 that she thought her husband was having an affair. Oklahoma City police declined on Wednesday to release additional information about the slaying. This is the shirt.". Maybe he ends up terminating that to save his marriage. was her doctor and gave her The only thing that he could think of that it was consistent with was John Hamilton when he was beating her with that blunt instrument that was driving that up inside his shirt. 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. Mack Martin: The focus was always on John. We changed it to, instead, that-- Valentine's Day is a day to celebrate love. However, the dark day arrived in their family on Valentines Day 2001, when he claimed Susan was in a pool of blood on the bathroom floor. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. "There are all kinds of things still going on. Aguirre, also known as Nina, said she first went to the defendant for an abortion in the early 1990s, but she also saw him at his gynecology office. "I didnt kill Susan.. I mean, trying to set fire to his clinic. They'd learned that second surgery, originally scheduled for 9 am, hadn't actually gotten underway until 9:40. And what do robbers take? "She "I don't know, she looks like somebody hurt her." It's Valentine's morning and socialite Susan Hamilton lies nude, smashed in a pool of blood. 2023 www.oklahoman.com. Aguirre said the defendant 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-. Bevel believed the blood pattern was consistent with what would have happened if Hamilton struck his wife. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. However, before the trial Bevel had also found some blood spatters in Hamilton's right sleeve that the prosecution expert had overlooked. If convicted, he could be sentenced to prison for life with or without the possibility of parole. The doctor was then ushered away, as police wondered who might have committed such a brutal attack. David Bradbury: He had one hand on her chest, one hand on her abdomen, attempting to do compressions in this manner right here. And that's what happened here. But I do love you. Now, courtoom lawyers like to talk about Perry Mason moments when a trial is electrified by unexpected testimony, but it hardly ever happens. John and Susan Hamilton had the seemingly perfect marriage. And why was it delayed? Now this was the reasoning as prosecutors saw it: The doctor wanted the police to believe the crime had started as a robbery. The defense was dealt a setback at the start of trial. 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. Aguirre said he was calling her 10 or more times a day. Oklahoma City police Sgt. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. at times she insinuated it was too He told the jury he loved his wife and tried to save her. 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. "I didnt do it, he said. "She didn't know if she could get the trust back.". without her knowledge. It was over by 8, and afterwards, John stopped by the hospital, where he had another procedure scheduled for later that morning. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. There's no tracks that ran out through the creek bed and behind. Soon after their arrival, investigators started questioning Dr. John Hamilton himself. I knew they that they were suspecting me. >> i have never, ever one second, not one moment in time, thought he was guilty, A lot of the blood on his clothing could be explained by his attempt to administer CPR. Over the next few hours, investigators would explore those theories and more, as they tried to understand just what had happened to Susan Hamilton that Valentine's Day morning. The prosecutor told the jury he envisioned the murder this way: the doctor coming back mid-morning after his first surgery, trying to patch things up with his wife who, majorly, wasn't buying it. In 2001, Oklahoma abortion provider Dr. John Baxter Hamilton beat his wife and then choked her to death in their home. And you could overlay the pattern transfer right on top of the wound, and you see an immediate -- I mean, they match up. "She said, 'I'm scared and I've never felt And she gets very suspicious of it and confronts John about it. Weve updated the security on the site. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. Randy Scott: It indicated that she still felt something for John, but it just things weren't the same as they were gonna be. Home; Memorials; Cemeteries; Famous; Contribute; Register; Sign In; . Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. Even the prosecutor, Wes Lane, had to admit that John had been telling the truth about that suspected affair. And you know, start her day off right before she got busy with her meeting. so alone in my life,'" Horton said. They had been living a privileged life with their four children, and John was known in those days for being a romantic man toward his wife. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. 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. She had been strangled with two of his ties, and her head had been smashed so badly that parts of her brain were exposed. The court rejected Hamilton's. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. At trial, Lane told the jury that Dr. Hamilton started to clean up the scene, but was interrupted by the page from his clinic. I just felt like they were very happy. What's more, only days before the murder, another anti-abortion group had applied for a permit to stage a protest in front of Hamiltons house. Dr. John Baxter Hamilton was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Mrs. Hamilton worked as a physician's assistant at her husband's abortion facility. Dennis Murphy: It's changed Valentine's Day forever for you and your kids, huh? And be, even be in his right mind. And the shoe splattered with Susan's blood from different directions as she was being killed? This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. Hamilton, 53, was taken into custody just over an hour after he called 911, saying his wife was "hurt" and "bleeding all over the place." Susan managed john's abortion clinic, working there two days a week. After the second surgery, he returned home to pick up his datebook, and found his wife, he said. Right away, detectives started asking: Who could be responsible? Now he would be able to tell his side of the story. Wes Lane: Yeah, I mean, I talked to everybody from the restaurant waitress that would wait on them on Saturday mornings, and she was agasp that we could have charged John Hamilton, because she would see them at breakfast together all lovey dovey, and so, yes, there was just a vast amount of opposition and grand skepticism.