UNLIKE television police procedurals and true crime dramas, most murders are not solved overnight, but take years to uncover fact from fiction.
One such case, the subject of a Dateline investigative report, involves a fertility specialist, Eric Scott Sills, who staged his wife Susann’s death in 2016 and, despite overwhelming evidence, was only convicted for his actions in March 2024.
Who is Eric Scott Sills?
Eric Scott Sills seemed to have it all – he was successful in his personal life, where he was married and had children, and in his career as a fertility doctor.
Sills was born on April 27, 1965, in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, according to his curriculum vitae.
He received a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University in 1987, an MD from the University of Tennessee in 1992, and a Ph.D. from the University of Westminster in 2013.
Sills began his medical career as a resident in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at NYU Downtown Hospital in New York City in 1992.
He then became a resident in the Department of Surgery in the Division of Gynecology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center before serving as a clinical instructor and fellow in the Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility at Cornell University School of Medicine.
Sills most recently worked at the Center for Advanced Genetics in La Jolla, California, specializing in reproductive endocrinology and infertility.
Sills’ wife, Suzann Sills, co-founded the clinic, while he served as the center’s medical director.
The pair lived in San Clemente with their twins, Mary-Katherine Estelle Sills and Eric Scott Sills II.
Sills also has two children from a previous marriage, Charles Alton Carmack Sills and Ann-Marie Carter Sills.
On November 13, 2016, Sills called 911 with devastating news.
He woke up to find his wife’s lifeless body after she allegedly fell down the stairs earlier in the night.
Investigators quickly realized something was wrong.
They found injuries to Susann’s face and neck that appeared to be the result of strangulation.
Police also discovered bloodstains on the wall and curtains of the couple’s daughter’s room, where Susann slept on the night of the alleged accident, along with a lock of hair.
Eric, the couple’s son, also remembers hearing his parents arguing that morning.
Text messages between the seemingly happy couple also painted a different picture of their relationship.
“I will never be free, ever,” Susann texted her husband, as reported by People.
“You’re killing me, don’t you see? … I just want to get out,” another text said.
Where is Eric Scott Sills now?
It took years for Eric Scott Sills to be arrested and charged with Susann’s murder.
Authorities finally ruled Susann’s death a homicide in November 2017, a year after she was killed.
The investigation continued for another year and a half before Sills was finally detained on his way to work in 2019.
“This man killed his wife and hid it, and hid it very well, because it took a while to bring him to justice,” Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Walker told jurors, the Los Angeles Times reported.
In December 2023, Sills was found guilty of second-degree murder, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
He pretended that his wife’s death appeared to be an accident, despite overwhelming evidence proving otherwise.
On March 15, 2024, Sills was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
“Mr. Sills not only killed your wife, but he also went a step further and attempted to cover up his horrific crime,” said OC District Attorney Todd Spitzer, as reported by KTLA 5 News.
“His actions have irreparably destroyed his family, as his children have to deal with the immeasurable pain of losing their mother at the hands of their father.”
“This was the ultimate betrayal of their father and now he will spend his remaining days in state prison.”
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How can I watch Dateline’s Anatomy of a Fall?
“If these walls could talk, oh, the stories they would tell…”
Susann’s death and the investigation into whether her death was an accident or something more sinister are the subject of an original true crime report.
If These Walls Could Talk premieres on NBC on Friday, May 3, 2024 at 8 pm ET.
Keith Morrison will report on the case, which includes exclusive interviews with investigators, prosecutors and Susann’s family and friends.
Viewers who prefer to watch the episode on their own time can also watch Dateline on the NBC website or app, or stream the episode on Peacock and Hulu.
Dateline is currently airing both a preview It is A peek of the episode on NBC News.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
