An avid wanderlust adventurer in the same vein as Errol Flynn . Florida leaders give more love to family trusts of the super-rich. John Sutton's Night With Family Turns to Horror, he Coral Gables SWAT team discovered that Susan had been. He is accused of ordering a hit on his parents and killing his mother Susan Sutton. Susan Sutton's jewelry and John Sutton's wallet were left untouched on a dresser. John Sutton (22 October 1908 10 July 1963) was a British actor with a prolific career in Hollywood of more than 30 years. "He believed that he was entitled to have whatever he wanted," she explained. I don't know if he did it or not. He memorizes his briefs and with the help of an aide, he's winning cases much like he use to. And police were able to confirm he wasn't in the Sutton home during the shooting. "I don't know where he came up with that stuff," Christopher tells Roberts. "You question yourself as to you're the father of a murderer," an emotional Mitchell told "48 Hours." She says she was reeling herself. They took us on vacations," Juliette said. "The next person I knew that probably had direct knowledge of all this was his fianc," Belyeu explained. Big time, and in many ways hes the real hero of this story. A father helping prosecutors convict his own son -- the boy he had raised for 25 years. I hate you. He insists its the only thing hes lying about. ", "Uh huh. The son who once seemed so devoted was now their prime suspect. I lost my eyesight ". Juliette Driscoll was brought in for questioning. He is convicted of killing his mother in an attempt to take revenge against her. Employed by the Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting company as the co-host for the 95.3 WLKR Morning Show. "It was a plan to kill his parents for the inheritance," said Marier. But nothing was taken. Its the perfect storm for a will contest. As a teenager, he destroyed his teachers house. "I cried. Christopher is sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole. "Did you ask Garrett Kopp to kill your parents?" Your alibi has been checked. Florida v Sutton Watch on The judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. 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." "In fact, John had had death threats against him.". It hurts me to hear them, you know, think that I had anything to do with this. John Sutton thinks otherwise. "Did that make him a suspect in your mind?" Trusts and estates litigation, probate administration and estate planning is all I do as a lawyer. It looks like the gunman came here to shoot Susan and her husband. In Christopher's room, Susan found a note. He is a successful lawyer and she runs his office. It was more they did what they thought was in my best interest," Christopher told Roberts. Susan just turned 57, and Johns firm has won three lucrative cases. As for reconciliation, John isn't optimistic. Garrett Kopp: Somewhat. . It was up to the judges ruling on those contests to decide whether it was more important to follow the terms of the wills or to throw them out since they undermined social norms built on the premise that formalized economic and familial relationships between masters and slaves werent justdistasteful, but illegal. Not surprisingly, the will was contested. Susan just turned 57, and John's firm has won three lucrative cases. But Christopher says he had no reason to want his parents dead. If Christopher didn't shoot his parents, who did? "There was actually bullet holes through the comforter," Belyeu said. A few feet away, Garrett's father, Mitchell Kopp, sat grieving his loss. John Sutton was found guilty by the jury after the murder. "It's my word against Garrett's word that's what it all boils down to.". I remember all the bad times, too. John Sutton vows he will fight to keep Kopp and his son, Christopher, behind bars. But think about this, if the will had been overturned could Shadrack have sued William for some kind of civil theft in connection with helping Lucy and her children to escape? One of the most important elements of any estate plan is deciding who youre going to rely on to carry out your wishes after your dead. John, who was sleeping in a separate room from his wife because he snored, called 911 to report that he had been shot in the head. "He remembered bits and pieces. "I was shocked," he told Dateline of the verdict, "to know you didn't do something and to have people feel you did." John R. Sutton, a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer, has practiced law in the Miami area since 1972. Belyeu: Was that door unlocked when you got there? No," John said. Det. But Christopher was nowhere near his parents' house when they were attacked. "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. He was sentenced to three life terms without a chance of parole. To my surprise, Johns will was upheld. "I showed him the comments about 'We're going to be better off after they're gone,'" Belyeu told Roberts. "No. "I told him "No. She had been told by the police not to tell me about Susan," he said. As the trial begins, John Sutton sits far from his son. Wellington College, he spent a decade or so working in various British So I have done everything that I can possibly do without hesitation.". Those children were now planning their mother's funeral as police scoured the crime scene. But I did it because Christopher threatened to kill me and my son," said Belyeu. On August 22, 2004, there was a lot to celebrate. Prosecutors immediately tell the jury how close Christopher was to admitted hit man Garrett Kopp. Montoto agreed to testify at the station, explaining that he and Susan worked closely at the company but he also told them he had a .9mm pistol. "It's really almost like I'm another person," he says. "I'm still confused about the whole matter. Here's a Tracker to Find Fuel Near You, Your $2 Bill Could Actually Be Worth a Whole Lot More. I couldn't believe it. There was no doubt that this was a premeditated effort to make sure that they were dead. They apparently gave me last rites. I looked at Christopher and I thought, 'You killed her. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! He is a successful lawyer and she runs his office. "I remember he had a couple of tears come down his face.". Investigators observed jewelry and other valuables in plain sight, which ruled out a burglary. He knew his father had just received a $1 million-plus legal settlement. So did William come through? He wasn't serious," John replied. They paid car payments. Detective Rosanna Cordero was dreading what she was about to do: tell John Sutton his son was behind the shooting. In fact, was raised in a wealthy family. After six hours of questioning, Garrett Kopp confessed. "That ain't happening, no way. But after a few hours, the celebration turned to horror. Police needed more than Garrett's word that Christopher put him up to it. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. At Skapens Eye Research Institute in Massachusetts, work on optic nerve regeneration is promising. His wills executed on January 23, 1846, and hes dead by May of that same year. The Polynesian Islands of Samoa, in the South Pacific Ocean, is nearly 7,000 miles from the Miami home where Susan and John Sutton were viciously attacked. I remember all the good times. '", "Did I think Christopher would come back to try to finish it off?" "Not about his parents and what happened to them. Peon met Christopher in 1999, about a year after he returned from Samoa. Actor: The Three Musketeers. They had two adopted children. John Sutton, shot twice in the head, shockingly survived. He died suddenly of a heart attack on 10 July 1963. 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. "They were trying to wrestle him across my lawn.". 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. In 1933, he married wealthy socialite Charlotte Biddle Barrett. "Susan taught me about like makeup and clothes and all of that stuff," she said, getting emotional. Christopher was in and out of more than half a dozen schools. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. "So with that kind of spotty memory, the information he provided wasn't very helpful?" We had a psychiatric report that recommended behavioral modification.. But the Suttons were frightened and they wanted Christopher out of the house. IE 11 is not supported. The interrogation continued until Montoto finally revealed his secret. John R. Sutton Melbourne 84, 26-Nov, Life Event Center of Florida Memorial . Three months after he was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted murder, Christopher Sutton is speaking out from behind bars. She was never under arrest. They have two adopted children. "Yes, I certainly was," John replied. Now, the question was who could've done it and why? As they looked more closely at Chris they discovered had a troubled past and scrapes with the law. "The whole trial opened the wound back up, you know? "There's so many changes in my life. "He was arrested. It's a blue sky for John and Susan Sutton living in Coral Gables, Florida, an upscale neighborhood near Miami. Belyeu. John R. Sutton, a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer, has practiced law in the Miami area since 1972. And you know, I always will.". Especially in regards to his relationship with Susan," said Cordero. As for their father, John's focus right now is getting his eyesight back. She knew him, but he had a harder time recognizing her. 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. The family lived in an affluent neighborhood near Miami. "I said, 'Don't live with Christopher. Hopefully that made an impact on the jury.". After I returned back to the ACTEC meeting after Jeffrey and I went to see the will, one of our colleagues there, Mike Simon, actually said to me, youve got to get your hands on those files because now theres a rule in the State of Florida that says that once files have been digitized, they can be destroyed. Whats it mean to challenge the validity of a will and why does it matter? Christopher says he kept drugs boxed up in the closet of his old bedroom where his mother often slept and Garrett knew it. Terry is the fourth great grandson of an enslaved black woman named Lucy Sutton, and a white farmer named John Sutton. Bruce Fleisher: And what was the value of that? After arresting Christopher, he showed him Juliette's statement incriminating him. Keith Morrison reports. Youre an attorney practicing in north Florida, a slave-holding state. On August 22, 2004, they had plenty to celebrate. "A motive at least to kill John, maybe, not necessarily Susan, but love triangles can drive people to do very extreme behavior.". He was just kidding. "Do you? Teddy Montoto's gun didn't match the murder weapon. What Ive learned in this process as I began to dig in further and do my own research and fill out the contours of the novel that Im trying to write is a little bit aboutthe importance of history. I could hear her screaming from Florida how happy she was and how thrilled she was.". Police questioned Montoto again, who agreed to a polygraph test. It looked like the shooter came there to shoot Susan and her husband. They zero in on the tough interrogation by police. Prosecutors ask John about his troubled relationship with his son after Samoa. 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. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! It was updated on July 20, 2013.]. John, who slept in a separate room with his wife because of snoring, called 911 to report he had been shot in the head. And I think thats my message to you today, is that we can talk about the law. Prosecutor: Was he joking or did he seem serious? Bending the arc of history towards justice. "I recovered the surveillance tape of Christopher walking out of the movie theater," Cordero said. Bruce Fleisher: Were they saying Garrett, Garrett. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! "She loved those children," Marier said of Susan. All rights reserved. I lost Christopher long before that. "I'm seeking change, a change for the people in the future who may be placed in such. First published on July 20, 2013 / 10:02 PM. The couple believed that Chris was making progress. Prosecutor Carin Kahgan: Who was the person with whom you were in a plan to shoot John and Susan? 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. he's the killer.". It was his tears over this experience and lack of them while talking about his parents' death that played into the jury's decision to find Sutton guilty. Terry Franklin concludes his article by reflecting on the people whove helped him uncover his familys story and his great, great, great, great grandmothers journey to freedom, including the generous pro bono assistance of Florida trusts and estates lawyers like Mike Simon and his colleagues at Gunster. and killed. john sutton's good friend and law partner. Facebook gives people the power to. His answers to questions about his relationship with Susan proved misleading. part of Pakistan), on October 22, 1908. Driscoll told police that in the days before the shooting, a woman slammed Johns company because the deal didnt end in her favor. Was it random? Surviving, Husband, John R. Sutton; son, Christopher; daughter, Melissa A. Sutton and mother, Rose Marier. I remember a lot of pain, he told Murdered By Morning, airing Saturdays at 8/7c on Oxygen. Juliette said in tears. Kopp, who agreed to testify in return for a 30-year plea deal, was the prosecutions key witness. Up until that point, John and Montoto had a strong working relationship. "Louella Parsons on Hollywood: John Sutton Is Latest To Win Film Recognition". Christopher paints Garrett Kopp as an insatiable drug fiend. He and his girlfriend were at the movies - and can be seen on the theater's security cameras. His final trial happened on July 21, 2010, and was taken to prison on the same day. 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. Montoto agreed to give a statement at the station and explained that he and Susan worked closely together at the firm but he also told them he was carrying a .9mm handgun. Susan was still in her bedroom where the Coral Gables SWAT team found Susan shot six times. After watching Chris closely, they realize that he has a troubled past and has been breaking the law. John still hadn't heard what happened to his wife. "He said that? [citation needed], Sutton was born in Rawalpindi, India (now Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan). That everyday we are taking actions and steps that are part of history. Wealthy socialite Charlotte Biddle Barrett Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan ), on October 22, 1908 'You killed.! 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