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 insists its the only thing hes lying about. "The kind of person who's in their 40s, but wants to take violin classes, calculus classes, because she just wants to be better," she said. They zero in on the tough interrogation by police. I think Christopher had something to do with this,' Mary Marier said. 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 separate bedrooms in their Coral Gables, Fla. home. It was updated on July 20, 2013.]. He said that his parents were - worth about $500,000 to a million dollars and they had life insurance. John Sutton celebrates the birthday of his wife Susan with an intimate party held at their exclusive Coral Gables home in Florida. Southern Calif / Los Angeles Markets to Paso Robles 93-98. He finally owned up to the fact that he and Susan were having an affair. "We identified that number as belonging to an individual by the name of Garrett Kopp," said Det. The officer did and it was a match. It looks like the gunman came here to shoot Susan and her husband. He says he got over his anger about being sent to Samoa long ago. When questioned by police Kopp confessed that Chris had recruited him to kill his parents as revenge for his time at Paradise Cove. Wellington College, he spent a decade or so working in various British It was one big mess.". They sent me to Samoa. 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. I remember all the bad times, too. "I said, 'Christopher can I speak to you for a moment.' "He might be a black man or wearing all black clothing he was not sure.". The couple believed that Chris was making progress. Juliette told police Christopher was furious. Susan Sutton was assassinated in her bed. 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. "I heard her on the telephone. Although survived the attack but has remained blind ever since. Almost seven years later, the couple adopted Melissa. "To think that I would let something like that happen to John and Susan!" Despite all that has happened, Sutton has a positive outlook and is hoping that one day, he will see . Apply online instantly. After hearing the evidence, he's convinced his son is responsible and he takes the stand. ABAJournal.com: Teen Son Gets Life in Murder of His Dad, a Md. The son who once seemed so devoted was now their prime suspect. Its a blue sky for John and Susan Sutton living in Coral Gables, Florida, an upscale neighborhood near Miami. 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 was the first time I sat there in a long time and been like, wow, what really did happen." [8][9] As new appellate decisions are published I'll add them to the list. She was executed, the doctor said. 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. When John Sutton woke up in intensive care, he was blind. [citation needed], Sutton was born in Rawalpindi, India (now Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan). That's something that he did as a hobby," Cordero said. You did it.'". Garrett and Christopher were like twins," he said. Copyright 2023 American Bar Association. They paid insurance payments. She had been told by the police not to tell me about Susan," he said. Sales Manager. 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. But then, in an unexpected moment, Christopher becomes highly emotional when discussing his alleged mistreatment there. There are 100,000 lawyers in Florida, and less than one percent are board-certified in any one of many areas. Here's a Tracker to Find Fuel Near You, Your $2 Bill Could Actually Be Worth a Whole Lot More. Add a photo or a video The woman owned a boat and it is suspected the gunman escaped from the waterway on the night of the shooting. Roberts asked. John R. Sutton February 9, 1934 - November 26, 2018. I'm sure I could've been a better guy, but I didn't have anything to do with this." Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. His foster father is John Sutton. ", Asked if he thinks about his family, Christopher told Roberts, "All the time, absolutely. I'm coming over to see you. 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. He said, 'absolutely," Det. I couldn't believe it. "He said he could find somebody to kill his parents," she said of Christopher. An arrest warrant for Chris Sutton was issued on March 26, 2005. Read More, The Florida Probate & Trust Litigation Blog is authored by Juan Antnez of Stokes McMillan Antnez Martinez-Lejarza P.A. . Here are updates on his case. "He wanted his parents dead," said Cordero. We can talk about the books. "You must have been wracking your brain thinking, 'Who could have possibly done this?'" They have two adopted children. View the profiles of people named John Sutton. Christopher, however, was a troubled teenager from an early age. "I lost Susan. >> he His admitted assailant, Garrett Kopp, is serving a 30-year term and has also testified at the trial. Its definitely flying some flags, said Roseanne Cordero-Stuts, a former homicide detective in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Keith Morrison reports.Oct. In 2003, the parents sent their son to school in Samoa designed for troubled teens against his will. Sutton's friend Garret Kopp was sentenced to thirty years of imprisonment in the year 2004. Up until that point, John and Montoto had a strong working relationship. That everyday we are taking actions and steps that are part of history. John Sutton, son of William and Damaris Sutton, b. It showed that his responses to questions concerning his relationship with Susan were deceptive. In March 2005 police caught a break when a woman reported that she suspected her ex-boyfriend, Garrett Kopp, could be involved in Susans murder. There was no doubt that this was a premeditated effort to make sure that they were dead. He was sentenced to three life terms without a chance of parole. It looked like the shooter came there to shoot Susan and her husband. "I definitely thought I was going to be acquitted," he told Roberts. Belyeu says Garrett drew a sketch of how he got into the house. But on cross examination, Juliette says she only told the police incriminating information about Christopher after they threatened her with arrest. They have two adopted children. John even gave Juliette a job in his law office. Susan had just turned 57, and John's firm had won three lucrative cases. Incredibly, it wasn't the first time, prosecutors say, Christopher had tried to execute such a plan. 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. That our descendants will be looking back to us to explain. 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. Was it random? "She loved those children," Marier said of Susan. "I'm seeking change, a change for the people in the future who may be placed in such. But Juliette says everything she told the police was, in the end, true. 18, 2010. "He's asked to submit to a polygraph, which he does and he fails. He was now 25 and as far as John was concerned, a loving son who wanted to take care of him after the shooting. "A motive at least to kill John, maybe, not necessarily Susan, but love triangles can drive people to do very extreme behavior.". This case was adjudicated by thesame probate judge who adjudicated Suttons will, Judge William Crabtree, and involved an appearance by the same lawyer who drafted Suttons will, Gregory Yale (this time representing family members opposed to emancipation). "I didn't suspect him, and of course, I wouldn't have wanted it to be Christopher. Kopps number was in Chris phone records, and the two had spoken the night of the crime. It was never enough., To learn more about the case, watch Murdered By Morning, airing Saturdays at 8/7c on Oxygen. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. "He said to me, 'We had dinner here at the house, but we left around 9 and we went to the movies. This person has been thoroughly investigated and removed. When rescuers arrived, John managed to tell police he couldnt identify the gunman until he was taken to hospital. The night before the funeral is when I was convinced that Christopher had something to do with it. Surveillance cameras showed that her boat never left the marina where it was docked. Belyeu: Was that door unlocked when you got there? As the trial begins, John Sutton sits far from his son. Published by FloridaToday on Nov. 28, 2018. It's a blue sky for John and Susan Sutton living in Coral Gables, Florida, an upscale neighborhood near Miami. They had two adopted children. Read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekylls Will: A Tale of Testamentary Capacity, Stokes McMillan Antnez Martinez-Lejarza P.A. Det. He just didnt have enough money to live the lifestyle he wanted, Kopp said of Christopher Sutton when he testified last week, the Miami Herald reports in an earlier article. "I got a call from one of the detectives," John said. Now, the question was who could've done it and why? On Friday, he cried while being questioned about his troubled teen years when he was sent away. He insisted that was the only thing he was lying about. 2013 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Just hours after someone broke into John Sutton's home, murdered his wife, and tried to kill him doctors weren't sure he would live. He was a successful lawyer, she managed his office. "It was a Friday night," Polk recalled. "And I thought people were trying to kill me while I was in the hospital. "He almost immediately dropped his head to the table and started crying and said, 'I'm f-----d.'". "They were friends for years. Susan died, and John survived but is now blind. Following which Susan Sutton lost her life. Garrett went straight to the bedrooms where he said Christopher told him he'd find the Suttons. "He said, 'Look, you're going to have to protect me. I hate you. plantation manager. He even tells the jury Paradise Cove turned out to be good for him. Life Event Center at Florida Memorial Gardens. "I was shocked," he told Dateline of the verdict, "to know you didn't do something and to have people feel you did." Apply for a John Sutton - State Farm Agent Insurance and Financial Services Position - State Farm Agent Team Member job in West Dundee, IL. John Sutton also. Fleisher believes he can win this case and he's about to get his opportunity. Florida leaders give more love to family trusts of the super-rich. Here's How to Tell, Middle School Teacher Charged After Alleged Inappropriate Behavior With Male Student, I'm Leaving Right Now': Victims of Historic Flooding in Fort Lauderdale Prepare for More Rain, Struggling to Find Gas? Garrett Kopp: Somewhat. Despite all that has happened, Sutton has a positive outlook and is hoping that one day, he will see again. And at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Dr. Joseph Rizzo is ready to start discussing electronic technology - implanting a device around the back of eye. When does a court have continuing jurisdiction over a trust? [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]. Christopher says he was stunned at the verdict. Hit man Garrett Kopp is scheduled to be released in 2035. John Sutton, of the Sutton Law Group, P.A., joins Jennifer Kuyrkendall, the Third Circuit Representative of the Young Lawyer's Division Board of Governors to discuss Quality of Life. IE 11 is not supported. It was clear that that is a murder weapon that killed Susan and almost killed John, said Cordero-Stutz. I really wasn't doing anything that was horribly wrong.". John R. Sutton, a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer, has practiced law in the Miami area since 1972. Give us feedback, share a story tip or update, or report an error. Christopher's not like other people," she said. Police investigated every one of them - but they all had alibis. 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. An avid wanderlust adventurer in the same vein as Errol Flynn . Christopher says he tried to telling his parents about the abuse. 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