He's crazy about you. The doctor's behavior in the minutes after finding Susan dead seemed "off.". District Judge Ray Elliott also ordered. Tom Bevel, a blood spatter expert hired by the defense, testified on cross examination that the "most probable explanation for blood inside Hamiltons shirt sleeve was that he had struck his wife with a blunt object. . Mack Martin, the doctor's attorney, said, "We're going to enter a plea of not guilty, obviously. Or maybe more likely, an anti-abortion zealot targeting the doctor and his wife? "Ultimately, you take an oath to tell the truth and that overrides any allegiance I may have to any client," he said. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Try again later. There is a problem with your email/password. If convicted, he could be And the only explanation of that event is the wounding to Mrs. Hamilton. Antiabortion protesters had picketed the clinic and, friends said, even their home. But the expert looked at John's shoes -- the left one in particular -- and found that to be a different matter. 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. By 9:30, he was scrubbing up for the operation -- a complicated removal of a tumor. Susan Johnston: He just couldn't have done it. Please, hurry. Mack Martin: We've got a circumstantial case and I think that the prosecutors in this case were putting as sinister a spin on it as they possibly could. Prosecutors claim the defendant had fingernail scratches on one of his shoulders when he was arrested. A friend was combing Susan's clothes closet for something appropriate for her to be buried in, when she came upon something concealed in an underwear drawer. would put together a novel theory of just what happened between husband and wife, something maybe grimly fitting for Valentine's Day. 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. Have a good day. The prosecution hadn't talked about this stain. Right away, detectives started asking: Who could be responsible? So in Susan's mind, the affair was not an issue anymore. (Oklahoma Department of Corrections) Dr. John Hamilton placed the. based on information from your browser. Vandalizing his home. John Hamilton: Oh, sure. Two neckties were knotted about her throat. She had been strangled with two of his ties, and her head had been smashed so badly that parts of her brain were exposed. at times she insinuated it was too Dick Horton: I don't think there was any question she wore the pants. Lane looked for signs of spousal abuse in the past, but couldn't find anything substantive. Dick Horton, sometimes worried for his ex's safety. Police haven't found the murder weapon or the clothes. Susan Hamilton, 55, had been strangled with two neckties and beaten. I mean, because it was out there in view, I guess. Was he, in fact, late -- they theorized -- because he was killing his wife during those moments then trying to figure out what to do next? much.". Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Mrs. Hamilton worked as a physician's assistant at her husband's abortion facility. Hamilton, 62, was an Oklahoma City obstetrician, gynecologist and abortionist. We all know red is for the ribbon on the box of chocolate, not for the pool of blood in the master bath. John Hamilton, a prominent Oklahoma City gynecologist, has been in jail without bail since Feb. 14. John Hamilton, a prominent Oklahoma City gynecologist, has been in jail "The police said, 'There's my man. The major one is that I've lost the love of my life. doctors. Dick: They had to find the stripper. Wes Lane: And that's when he started explaining that the blood spatter inside the sleeve. The cry for help comes from Oklahoma City's most exclusive neighborhood. The victim told her daughter in their Susan demanded to see John's cell phone bill, and when she got a hold of it her worst fears seemed to be realized. His defense team argued that there was no direct evidence that Hamilton was the murderer, noting that no murder weapon was ever found. 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. would never do that,'" Horton The card had been found inside john's Jaguar. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Nobody expected that to happen. The stripper did it. The prosecutor was well aware of the hurdles he faced, not the least of which: the lack of motive. 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. Ever. "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. "There are all kinds of things still going on. There was a problem getting your location. His supporters, on the other hand, continue to believe he is innocent to this day. asked him to move out of their Hamilton, 62, was an Oklahoma City obstetrician, gynecologist and abortionist. So leaving in a hurry, that's evidence that gets transferred from one thing to another. Hamilton took the stand to testify in his own defense. Possibilities: Was it a robbery gone bad? Dick Horton heard the story firsthand from the friend. In 1987, John Hamilton married Susan, and his wife began working part-time at Johns clinic. "When he saw that this incredible woman was looking like she was leaving him, he lost it. I was scared. Sounded like he was talking to Susan. Lane had questioned the other woman. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. Horton: Anybody that you ask, nobody that I know that knew John Hamilton would say that he had the capability of doing it. Prosecutors may finish calling their witnesses today. Louise Shibley, the victim's 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. As the last witness in the trial, he'd refuted a lot of the prosecution's findings, and bolstered his client's case. said Johnston, who also is married to a doctor. Her head bludgeoned, surrounded by a pool of blood. They were kind of a unit in that regards. Two African Americans had earned medals at the 1904 Olympic games in St. Louis Joe Stadler (from Cleveland) had won a silver medal in the standing high jump and George Poage (from the . But I do love you. I gave her her Valentine's card. Blood that then transferred from his hands and clothes to the car. He had been having an affair with a stripper and his wife became aware of it. Oklahoma City police declined on Wednesday to release additional information about the slaying. Ross Gardner: Effectively, the inside and front of that shoe was in motion around this spatter event from Mrs. Hamilton that's radiating out. 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. On Feb. 14, 2001, he phoned 911 to report finding his wife in the master bathroom of their Quail Creek home. It was looked for extensively. Wes Lane: So somebody would have had to come in, get enraged, surprised her, and thrown her to the ground, and done the rest. He says he did not kill his wife. Danyelle shares three haunting love stories that end in tragedy. Detective Teresa Sterling: He was acting very upset. "I didnt do it, he said. "She loved to talk to John," The defense also hired a respected crime scene investigator, Tom Bevel, as an expert witness. Even Susan's children were standing by their stepfather. Could a man have loved his wife to death. Vesta Hall: She was beautiful, vivacious, intelligent, just a really neat lady. sentenced to prison for life with or without the possibility of parole. 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. She said he would give her samples of medication she needed for depression when she didn't have the money to buy prescription drugs. 2023 www.oklahoman.com. And that's what had happened to Susan Hamilton on that Valentine's Day morning. Philadelphian Melvin Sheppard, and William F. Hamilton set a world record in this race. Try again later. Bevel, under oath to tell the truth, told the court about the spatter in the sleeve and said it was consistent with Hamilton beating his wife over the head with a blunt instrument. The note made police question whether the Hamiltons' marriage was as happy as it had seemed, and they began to regard Hamilton as a suspect. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. Her husband was arrested that day and later charged with her murder. "He tried to get the key in the ignition, but he couldn't because he was shaking so much," Martin said. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. 0 cemeteries found in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, USA. 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. ", Hamilton denies that he was having an affair or that his wife wanted a divorce. Spruill told jurors he has an opinion on how the killer got out of the house without leaving a blood trail even though the evidence doesn't provide an answer. 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. Why do you do that? wife repeatedly throughout the If anything, threats against the clinic, only seemed to bring the Hamiltons closer together. John Hamilton: Yes. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Hamilton, 62, was an Oklahoma City obstetrician, gynecologist and abortionist. He was arrested and booked into jail about five hours later. Wes Lane: All the air in the courtroom was gone. 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.. 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. 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. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. upset about the incident because Susan Hamilton thought David Bradbury: The way that this woman had been beaten, I mean, her face was swollen, her face was bloody. neighbor. And, as expected, his take on the story told by the blood put his client, Dr. Hamilton, in a better light. jurors about the disagreement Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. David Bradbury: He had one hand on her chest, one hand on her abdomen, attempting to do compressions in this manner right here. It was the high society doctor, married to the beautiful wife, that were crazy about one another. You'd have to believe that he committed the violent murder in that narrow window between his two surgeries. John Hamilton: I was frantic. John Hamilton was a devoted husband to his wife, and he used to take excellent care of her. Oklahoma Department of Corrections 3400 North Martin Luther King Avenue Oklahoma City, OK 73111-4298 If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call Onelife at 800-559-9544 or the National Suicide Prevention lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). And while he may have stepped over his boundaries professionally, he said he never had an affair with her. 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. Other little issues about maybe was it a burglary. We changed it to, instead, that-- Valentine's Day is a day to celebrate love. they thought the Hamiltons had Khi gp Susan vo nm 1985, c hai ly hn v c 4 a con . John Hamilton: You know, I've come to find out that blood spatter is really junk science. This week, ya girls are celebrating Valentines Day a day late. It was never anywhere else. They have got DNA, fingerprints, lab reports that haven't even been looked at yet. It took the jury less than two hours to convict Hamilton of first-degree murder, and he was later sentenced to life in prison. Oops, something didn't work. Her husband, Dr. John Hamilton, called 911 and claimed to have found her that way when he returned from one of his surgeries. The timeline was extremely tight for the doctor to even be considered as a suspect. She went in the closet and got one and gave it to me. His theory was that the stains on the shirt were left by the murder weapon as it came in contact with the garment. The-- they don't agree. Dr Hamilton was a talented obstetrician-gynaecologist in Oklahoma City. "There is physical evidence missing from this crime scene, Spruill said. cemeteries found in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. 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. It was one of those moments. John Hamilton called his Thanks for your help! And, but it also said something to the effect how much she loved me and our time together. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Instead they uncover a horrific crime scene, with two badly mutilated bodies. Failed to remove flower. Hamilton hired a new attorney, Rob Nigh, to appeal the verdict. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. Jurors have spent two days hearing testimony and looking at photographs of the bloody crime scene and injuries the victim suffered. "I don't just snap," he said. The defense claims Oklahoma City police jumped to the conclusion that Hamilton was the killer and ignored other evidence. He was scraping his knuckles on the screen, mesh screen in the police car. And you could overlay the pattern transfer right on top of the wound, and you see an immediate -- I mean, they match up. The palm goes on the center of the chest, on the sternum. 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. 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. Two months before her death, they fought over the defendant giving his son money without Susan Hamilton knowing about it. Martin described the victim as being jealous of her husband's time away from her. "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. Supervised and trained employees in office duties, computer programs, and phone dialog.