A bloody crime scene, a rumored affair, and inappropriate responses led police to arrest John Baxter Hamilton, one of Oklahoma City's most well-known abortionists, hours after his wife was slain on Valentine's Day. "I didn't find any evidence of blood leading up to the front door. If anything, threats against the clinic, only seemed to bring the Hamiltons closer together. Now this was the reasoning as prosecutors saw it: The doctor wanted the police to believe the crime had started as a robbery. Ross Gardner: This was a relatively contained crime scene. Just putting out brochures all over his neighborhood and his kids' school that, you know, said, "Wanted: Dead or Alive.". Horton said her mother got Prosecutors Allege Murder Between Surgeries. Dick Horton: I think the best way to describe her is a woman that always wanted to be a mother, was proud to be a mother. he was upset. Whoever killed her had cracked her skull open with an object never found, and bashed her face into the bathroom tile. Aguirre said he was calling her 10 or more times a day. 2023 www.oklahoman.com. It was never anywhere else. Dr. John Baxter Hamilton is on trial for killing his wife. Nothing was stolen, and yet, there was this curious story that cropped up in the days after Susan had been murdered. John Hamilton: My wife's, my wife, my wife I think my wife is dead. Two neckties were knotted about her throat. In addition to delivering babies, John Hamilton performed abortions at his clinic, and Susan worked there too. Spruill told jurors he believed the attack happened quickly and the victim fought to free the necktie from her neck. After 14 years of marriage, John Hamilton murdered his wife. 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. And she gets very suspicious of it and confronts John about it. According to the investigation, he was the perpetrator of his wifes murder. Investigators have a word for rage crimes: "overkill." "It tells a story. The first-degree murder charge accuses Dr. John Baxter Hamilton, 52, an obstetrician and gynecologist, in the beating and strangulation death of his wife, Susan Shibley Hamilton, 55. And you know, start her day off right before she got busy with her meeting. "Moments like that in the courtroom just don't happen like that. He and his wife, Susan, had met in 1985 at a friend's birthday party. It was never on anyone that, there were calls that were made to Susan that scared her that weren't brought out. So I answered. 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. smashed into the floor. Why do you do that? Tom Bevel: In my examination, I found additional blood that was not talked about anywhere, on the inside of the right cuff. He was scraping his knuckles on the screen, mesh screen in the police car. John Hamilton: The more Susan and I talked about things the more things were clarified, the more things we got straightened out. Weve updated the security on the site. 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.. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. brain to figure that out," Horton testified. Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The medical examiner released a preliminary cause of death Friday. He'd even mentored the blood expert used by the prosecution. Prosecutors are counting on experts to testify that Susan Hamilton's blood and flesh were found in the defendant's 1996 Jaguar parked outside their home at 3056 Bush Creek Road. an affair when he called her before the slaying. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Susan managed john's abortion clinic, working there two days a week. Oklahoma City investigators Teresa Sterling and Randy Scott arrived at the Hamilton house at noon that day. The Eclectic Murders - LearnLocker - Empowering student engagement for She was strangled with a necktie and then her face was repeatedly smashed into the tile floor in the bathroom of her Quail Creek home. What Happened To Dr John Hamilton? Wes Lane: It was huge. It was never on any abortion protesters. "The prosecution will present one theory," Martin said. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. How did it get there? And that's what happened here. Randy Scott: It indicated that she still felt something for John, but it just things weren't the same as they were gonna be. Could a man have loved his wife to death. But I do love you. Teresa Sterling: I interviewed those people. 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. But But before that valentine's day was over, they would have a suspect in custody. There isn't any greater love. felt deceived.". Abortion doctor strangled and beat his wife to death on Valentine's Day "There are all kinds of things still going on. Just, you know, just a very light-hearted conversation. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. You have a good marriage. with John Hamilton. And it was there they noticed something else odd. Watching. Police haven't found the murder weapon or the clothes. Her naked body was discovered by her husband, John. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. The defense also hired a respected crime scene investigator, Tom Bevel, as an expert witness. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. Investigators had to interpret the blood evidence left behind. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Whoever this woman was, there were way too many calls to and from her. John Hamilton: I was frantic. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? free samples of anti-depressants Dennis Murphy: So, you'd have to think that the opportunistic robber breaking in to steal some jewelry and the TV--. John Hamilton: Right. Susan Hamilton, 55, had been strangled with two neckties and beaten. I still had 15 or 20 minutes. But because it was Valentine's Day, I wanted to give Susan her first Valentine's card. 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. Neighbors told police that in the weeks before the killing the Hamiltons had been having marital problems. 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. Have a good day. Someone had to leave. I can only speculate how. However, there is no credible evidence that he is still alive or dead. lied to her," Horton said. But eventually, she said, "Yes, I'll go.". Dennis Murphy, Dateline NBC: Who was she? 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. He's crazy about you. And I was wrong. Molly Baxter - Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City - LinkedIn As is routine in domestic murders, the detectives would take a look at the spouse -- John Hamilton, himself. Pictures of his injuries have been shown to the jury. John Hamilton, a prominent Oklahoma City gynecologist, has been in jail Her husband was arrested that day and later charged with her murder. jurors about the disagreement 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. Hamilton maintained his innocence throughout his trial, which may have turned on dramatic testimony from the final witness in the case. We all know red is for the ribbon on the box of chocolate, not for the pool of blood in the master bath. And-- my children started, "Well, I'll never celebrate it again." mother didn't sound like herself, although Shouldn't the killer have left a trace? How did they get there from the bathroom? One year later, a battered body is found tossed into a canyon, the eyes and genitals gouged. On Valentines Day 2001, John Hamilton murdered his wife Susan. Her husband was arrested that day and later charged with her murder. We don't have a weapon. And there wasn't an objection. If so, how? The card had been found inside john's Jaguar. The palm goes on the center of the chest, on the sternum. And as the detectives looked more closely into the doctor's timeline that morning, they saw a hole -- not a big one but maybe enough time to kill and get back. A random intruder? she tried to act strong at first. Investigators never recovered the murder weapon. RealChoice: Valentine's Day Murder - Blogger Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Vandalizing his home. Dr. John Baxter Hamilton loved his wife to death, District Attorney Wes Lane told an Oklahoma County jury Thursday. Two months before her death, they fought over the defendant giving his son money without Susan Hamilton knowing about it. 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. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Did you understand what she was saying in it? Lane said a bloody imprint of what is believed to be the blunt instrument was discovered on the defendant's shirt. On Feb. 8, after the victim learned of the cell phone calls, the defendant wrote Aguirre in a letter saying he could no longer be her doctor, she said. Theo , Hamilton l bc s sn ph khoa ti nng thnh ph Oklahoma. It's a vivid picture. Or maybe more likely, an anti-abortion zealot targeting the doctor and his wife? neighbor. He was banging his head into the screen. A panicked Hamilton told the operator that he was attempting to perform CPR on her. Dr. John Hamilton, though, was ready to explain it all, and his version of the truth would be completely different than the prosecutor's. talked to Susan Johnston, a The defense was dealt a setback at the start of trial. The patient, as Susan discovered, was a stripper at a nightclub. And finally, there was the story told by blood. So he hid his wife's jewelry before the 911 forces arrived, fully intending to get it out of the house sometime later. home at 3056 Brush Creek Road. The doctor, according to the prosecution's version, now had to cover up his frenzy by going back to perform his second surgery as though nothing had happened. Five Valentine's Day crimes of passion - G3 Box News Bevel believed the blood pattern was consistent with what would have happened if Hamilton struck his wife. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. 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. Vesta Hall: She was beautiful, vivacious, intelligent, just a really neat lady. We changed it to, instead, that-- Valentine's Day is a day to celebrate love. John Hamilton in OK - Address & Phone Number | Whitepages Danyelle shares three haunting love stories that end in tragedy. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. You can always change this later in your Account settings. 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. For Susan's family and friends, the case is now closed, but it may never bring closure. 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. Learn more about managing a memorial . Oklahoma. Is Lane Kiffin Married To Girlfriend Jennifer Dardano?Lane Kiffin, a well-known football, Is Melanie Martinez Alive Or Dead? Let's put it this way, nothing that we could really present. Hamilton is serving a life sentence without possibility of parole at the state penitentiary in McAlester. What motive? So yes, I went and tried to move the car. without her knowledge. What happened to him? Still, there was the doctor's seemingly solid alibi. so alone in my life,'" Horton said. If convicted of first-degree murder, Hamilton, 53, could be sentenced to life in prison with or without the possibility of parole. She had been strangled with two of his ties, and her head had been smashed so badly that parts of her brain were exposed. 2023 www.oklahoman.com. 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. Try again later. been upset because she suspected her What Happened To Dr John Hamilton? - Where Is He Now? Susan Hamilton I was never gonna see Susan again. was upset and denying he had To use this feature, use a newer browser. Philadelphian Melvin Sheppard, and William F. Hamilton set a world record in this race. We took a one-to-one image of his shirt, and we overlay it. a crowd lined up to attend the proceedings. She said he paid her $100 and $80 for the dances that cost $20 each. their talk was somewhat unusual because it was something His long silence behind bars ended as he prepared to tell the jury -- and us -- what really had happened that Valentine's Day morning. If convicted of first-degree murder, Hamilton, 53, could be sentenced to life in prison with or without the possibility of parole. Measurements of the imprint match those of the holes in the victim's skull, the district attorney said. And, but it also said something to the effect how much she loved me and our time together. But the expert looked at John's shoes -- the left one in particular -- and found that to be a different matter. 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. Gibson Paul found himself getting dumped on Feb. 14, 2011, grabbed a gun and opened fire . If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Dr. John Baxter Hamilton was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. "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. And what do robbers take? To investigators, that delay opened up the doctor's window of opportunity by up to an hour. said. A big comfortable house in a top-notch neighborhood, lavish dinner parties, spur of the moment vacations. Blood that then transferred from his hands and clothes to the car. They'd been suspicious earlier, back at the house when he scratched his hands against the cage in the police car. The first-degree murder charge accuses Dr. John Baxter Hamilton, 52, an obstetrician and gynecologist, in the beating and strangulation death of his wife, Susan Shibley Hamilton, 55. 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. John Hamilton: It was a shock to everybody. And I just don't think that it's true." After two hours of deliberation, the jury found him guilty of first-degree murder. He had been having an affair with a stripper and his wife became aware of it. Testimony is expected to continue this morning before District Judge Ray Elliott. John Hamilton, who had spent every day since his wife's murder in a jail cell, would finally get a chance to testify about the last days of the marriage -- a story he also told to us. The procedure came off without a hitch, and later none of the other doctors reported anything at all unusual in his behavior. He says he did not kill his wife. A crowd lined up to attend the proceedings -- loyal patients, former employees, and fellow physicians -- all standing behind the doctor. He used to lavish his wife with expensive gifts and lavish vacations. City obstetrician charged in fatal beating of wife - The Oklahoman The distraught doctor managed to give police an account of his movements that morning. A name that would shock everybody. Tom Bevel denies lying about his testimony, and the courts didn't buy the argument either. No affidavit was filed with the formal charges because John Hamilton is in custody. By the time emergency workers arrived, it was clear that Susan Hamilton was dead. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. Try again later. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Susan Hamilton (80157405)? To the defense team, it seemed obvious from the first moments that investigators never seriously considered any suspects other than the husband.
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