John Hamilton, 53, is on trial in the Valentine's Day slaying of his wife at their Thanks for your help! This is a carousel with slides. home at 3056 Brush Creek Road. His supporters, on the other hand, continue to believe he is innocent to this day. The national media outlets refused to identify Hamilton as an abortionist, referring to him only as a local obstetrician. And I don't think they-- believed it. Instead they uncover a horrific crime scene, with two badly mutilated bodies. Her husband, Dr. John Hamilton, called 911 and claimed to have found her that way when he returned from one of his surgeries. Melanie Martinez is a talented singer. 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. John Hamilton: I wanted EMT to be able to get in. The blood spatter expert on the stand -- on the payroll of the defense -- hesitated before answering. Verify and try again. I mean, trying to set fire to his clinic. Dr. John Baxter Hamilton was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Prosecutors Allege Murder Between Surgeries. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. He was jailed immediately and denied any bail. The palm goes on the center of the chest, on the sternum. Nothing was found. Daughter of Kamille Kareen and Louise Sibley.Mother of 2 children.Lived to age 55 years.Murder victim. 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. Dick Horton: Actually, we've turned it into a positive. Many still believe he is innocent, and he. they thought the Hamiltons had Family members linked to this person will appear here. The state of Oklahoma would charge Dr. John Hamilton with just loving his wife to death. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. An authoritative figure on the stand turning blood evidence from damning into benign. Today, John Hamilton resides in a maximum security prison, behind the walls where Valentine's Day has little meaning at all. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. He told Primetime he made the calls to the stripper because she was "in real need of attention.". "Moments like that in the courtroom just don't happen like that. Sorry! The distraught doctor managed to give police an account of his movements that morning. 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. Furthermore, he has previously requested a retrial, which has been denied each time. Now this was the reasoning as prosecutors saw it: The doctor wanted the police to believe the crime had started as a robbery. We checked every avenue of any burglary similar, remotely close in the neighborhood. By the time emergency workers arrived, it was clear that Susan Hamilton was dead. What he hoped to show the skeptics through trial was that yes, the doctor was indeed a man who loved his wife -- loved her maybe too much. His theory was that the stains on the shirt were left by the murder weapon as it came in contact with the garment. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. 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). wanted to talk to someone," 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. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. "I think that in and of itself caused the conviction," said Clark Brewster, an attorney who is preparing Hamilton's appeal. After two hours of deliberation, the jury found him guilty of first-degree murder. He said he performed a surgery around 7 a.m., then came home to exchange Valentine's cards with his wife. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. And go back and do another surgery. Alliena Aguirre, a topless dancer for eight years, testified she had performed table dances at two Oklahoma City clubs for the doctor. Afterwards, the doctor decided to swing back home. In December 2001, ten months after the Valentine's Day killing of his wife, Susan, Dr. John Hamilton was being tried for her murder. 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. Lane had questioned the other woman. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. 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. Detective Teresa Sterling: He was acting very upset. But his argument wouldn't be enough. The medical examiner released a preliminary cause of death Friday. He wants everything in control in order. John Hamilton: Please, please, send police, please send an ambulance, please. 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. Louise Shibley, the victim's Officers say they can account for all the bloody footprints inside the house, but there is no evidence showing how the person got outside. It was up inside the sleeve. Measurements of the imprint match those of the holes in the victim's skull, the district attorney said. But the most damning blood evidence of all, may have been found in the doctor's car. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. The doctor stopped giving his wife cardiopulmonary resuscitation and went to move the car, but he was shaking so badly he couldn't get the key in the ignition, defense attorney Mack Martin said. The cry for help comes from Oklahoma City's most exclusive neighborhood. So leaving in a hurry, that's evidence that gets transferred from one thing to another. John had an explanation for his wife -- the patient had been having serious psychological problems, and had even threatened suicide. husband was having an affair with a patient. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? This is the shirt.". So he hid his wife's jewelry before the 911 forces arrived, fully intending to get it out of the house sometime later. They will bring them in here. Ross Gardner: This was a relatively contained crime scene. Tom Bevel: In my examination, I found additional blood that was not talked about anywhere, on the inside of the right cuff. Susan Hamilton, 55, had been strangled with two neckties and beaten. 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. The medical examiner had determined that Susan had been strangled with two neckties, but her fatal injuries came from being bludgeoned with a blunt object, a murder weapon never found. What were they to make of Susan's handwritten message -- "Obviously, I bought this before last Monday." 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 . Jurors have spent two days hearing testimony and looking at photographs of the bloody crime scene and injuries the victim suffered. I told some people at the clinic, "I wish I had someone that would look at me the way John looks at Susan." 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. Failed to report flower. general about patients calling 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. 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. "The prosecution will present one theory," Martin said. "You have to with what has happened in this country.". John Hamilton: Yeah. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? It was never on anyone that, there were calls that were made to Susan that scared her that weren't brought out. His former medical partner, for one, thinks that would be impossible. 0 cemeteries found in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, USA. His wife, Susan, worked twice a week at the abortion clinic. I didn't notice any blood on his mouth whatsoever. David Bradbury: He had one hand on her chest, one hand on her abdomen, attempting to do compressions in this manner right here. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. When rescue workers arrived they found him hysterical and covered in his wife's blood. John Hamilton: You know, I've come to find out that blood spatter is really junk science. Hamilton, 62, was an Oklahoma City obstetrician, gynecologist and abortionist. The victim told her daughter in their Her face savaged: almost unrecognizable. I do not think that John's havin' an affair. "He said he was wracking his Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). 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. A final report will not be completed for several weeks. But Hamilton was late, not arriving until 9:30. And oh! Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? trips. And I looked at the defense table which was over to my left. she tried to act strong at first. Why do you do that? And be, even be in his right mind. Her husband, John Baxter Hamilton was convicted of murder, and is serving a life sentence. Dr Hamilton was a talented obstetrician-gynaecologist in Oklahoma City. John would have been devastated.". They had regularly scheduled luncheon dates and worked "She didn't know if she could get the trust back.". For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. So the strategy would be to pick apart both the evidence and the logic of the prosecution's case. It's a vivid picture. I still had 15 or 20 minutes. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. 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. However, their investigation continues. John Hamilton called his And, but it also said something to the effect how much she loved me and our time together. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. All rights reserved. Please enter your email and password to sign in. How did they get there from the bathroom? Make sure that the file is a photo. He told the jury he loved his wife and tried to save her. so alone in my life,'" Horton said. 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. In 1997, Mississippi abortion provider Dr. Malachy Dehenre shot and killed his wife in their . Dennis Murphy: Because then you know the history of the phone calls. Hamilton will have a closed-circuit arraignment before a judge on Friday. They were kind of a unit in that regards. He was born on April 23, 1950 in Phenix City, Alabama. John Hamilton: Yes, I'm trying. Just putting out brochures all over his neighborhood and his kids' school that, you know, said, "Wanted: Dead or Alive.". Have a good day. So in Susan's mind, the affair was not an issue anymore. Dennis Murphy, Dateline NBC: Who was she? (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. Dr. John Hamilton, though, was ready to explain it all, and his version of the truth would be completely different than the prosecutor's. doctors. Check. 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. Had there been an illicit relationship with this stripper, topless dancer? On Feb. 14, 2001, he phoned 911 to report finding his wife in the master bathroom of their Quail Creek home. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. In this case, though, the spouse had an alibi, and a good one. Please send somebody quick. In 1987, John Hamilton married Susan, and his wife began working part-time at John's clinic. Lane backed up his theory with physical evidence. 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. However, the investigation revealed that the murderer was John Hamilton himself. afford them. Many people have been searching the internet for his date cause. To investigators, that delay opened up the doctor's window of opportunity by up to an hour. 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. After all, he'd had a busy morning -- performing not just one, but two surgeries with only a brief stop at home in between. Mack Martin: The focus was always on John. Hamilton is serving a life sentence without possibility of parole at the state penitentiary in McAlester. John Hamilton: If Susan had scratched me wouldn't you assume that they would have found tissue, blood, DNA of some sort under her fingernails? link True Crime Videos Susan demanded to see John's cell phone bill, and when she got a hold of it her worst fears seemed to be realized. The appeals made their way all the way up to the u.s. Supreme court, but they ultimately failed. The killer, careful not to step in the blood, changed into clean clothes and concealed the bloody clothes in a plastic bag before carrying them out of the house, Spruill said. Marks made by the victim's fingernails were found on the body. 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. "Ultimately, you take an oath to tell the truth and that overrides any allegiance I may have to any client," he said. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. I mean, I knew Susan was dead. 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Tom Bevel, a veteran of almost three decades with the Oklahoma City P.D. And, as expected, his take on the story told by the blood put his client, Dr. Hamilton, in a better light. 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. 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. John Hamilton: Yes. cemeteries found in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. But I didn't wanna believe that or give up. It took the jurors just two hours to reach their verdict. A lot of the blood on his clothing could be explained by his attempt to administer CPR. 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. Dr. Hamilton had a more simple explanation for being late. Investigators have a word for rage crimes: "overkill." And I didn't want any obstruction. No affidavit was filed with the formal charges because John Hamilton is in custody. Things weren't nearly as bad as they portrayed them to be. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. But not pretty doctor's wives in Oklahoma City. However, before the trial Bevel had also found some blood spatters in Hamilton's right sleeve that the prosecution expert had overlooked. At the end, I think she was calmer and she said, "I'm gonna think about it.". In 2001, Oklahoma abortion provider Dr. John Baxter Hamilton beat his wife and then choked her to death in their home. Bevel said he had no choice but to tell the court what he knew, even if it hurt the client who had hired him. He died in October 2021, according to information obtained from a different source. At Christmas, the defendant On "Dateline NBC, as in his legal appeals, Hamilton criticized Bevel and the accuracy of his blood spatter analysis, which Hamilton called "junk science.. 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. Mack Martin, the doctor's lead attorney, knew it would be uphill. After 14 years of marriage, John Hamilton murdered his wife. "My wife's bleeding all over the place," Dr. John Baxter Hamilton tells the 911 operator. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. a crowd lined up to attend the proceedings. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Then the prosecutor rose for his cross-examination. If anything, threats against the clinic, only seemed to bring the Hamiltons closer together. He's crazy about you. their talk was somewhat unusual because it was something Failed to delete memorial. John Hamilton: I still believed that the system would work. John Hamilton: Listen, I'm a doctor, I've been trying CPR. neighbor. 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 What was that all about? But I do love you. an affair when he called her before the slaying. If I really did it, if it would, if it would clear my conscience, but I didn't do it. Bevel believed the blood pattern was consistent with what would have happened if Hamilton struck his wife. Susan.". John Hamilton: Initially, she didn't want to go. He did not think it could have come from giving CPR. Nobody expected that to happen. free samples of anti-depressants "Someone got out of that room without leaving a bloody trail. Philadelphian Melvin Sheppard, and William F. Hamilton set a world record in this race. The defense was dealt a setback at the start of trial. Hamilton maintained his innocence throughout his trial, which may have turned on dramatic testimony from the final witness in the case. Was he nervous about what an examination of his body would reveal? Now, keep in mind, John Hamilton was a doctor who performed abortions. I was horribly wrong. Here there might be a spark of life in your wife and you're giving her CPR, "Oh, I've gotta move the car.". sentenced to prison for life with or without the possibility of parole. Ross Gardner: Effectively, the inside and front of that shoe was in motion around this spatter event from Mrs. Hamilton that's radiating out. I mean, because it was out there in view, I guess. "I didn't find any evidence of blood leading up to the front door. Testimony is expected to continue this morning before District Judge Ray Elliott. "I don't just snap," he said. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Area Effectively managed high-volume of product sales. 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. AGE 40s John Hamilton Norman, OK View Full Report Used To Live In Relatives And, as you might guess, it was a job that came with a little danger -- anti-abortion protestors were a curbside reality. And, Bradbury says, he didn't see any signs that the doctor had even attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. with John Hamilton. John Hamilton: My wife's, my wife, my wife I think my wife is dead. Over the next few months, though, with the help of some unique forensic evidence, the D.A. 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. Vesta Hall: I have never, ever, one second, not one moment in time have I ever thought he was guilty. One unanswered question for investigators is how the killer got out of the house at 3056 Brush Creek Road without leaving a bloody trail. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. Prosecutors claim the defendant had fingernail scratches on one of his shoulders when he was arrested. Possibilities: Was it a robbery gone bad? There was a problem getting your location. Not least of all in a bloody crime there were no footprints leading out of the house. Even Susan's children were standing by their stepfather. The day of the murder, one of Hamilton's patients had been at a hospital, sedated and ready for surgery, when Hamilton called and said he'd be arriving ten minutes early for surgery. The prosecution hadn't talked about this stain. 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. "There are all kinds of things still going on. The timeline was extremely tight for the doctor to even be considered as a suspect. On Tuesday, District Judge Virgil Black allowed the doctor to attend his wife's graveside service under the supervision of sheriff's deputies. Hamilton had told the 911 operator he was performing CPR. "He said, 'You know how 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. The patient, as Susan discovered, was a stripper at a nightclub. And that justice would come out. He was banging his head into the screen. Susan, as it turns out, should also have left by 9:20, because she had a 9:30 meeting at a friend's house ten minutes away. And I just don't think that it's true." When asked if there shouldn't have been a blood trail in the house if the defense theory is true, Spruill said: "I would expect that. On this day, Valentine's Day, in 2001, abortionist John Baxter Hamilton bludgeoned his wife, Susan, to death in their Oklahoma home. Try again later. 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? There were things done that were dangerous. 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. Please reset your password. killed, Susan Hamilton also "She was really upset that he Steve Jimerson: Susan's children, when it first happened, were calling me, trying to find if I had knew of any reason somebody or some person might have been there. Quail Creek home. 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. Whoever killed her had cracked her skull open with an object never found, and bashed her face into the bathroom tile. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. "We talked in He had been up at dawn for a 7 am surgery at an outpatient clinic. At the trial Lane asked Bevel if there was anything the prosecution had missed that was pertinent. 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. And there wasn't an objection. The prosecutor was well aware of the hurdles he faced, not the least of which: the lack of motive. John Hamilton: I was frantic. John and Susan Hamilton had the seemingly perfect marriage. They have got DNA, fingerprints, lab reports that haven't even been looked at yet. A very nice, innocent guy was facing a nightmare. And finally, there was the story told by blood. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. What made John show his dark side? After the second surgery, he returned home to pick up his datebook, and found his wife, he said. 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. It doesn't always happen that way. After all -- nothing can bring back the beautiful, headstrong, woman they all loved. John, the good doctor, was simply trying to counsel her. 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. It looked like the start of an attempted -- and then abandoned -- clean-up. Randy Scott: There's no burglary prints to obtain downstairs. much I love your mother and I With that revelation, the defense expert became the star witness for the trials prosecution. This browser does not support getting your location. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. the defendant was calling her 10 John Hamilton, a prominent Oklahoma City gynecologist, has been in jail without bail since Feb. 14. I don't have anything to lose. On Feb. 14, 2001, he phoned 911 to report finding his wife in the master bathroom of their Quail Creek home. I knew they that they were suspecting me. News network NBC did a Dateline episode about the case. Isn't that what Valentine's Day is supposed to be about? Oklahoma City police declined on Wednesday to release additional information about the slaying. He told Primetime the spatters were "almost a neon sign pointing towards the wearer of this shirt being associated with the beating.". Search above to list available cemeteries. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. 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.