48 Hours on ID is examining the murder of Susann Sills by her husband, respected fertility doctor Eric “Scott” Sills, at their family home in San Clemente, California.
On the morning of November 13, 2016, Scott dialed 911 and told the dispatcher that he had awoken to find the lifeless body of his wife, 45-year-old Susann, lying at the bottom of the stairs in their upmarket home. The dispatcher later said that Scott seemed detached and unemotional during the call.
Susann had spent the night sleeping in their daughter’s bedroom due to a migraine. Years later, at Scott’s trial, the defense would argue that Susann’s balance was impaired by the migraine, and she’d fallen down the stairs and suffered a spinal injury that left her unable to breathe.
However, the Orange County coroner disagreed with this assessment and claimed Susann had been deliberately strangled.
The investigators found a clump of hair and bloodstains on the walls and curtains of the daughter’s bedroom, which suggested there had been a violent struggle. The Sills’s 12-year-old son told the police he’d heard his parents arguing in the night.
The couple had been married for over ten years and worked together at a fertility clinic, where Scott handled medical duties and Susann ran the business side of the operation.
Orange County cops say Scott Sills strangled wife, Susann Sills
But the cops learned the couple were having marital difficulties. Investigators found text messages written by Susann to her husband, which told of her frustration with the marriage and implied she wanted a separation.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelDistrict Attorney Jennifer Walker told jurors, “[Susann] is frustrated, upset, feels trapped, and feels like he is killing her. She tells him in these texts, ‘You are killing me, don’t you see?’”
The prosecution also speculated that Scott was angry after Susann posted a topless photo of herself in a chat room after losing a bet.
Scott Sills convicted of killing Susann Sills and given lengthy sentence
In March 2024, Scott Sills was found guilty of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years to life. He is currently incarcerated at the Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, CA. A tentative date for an initial consultation with the parole board has been set for January 2029.
After sentencing, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement, “[Sills’s] actions have irreparably torn apart his family as his children have to grapple with the immeasurable pain of losing their mother at the hands of their father. This was the ultimate betrayal by their father, and now he will spend his remaining days in state prison.”
48 Hours on ID airs Sundays at 10/9c on Investigation Discovery.