"You have to with what has happened in this country.". the bathroom floor. 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. The perpetrator then turned up the heat in the bathroom so the water in the shower would evaporate, he said. he was upset. This is the shirt.". Prosecutors Allege Murder Between Surgeries. her husband were working on their Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. What made John show his dark side? 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. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. An important clue came in the card Susan had written to her husband, which had a handwritten note reading: "I bought my cards two weeks ago, so I guess maybe they don't seem as appropriate now. However, their investigation continues. 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. or more times a day. And the shoe splattered with Susan's blood from different directions as she was being killed? I was scared. Prosecutors may finish calling their witnesses today. A name that would shock everybody. Dennis Murphy: You were starting to see her come around? I think she became particularly alarmed when he didn't answer it. Louise Shibley, the victim's Susan, in particular, became entangled with neckties, resulting in a severe head injury. Of course, he didn't have the actual murder weapon to make a true comparison but he was able to leave the jury with a vivid impression: The doctor's shirt may have taken a kind of photograph in blood. Why do you do that? His attorneys have claimed that police had improper contact with Bevel, who is a former police officer, during the trial. Dennis Murphy: It's changed Valentine's Day forever for you and your kids, huh? News network NBC did a Dateline episode about the case. The Hamiltons did have enemies. Dr. John Baxter Hamilton was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. The defense also hired a respected crime scene investigator, Tom Bevel, as an expert witness. As is routine in domestic murders, the detectives would take a look at the spouse -- John Hamilton, himself. Wes Lane: So somebody would have had to come in, get enraged, surprised her, and thrown her to the ground, and done the rest. Shouldn't the killer have left a trace? He'd been told that the surgery before his was running long and he decided to use the delay to run home and give his wife a valentine. Her husband was arrested that day and later charged with her murder. problems. Karen Reisig: I had gone into the doctor's lounge to dictate the procedure. Let's put it this way, nothing that we could really present. 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. He said the blood got on the steering wheel when he stopped doing CPR for a moment to move his car before the emergency vehicles arrived. Dennis Murphy: And the card would later become an issue because people saw kind of a snarky line from Susan of, "Well obviously, I got this before the trouble, huh? 2023 www.oklahoman.com. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/80157405/susan-hamilton. she tried to act strong at first. The investigator testified he thought the killer first took a shower and then let the water run for an extended period of time. Mack Martin: The focus was always on John. His former medical partner, for one, thinks that would be impossible. Two months before her death, they fought over the defendant giving his son money without Susan Hamilton knowing about it. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Susan Hamilton (80157405)? "He was just obsessed with her," District Attorney Wes Lane later told Primetime. Late that Valentine's Day afternoon, they arrested John Hamilton for the murder of his wife. "There is physical evidence missing from this crime scene, Spruill said. 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. Steve Jimerson: Oh, they were la-la. Have a good day. Tom Bevel: I expected an objection. The appeals made their way all the way up to the u.s. Supreme court, but they ultimately failed. John Hamilton had been imprisoned since 2001 on suspicion of murdering his wife. But for John Hamilton, the fight wasn't over. And go back and do another surgery. Which means if John Hamilton didn't do it, you'd have to believe whoever did arrived right as he was leaving, or had been waiting inside all along. On Feb. 14, 2001, he phoned 911 to report finding his wife in the master bathroom of their Quail Creek home. Dick: Right. It was never on any abortion protesters. The dancer said Hamilton told her he loved his wife and didn't want to get a divorce. John Hamilton: I'm telling the truth now. "There is a science to blood spatters," Lane said. It was over by 8, and afterwards, John stopped by the hospital, where he had another procedure scheduled for later that morning. Daughter of Kamille Kareen and Louise Sibley.Mother of 2 children.Lived to age 55 years.Murder victim. trips. He and his wife, Susan, had met in 1985 at a friend's birthday party. 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. Her husband, John Baxter Hamilton was convicted of murder, and is serving a life sentence. Aguirre, the topless dancer, . In this case, though, the spouse had an alibi, and a good one. John would have been devastated.". much.". Steve Jimerson: They all said he was just as normal and jovial as he always was. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. The defense's expert was saying that Dr. John Hamilton most likely created those blood stains by bashing in his wife's skull. Hamilton took the stand to testify in his own defense. Two years after their first date, they married at a local country club. Macy said he will ask that bond be denied for John Hamilton. asked him to move out of their Horton said. If convicted of first-degree murder, Hamilton, 53, could be sentenced to life in prison with or without the possibility of parole. Investigators had plenty of theories to work with. 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. Given the circumstances, he was accused of murdering his wife. "She was very upset, very sad," Horton said. Many people have been searching the internet for his date cause. And we knew we had enough dots that if we get it to lay out in an understandable manner, we knew the jury would be hard pressed not to convict him. Afterwards he tried to clean up, but quickly gave up. Whoever killed her had cracked her skull open with an object never found, and bashed her face into the bathroom tile. Tom Bevel: I would believe that they thought that, yes. Hamilton is serving a life sentence without possibility of parole at the state penitentiary in McAlester. 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. If so, how? She denied having an affair or any type of personal relationship with the defendant. Soon after their arrival, investigators started questioning Dr. John Hamilton himself. So he runs by that house. 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. Please, hurry. "Someone got out of that room without leaving a bloody trail. District Judge Ray Elliott also ordered. John Hamilton: It was a shock to everybody. In 1997, Mississippi abortion provider Dr. Malachy Dehenre shot and killed his wife in their . You have a good marriage. We took a one-to-one image of his shirt, and we overlay it. Oops, something didn't work. loyal patients, former employees and fellow physicians, all standing behind the doctor. pic.twitter.com/9VBREeKO87, The Spooky Hour (@SpookyHour) February 15, 2021. Hamilton maintained his innocence throughout his trial, which may have turned on dramatic testimony from the final witness in the case. 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. To investigators, that delay opened up the doctor's window of opportunity by up to an hour. He was talking on the phone. Danyelle shares three haunting love stories that end in tragedy. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. An authoritative figure on the stand turning blood evidence from damning into benign. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? John Hamilton, 53, is on trial in the Valentine's Day slaying of his wife at their I just, I wanted them to be able to get in and help. "She loved to talk to John," After all -- nothing can bring back the beautiful, headstrong, woman they all loved. I knew they that they were suspecting me. Wes Lane: This had a lot of dots to connect. Like the observation made by detectives at the station that he seemed to be checking out scratches to his shoulder? 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. And be, even be in his right mind. "She was angry, and she How did they get there from the bathroom? And, but it also said something to the effect how much she loved me and our time together. in december 2001, ten months after the valentine's day killing of his wife susan, dr. john hamilton was being tried for her murder. When rescue workers arrived they found him hysterical and covered in his wife's blood. Randy Scott: John Hamilton was just not the victim's spouse that we were seein'. People used to believe they were in deep romantic love back then. If convicted, he could be Ross Gardner: This was a relatively contained crime scene. Dennis Murphy: So these things that you say are kind of like out of focus- moving the car, there was the other thing -- the business about moving her jewelry, hiding it in her drawer? Tom Bevel denies lying about his testimony, and the courts didn't buy the argument either. 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. Furthermore, he has previously requested a retrial, which has been denied each time. Sounded like he was talking to Susan. Not necessarily a killer's shoe, countered the defense expert, but the shoe of Dr. Hamilton as he gave his wife CPR. Please reset your password. A neighbor was about to give the cops the dish. Dennis Murphy: So that was the reason you went home? At trial, Lane told the jury that Dr. Hamilton started to clean up the scene, but was interrupted by the page from his clinic. "You could have heard a pin drop," remembers Lane. And I didn't want any obstruction. John, the good doctor, was simply trying to counsel her. "I didnt kill Susan.. Shop Shop Discount Calls Inmate Deposits Letters and Photos Greeting Cards Postcards Magazines Books Find An Inmate Prison Directory Services Her husband was arrested that day and later charged with her murder. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. "It was a shock to everybody, Hamilton said on the news program. John Hamilton: I still believed that the system would work. The defense was dealt a setback at the start of trial. In this article, youll learn more about Susan Hamiltons murder. He was arrested and booked into jail about five hours later. Hamilton reportedly had come home from the hospital where he worked to get his planner and discovered his wife, 55-year-old Susan Hamilton, lying. Right away, detectives started asking: Who could be responsible? The couple had exotic vacations and a beautiful house, and after 14 years of marriage, friends and family say they were inseparable, and very much in love.