Teddy Montoto's gun didn't match the murder weapon. John R. Sutton Melbourne 84, 26-Nov, Life Event Center of Florida Memorial . Despite all that has happened, Sutton has a positive outlook and is hoping that one day, he will see again. Mr. Sutton is among the fewer than 7% of Florida attorneys who are Board Certified. They apparently opted for the latter course of action;William, Lucy, her children and grandchildren were all long gone by the time the will contest was tried. I really wasn't doing anything that was horribly wrong.". But celebration turned into horror hours later. "He was a valued member of our household," Polk said. To my surprise, Johns will was upheld. "You can understand how he may have wanted to exact revenge against his parents for his time at Paradise Cove?". He seemed like he was devastated," said Christopher's then-fiance, Juliette Driscoll. [8][9] Keith Morrison reports. "If he wanted this car, he should be able to have this car. "It was like the boy who cried wolf," she said. Want to get better at screening estate cases? The Suttons, she says, treated her like a daughter. "He said, 'Look, you're going to have to protect me. John Sutton (22 October 1908 - 10 July 1963) was a British actor with a prolific career in Hollywood of more than 30 years. But Rogers says even worse things went on at Paradise Cove in the early days of the program when Christopher first got there. He finally owned up to the fact that he and Susan were having an affair. As a teenager, he destroyed his teachers house. Who is John Sutton? 4/20/1674 Piscataway, NJ d. 12/19/1750 Piscataway, NJ and buried in Stelton, NJ; in 1695 he married Elizabeth Conger (b. He was a successful lawyer, she managed his office. In July 2010, Christopher Sutton stood trial for murder. And then, in a moment the defense team was hoping for, Juliette, a prosecution witness, raised doubt about Christopher's guilt before the jury. A defining characteristic of inheritance litigation is that thesingle most important witness the testator is dead. Up until that point, John and Montoto had a strong working relationship. Investigators questioned why he was on the phone with her. In an instant, Bam! "She was threatened with the death penalty," Christopher teold Roberts. Namely, that upon my death or soon thereafter as practicable, the said William R. Adams shall move the said slaves and the increase thereof to a jurisdiction outside of the State of Florida, either Ohio, Indiana or Illinois where they can enjoy their freedom. . He is a successful lawyer and she runs his office. His final trial happened on July 21, 2010, and was taken to prison on the same day. He finally owned up to the fact that he and Susan were having an affair. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. "I lost Susan. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. The answer is no," Bruce Fleisher said in his closing. Livermore, California, United States. Your entire world just blew up.". "I can't control how he feels," he replied. "I was in shock at that point. "He actually choked his mother one time, saying that he could kill her," said Belyeu. Chris Sutton came back on his 19th birthday, after 30 months at the school. She had been told by the police not to tell me about Susan," he said. "Not about his parents and what happened to them. In 2004, Kopp shot Susan Sutton six times and John in the face. Apply online instantly. "I'm still confused about the whole matter. Sales Manager. "It was at that point that I started interviewing some of John's closest friends," said Lead Detective Larry Belyeu. After graduating from Wellington College, he spent a decade or so working in various British colonies, including several in Africa, as a hunter, rancher and tea plantation manager. But Juliette says she felt pressured and told them what she did know - that Christopher had a deep seeded resentment towards his parents for sending him to Samoa. Roberts asked. "I cried. The Wine Group. "To think that I would let something like that happen to John and Susan!" I knew absolutely nothing," she told Roberts. "I was shocked," he told Dateline of the verdict, "to know. But Christopher says he only cried because he believed police were setting him up. That he could find a hit man to take out his parents?" In 2003, the parents sent their son to school in Samoa designed for troubled teens against his will. It was determined that Montotos gun did not match the shell casings found at the crime scene. John still hadn't heard what happened to his wife. ", "Doesn't do any good," John replies. Asked if he was an out of control teenager, Christopher told Troy Roberts, "Out of control? For John and Susan Sutton, life in Coral Gables, Florida, an upscale community near Miami, life was filled with blue skies. "I got a call from one of the detectives," John said. The death penalty was taken off the table. Once the head nurse of a surgical intensive care unit, Susan gave her career up in the late 70s when she and John adopted their first child, Christopher. When Chris Sutton arrived at his parents house, he told police he and his girlfriend had been to the cinema the night before and showed tickets as evidence. Belyeu: Did Christopher tell you he left it unlocked? "She was threatened with going down.". John Sutton was found guilty by the jury after the murder. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Nothing was taken from the house - not money, nor jewelry. Lead Detective Larry Belyeu ordered Christopher's phone records. He insisted that was the only thing he was lying about. Why are US News law school rankings delayed? What has been miraculous to me is that people have opened their arms to me and helped to support in telling this story, including the Gunster firm. First published on July 20, 2013 / 10:02 PM. Published by FloridaToday on Nov. 28, 2018. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. It's a blue sky for John and Susan Sutton living in Coral Gables, Florida, an upscale neighborhood near Miami. February 24, 1957 - June 2, 1960 (annulled), Rawalpindi, Punjab, British India [now Pakistan]. "Later on I was told that she passed away. They deserve to pay for what they did.'". Christopher Sutton is a murderer. Roberts asked. "Regardless of the result, this is a bad case," John told the court. "That was the happiest day of her life, it was absolutely the happiest day of her life," said Susan's sister, Mary Marier. Copyright 2023 MRandom News | Powered by NewsRandom, My Hero Academia Uraraka is Himiko Toga if she had adopted the nice facet, This was the tragic manner Onoki died in Boruto: Naruto Subsequent Generations. Thats the story told by Los Angeles trusts and estates litigator Terrence M. Franklin in The 1846 Last Will of John SuttonWhats Not So New in Will Drafting and Contests. They have two adopted children. part of Pakistan), on October 22, 1908. "She said, 'Don't let anybody in the house don't pick up the phone. John, who slept in a separate room with his wife because of snoring, called 911 to report he had been shot in the head. Police needed more than Garrett's word that Christopher put him up to it. Driscoll told police that a woman had railed against Johns firm days before the shooting because of a settlement that didnt go in her favor. Miami-Dade County Coroner Emma Lou. Big time, and in many ways hes the real hero of this story. Florida v Sutton Watch on The judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. 18, 2010. We can talk about the books. "He was not forthcoming with me," said Cordero. "You must have been wracking your brain thinking, 'Who could have possibly done this?'" In fact, was raised in a wealthy family. John R. Sutton is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Lawyer in Florida, has been licensed to practice law in the state since 1972, and has been a board-certified civil trial lawyer continuously since 1985. But after a few hours, the celebration turned to horror. , Now, bear in mind that the family packed up all their belongings and made it from Jacksonville, Florida, on to boats I think through Savannah, around the tip of Florida, through New Orleans, up the Mississippi to Illinois where they ended up by December of 1846. Chris told Kopp hed get a cut of the insurance payout. And I think the challenge for us, the question for us, is what are we each individually doing to bend that arc of history towards justice. And then Montoto said something surprising. "I said, 'Now please tell me you still have that gun?'". John Sutton stood up in court but did not directly rip into his son. I can't connect the dots between what he was doing at age 5 and what happened after age 13.". Mr. Sutton is among the fewer than 7% of Florida attorneys who are Board Certified. The woman owned a boat and it is suspected the gunman escaped from the waterway on the night of the shooting. It was never enough., To learn more about the case, watch Murdered By Morning, airing Saturdays at 8/7c on Oxygen. Roberts asked. John R. Sutton, a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer, has practiced law in the Miami area since 1972. A man named Garrett Kopp had been arrested less than 24 hours after the shooting for assaulting someone with a gun in another part of Miami. Prosecutor Carin Kahgan: Who was the person with whom you were in a plan to shoot John and Susan? The individual was thoroughly investigated and cleared. The defense case for Christopher Sutton, charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder, begins Thursday. Suttons friend Garret Kopp was sentenced to thirty years of imprisonment in the year 2004. On July 21, Christopher Sutton was found guilty of attempted murder and murder in the first degree. "He said, oh, Susan was shot more than one time. It was clear that that is a murder weapon that killed Susan and almost killed John, said Cordero-Stutz. I woke up and I was on the floor, the father testified.I knew I was in big trouble. Although shot in the face several times, Sutton survived the attack. "I definitely thought I was going to be acquitted," he told Roberts. Garrett and Christopher were like twins," he said. I felt I wasn't safe. Christopher claims Garrett broke into his parent's home in a desperate bid to steal marijuana. In the meantime, she has availed herself of another mode of recourse, New York State's Child Victims Act, which allows survivors of childhood. There was no doubt that this was a premeditated effort to make sure that they were dead. John Sutton celebrates the birthday of his wife Susan with an intimate party held at their exclusive Coral Gables home in Florida. It was more they did what they thought was in my best interest," Christopher told Roberts. In October 1946, he divorced his high society wife and married Roberta Fidler, former wife of newspaper columnist and radio commentator Jimmie Fidler;[5][6] this rather stormy second marriage ended in divorce in 1955. Dressed in all black with a Glock 9 mm semi-automatic pistol, the man shot John, then turned to Susan and shot her six times. Yep," Juliette said. The couples 25-year-old son Christopher and his fiance Juliette Driscoll arrived at the party before heading to the cinema. He was still on the phone with Susan at the time of the shooting. What do you do? And for the most part, John and Susan financially supported her and Christopher. >> reporter: susan sutton was dead, shot five times by a killer who invaded her birthday party. July 20, 2013 / 10:02 PM "He's asked to submit to a polygraph, which he does and he fails. Because we wouldn't have to worry about money.". In 1933, he married wealthy socialite Charlotte Biddle Barrett. A man accused of hiring a drug addict to kill his parents was found guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder Wednesday by a Miami-Dade jury. I wanted to get out of there. When he was just 16, John and Susan Sutton sent their son away to a behavioral school in Samoa; Christopher, they say, had been getting into lots of trouble. But Christopher was nowhere to be found. I never threatened her with that," said Belyeu. He was actually born in Rawalpindi, India. Investigators observed jewelry and other valuables in plain sight, which ruled out a burglary. Article Fourth [of the will] said that I will and bequeath unto my trusty friend and relation, William R. Adams, formerly of Ware County, Georgia and now of Duval County, Florida, all of the above-named property, the said slaves, the future increase of the slaves, all the cattle, all the hogs, et cetera, on the following conditions. Christopher was hoping to leave Paradise Cove forever on his 18th birthday, but his father got a court order to keep him there for another year. Sutton is scheduled to talk to them next month. But would the woman who once planned to marry Christopher now offer testimony that could put him away for life? I think this is a case of an individuals greed, getting the better of them, said Cordero-Stutz. Susan just turned 57, and Johns firm has won three lucrative cases. A lawyer who was blinded after being shot along with his wife at their South Florida home in 2004 in an alleged contract hit testified today against his 31-year-old son at a conspiracy trial over his wifes murder and his own attempted murder. Dec 2014 - Aug 20227 years 9 months. But this was no vacation; it was a hardcore behavior modification program for troubled boys. Why you should unlearn certain valuable legal skills, What the Silicon Valley Bank failure means for our financial institutions. I could hear her screaming from Florida how happy she was and how thrilled she was.". "Every one of those bullets was Christopher saying to his parents, 'I hate you. If you saw Saturday's show - you met John Sutton, a Florida man left blind after being shot in the head by an intruder; his wife, Susan, died in the shooting and their son is serving time for first-degree murder. '", "Did I think Christopher would come back to try to finish it off?" Life Event Center at Florida Memorial Gardens. "Did that make him a suspect in your mind?" Investigators asked why he was talking to her on the phone. It was updated on July 20, 2013.]. Juliette Driscoll: That she was a f-----g bitch because he felt that she wouldn't give him what he wanted and what he deserved. John Sutton Obituary It is with deep sorrow that we announce the death of John Sutton of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who passed away on October 8, 2021, at the age of 60, leaving to mourn family and friends. "That's really weird. As a teenager, he was into drugs which is the reason he was sent to a boarding school. "I showed him the comments about 'We're going to be better off after they're gone,'" Belyeu told Roberts. The point of entry appeared to be a sliding glass door. John Sutton described a troubled relationship with his sonwho prosecutors portray as being angry about being sent away to a boarding school in Samoa for children with behavioral problemsas well as awakening to find an intruder shooting at himself and his wife as they slept, NBC Miami reports. I read it. And I think thats my message to you today, is that we can talk about the law. And it turned out to be the same gun used in the Sutton shooting. The officer did and it was a match. He was sentenced to three life terms without a chance of parole. Her alibi checked out. When John Sutton woke up in intensive care, he was blind. Following which Susan Sutton lost her life. It is considered to be one of the deadliest crimes in the year 2004. Garrett went straight to the bedrooms where he said Christopher told him he'd find the Suttons. They had two adopted children. It was one big mess.". And Juliette Driscoll tells the jury how angry he was about Samoa. Garrett is now saying that Christopher promised him $100,000 to kill the Suttons. Prosecutors ask John about his troubled relationship with his son after Samoa. "The magnitude of my injury, the facial pain and the loss of the eyesight was just so huge," he told Roberts. All rights reserved. But nothing was taken. Christopher's not like other people," she said. "He believed that he was entitled to have whatever he wanted," she explained. Christopher paints Garrett Kopp as an insatiable drug fiend. Juliette Driscoll was brought in for questioning. Cordero asked. After watching Chris closely, they realize that he has a troubled past and has been breaking the law. John Sutton, shot twice in the head, shockingly survived. "It was a plan to kill his parents for the inheritance," said Marier. When help arrived John managed to tell police he couldnt identify the shooter before being rushed to the hospital. Read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekylls Will: A Tale of Testamentary Capacity, Stokes McMillan Antnez Martinez-Lejarza P.A. Prosecutors say Christopher's surprising breakdown on the stand is evidence that he's still haunted by his experience. Christopher: I was what -- what they called in denial. "Your father told me he no longer loves you," Roberts told Christopher. Surveillance cameras showed that her boat never left the marina where it was docked. Perhaps, but when Christopher was 16, things really escalated. But he was not done. "There was actually bullet holes through the comforter," Belyeu said. So they went to court for me, pro bono, and got me ownership of those original documents, those 46 pages of documents that connect us to our history. 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