But the Suttons were frightened and they wanted Christopher out of the house. The petition went on to say, Your petitioner further showeth unto your Honor that said John Sutton being of sound mind and disposing memory aforesaid was incompetent to make any disposition of the property by will according to the law and that the instrument of writing which he has called his last will is null and void. Similar to the language that wed have today in a will contest, the same allegations, undue influence, fraud, lack of capacity. But Rogers says even worse things went on at Paradise Cove in the early days of the program when Christopher first got there. "I don't know where he came up with that stuff," Christopher tells Roberts. His attorney, a man named Gregory Yale, drafted amechanism into the will meant to actually get them out of Florida and to freedom. Now it's up to Christopher to convince the jury of that love and his innocence. Suttons friend Garret Kopp was sentenced to thirty years of imprisonment in the year 2004. I said, 'Christopher Sutton, the son?' But he was not done. He was describing about how the killer went down the hallway.". No" Christopher testified. "Not a tear for his mother. William Adams had seen to it that the family had made their way from Jacksonville, Florida, to Illinois. Almost seven years later, the couple adopted Melissa. ", "Uh huh. It showed that his responses to questions concerning his relationship with Susan were deceptive. "Christopher did nothing but sell drugs the whole time he got back from Samoa all the time taking money from his father," Hoague tells Roberts. John Sutton was found guilty by the jury after the murder. "The magnitude of my injury, the facial pain and the loss of the eyesight was just so huge," he told Roberts. Concept Sales & Marketing. "I think anyone who is innocent or wrongfully accused would want to get up there and speak their mind," Christopher told Troy Roberts about taking the stand. 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. Susan just turned 57, and Johns firm has won three lucrative cases. Roberts asked Rogers. The point of entry appeared to be a sliding glass door. Nothing was taken from the house - not money, nor jewelry. ", Asked who he though had done it, Christopher told Roberts, "I had no idea.". And then, in a moment the defense team was hoping for, Juliette, a prosecution witness, raised doubt about Christopher's guilt before the jury. "She was threatened with the death penalty," Christopher teold Roberts. Susan had just turned 57, and Johns firm had won three lucrative cases. But Marier is sure Christopher was behind the shooting of his father and the murder of his mother. "I was shocked," he told Dateline of the verdict, "to know. Copyright 2023 American Bar Association. , 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. Three months after he was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted murder, Christopher Sutton is speaking out from behind bars. 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. (Crying). What do you do? He is a successful lawyer and she runs his office. The defense case for Christopher Sutton, charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder, begins Thursday. "He said, 'Look, you're going to have to protect me. "Later on I was told that she passed away. Whats it mean to challenge the validity of a will and why does it matter? The stakes for those involved couldnt have been higher. He insisted that was the only thing he was lying about. 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. He truly, always just wanted more. Roberts asked. It was a last-ditch effort to help him. John says his son was happy to see the family. Theater security cameras confirmed their whereabouts. And in his final decree, which you cant read very well, but Judge Crabtree upheld the will and ordered Shadrach to pay $28.08 in court costs. He is a successful lawyer and she runs his office. Roberts asked. His foster father is John Sutton. Why you should unlearn certain valuable legal skills, What the Silicon Valley Bank failure means for our financial institutions. Det. On August 22, 2004, they had plenty to celebrate. "And she loved them unconditionally.". All rights reserved, Looking for Gas in South Florida? "There's so many changes in my life. 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. Susan was still in her bedroom, where the Coral Gables SWAT team discovered that Susan had been shot six times and killed. Miami-Dade County Coroner Emma Lou. I read it. He also has a new love interest. Garrett went straight to the bedrooms where he said Christopher told him he'd find the Suttons. "Things would be good. 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. . That number came up 331 times in the weeks leading up to and right after the murder. Despite all that has happened, Sutton has a positive outlook and is hoping that one day, he will see again. The officer did and it was a match. 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. He knew his father had just received a $1 million-plus legal settlement. 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. John Sutton thinks otherwise. "His parents, to me, always seemed a little bit harsh on him," Polk said. ", Melissa describes her mother as "intelligent" and "confident.". Her mother was dead and her father had been shot multiple times; twice in the head. Following which Susan Sutton lost her life. Sutton's friend Garret Kopp was sentenced to thirty years of imprisonment in the year 2004. In 1998, while investigating a story of abuse here, "48 Hours" filmed the isolation box. Christopher, however, was a troubled teenager from an early age. Detective Belyeu thought it odd that fingers were being pointed at John and Susan's son, Christopher, then 25 years old. He was now out on bail. They took us on vacations," Juliette said. Susan was still in her bedroom where the Coral Gables SWAT team found Susan shot six times. "They said, 'You need to look at Christopher Sutton.' Johns partner at the law firm, Teddy Montoto, who was at the party, was back in the house when police arrived. If Christopher didn't shoot his parents, who did? I've always considered him my father. Friends may call Thurs. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. What do you do? And how did that trial turn out? He was actually born in Rawalpindi, India. "Take the wallet, easy cash, at least. "So with that kind of spotty memory, the information he provided wasn't very helpful?" 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. She had been told by the police not to tell me about Susan," he said. "How did [Christopher] react when this happened?" I really wasn't doing anything that was horribly wrong.". "I was in shock at that point. Surveillance cameras showed that her boat never left the marina where it was docked. "I was routinely driving him to school, dropping him off at the front door and he was routinely going out the back door and doing other things," said John. "Yeah," Cordero replied. There are 100,000 lawyers in Florida, and less than one percent are board-certified in any one of many areas. He says he got over his anger about being sent to Samoa long ago. Arizona, Las Vegas and New Mexico 98-present. She suspected Montoto was hiding something. Christopher was in and out of more than half a dozen schools. She knew him, but he had a harder time recognizing her. ", Asked if he thinks about his family, Christopher told Roberts, "All the time, absolutely. He insisted that was the only thing he was lying about. So he raced to the scene, arriving just after police. To take revenge against them, he had his friend Garret Kopp shoot both his parents while they were on their bed. But whatever happened to Christopher there was a long time ago. John even gave Juliette a job in his law office. And for an eerily similar case underscoring the forces arrayed against Lucy and her children in 1840s Florida, youll want to read Floridas Forgotten Execution: The Strange Case of Celia, which tells the story ofanother Duval County probate case involving another black family emancipated in the 1840sand the horrific ordeals they endured (includingre-enslavement). This is the second part of the story that should be of particular interest to practicing probate attorneys. She says she was reeling herself. He doesn't ask for leniency. When help arrived John managed to tell police he couldnt identify the shooter before being rushed to the hospital. Those sorts of things," said John. "They paid rent. On August 22, 2004, they had plenty to celebrate. Detective Rosanna Cordero was dreading what she was about to do: tell John Sutton his son was behind the shooting. That's the worst thing," says John. You did it.'". It was Sutton's second day of testimony. Belyeu says Garrett drew a sketch of how he got into the house. But before Cordero could even offer condolences, he said something to her that just didn't seem right. It was clear that that is a murder weapon that killed Susan and almost killed John, said Cordero-Stutz. Your entire world just blew up.". 'Absolutely,'" he recalled. "I told him "No. When authorities arrived, they discovered his wife, Susan, had also been attacked. 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"You can understand how he may have wanted to exact revenge against his parents for his time at Paradise Cove?". 18, 2010. 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. "He needed a way out and he told the detectives about Chris Sutton. Peon met Christopher in 1999, about a year after he returned from Samoa. John R. Sutton Melbourne 84, 26-Nov, Life Event Center of Florida Memorial . "I was thinking that possibly, you know, Chris might have been behind it," he replied. John Sutton's Night With Family Turns to Horror, he Coral Gables SWAT team discovered that Susan had been. It's a blue sky for John and Susan Sutton living in Coral Gables, Florida, an upscale neighborhood near Miami. IE 11 is not supported. Bending the arc of history towards justice. 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. To plant trees in memory, please . Detective Cordero immediately sent Montoto's gun in for testing. Detective Roseanna Cordero met Christopher at the crime scene shortly after he'd been told about the shooting. As their night finally winds down however, an armed intruder suddenly enters their bedroom firing reckless gunshots that kill Susan but leave John severely wounded in the head. Christopher Sutton said he's devastated over the things his father said against him during the trial, "but my dad turning on me during hard times isn't anything new." On Friday, he cried while being questioned about his troubled teen years when he was sent away. I could hear her screaming from Florida how happy she was and how thrilled she was.". 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. On the tape, Christopher is seen leaving the theatre with Juliette a little before midnight. "He almost immediately dropped his head to the table and started crying and said, 'I'm f-----d.'". I know that I stand on the same ark of history with John and Lucy and their children. First, theres the planning/drafting element of the story. John Sutton (22 October 1908 - 10 July 1963) was a British actor with a prolific career in Hollywood of more than 30 years. Where Is John Sutton Now? Terry is the fourth great grandson of an enslaved black woman named Lucy Sutton, and a white farmer named John Sutton. When John Sutton woke up in intensive care, he was blind. "When I was more mature and realized it wasn't something they did to me maliciously. And because the testators not around anymore to prove to us that he really was acting of his own free will when he disinherited a child, or favored a late-in-life lover, or bequeathed his estate in any other waythats contrary to generally accepted norms, the second-hand hearsay testimony these cases turn on acts as a sort ofRorschach test. Leaned up against me. And the resource page for this presentations packed with the kind of historical materials that are sure to warm the heart of even the fussiest history buff. she told Roberts. And she pushed him for more information about his late night phone call with Susan. "Yes," Marier replied. It's unusual. He was 19 and just back from Samoa. 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. Police were back at square one. How Did the Killer Get Away in the Susan Sutton Case? John Sutton also. "I got a call from one of the detectives," John said. John R. Sutton February 9, 1934 - November 26, 2018. He was still on the phone with Susan at the time of the shooting. In 1933, he married wealthy socialite Charlotte Biddle Barrett. It was over a bill not being paid," Juliette told Roberts. [2] Upon being naturalized as a U.S. citizen while serving in the U.S. Navy in 1943, he legally changed his name to John Sutton.[3]. ABAJournal.com: Teen Son Gets Life in Murder of His Dad, a Md. Sutton was accused of hiring drug addict Garrett Kopp to kill his parents after they sent him to boarding school in Samoa, where he claimed he was traumatized. A year into Paradise Cove, Christopher sent an emotional video message home to his parents: John, Susan and Melissa traveled to Samoa to see for themselves what it was like. "I showed him the comments about 'We're going to be better off after they're gone,'" Belyeu told Roberts. Its a blue sky for John and Susan Sutton living in Coral Gables, Florida, an upscale neighborhood near Miami. "I cried. You know, I was in shock. "Every one of those bullets was Christopher saying to his parents, 'I hate you. I knew absolutely nothing," she told Roberts. "I don't know if you could actually prove this case to a jury without having Garrett Kopp," said Prosecutor Kathleen Hoague. "He's asked to submit to a polygraph, which he does and he fails. His final trial happened on July 21, 2010, and was taken to prison on the same day. In July 2010, Christopher Sutton stood trial for murder. John Sutton placed a huge amount of trust in his friend and relation William Adams. 2013 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. To the detective, Christopher's reaction appeared to be an admission of guilt. As their night finally winds down however, an armed intruder suddenly enters their bedroom firing reckless gunshots that kill Susan but leave John severely wounded in the head. In Christopher's room, Susan found a note. Christopher Sutton says he was horrified when he found out about his mother and father. ", "Doesn't do any good," John replies. Its definitely flying some flags, said Roseanne Cordero-Stuts, a former homicide detective in Miami-Dade County, Florida. (I know what I would have advised.) On Sunday, Aug. 22, 2004, after a family birthday celebration that included their son, Christopher, his girlfriend, Juliette, and family friend Teddy Montoto, Susan and John Sutton retired to. But what is it that we are doing to make life better for those around us, and for our generations yet to come. Terry also reflected on the importance of the context of history to the work we do, not just as attorneys, but as citizens with a personal stake in bending the arc of history towards justice. A Challenging Inheritance: The Fate of Mark Twains Will, Change the Culture, Change the System + Judge Warners Ten Tips on Civility and Professionalism. 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