So the will established that William Adams was to carry out the responsibility of seeing to it that the family was to get there, but it was only on condition that he saw to it that that happened, and failing that, he was required to personally take the property because John trusted that William would see to it that the family made it to Illinois as required. Investigators observed jewelry and other valuables in plain sight, which ruled out a burglary. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Det. But the Suttons were frightened and they wanted Christopher out of the house. We can talk about the facts. Jose Peon, an ex-con with a murder conviction on his juvenile rap sheet, was called to the stand. On the tape, Christopher is seen leaving the theatre with Juliette a little before midnight. This means Mr. Sutton has taken and passed additional exams, submitted his cases for review and received positive references from both judges and other attorneys. "That was the first time I sat there in a long time and been like, wow, what really did happen." Livermore, California, United States. They deserve to pay for what they did.'". I wasn't gonna sit around for the rest of my life and get bored. He pointed it at Susan and Melissa and he told them it was loaded and he was going to shoot them," she said. He is convicted of killing his mother in an attempt to take revenge against her. 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. 'Absolutely,'" he recalled. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Christopher Sutton is a murderer. "He remembered bits and pieces. Coming home from the hospital, John says Christopher wanted control over the finances. Here are the details we know about him. "It was a plan to kill his parents for the inheritance," said Marier. She says she was reeling herself. I lost my eyesight ". Lead Detective Larry Belyeu ordered Christopher's phone records. 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? Despite their sons protests John and Susan sent Chris to Paradise Cove, an extremely disciplined boarding school in Samoa. Terry also tells his story in a video presentation thats must-see TV for any probate attorney. But whatever happened to Christopher there was a long time ago. They have two adopted children. Susan had just turned 57, and Johns firm had won three lucrative cases. ", Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. It was there," said John. Dec 2014 - Aug 20227 years 9 months. ", "It would be completely understandable if you felt sorry for yourself sometimes," Roberts remarks. He says he got over his anger about being sent to Samoa long ago. Before sentencing, an emotional John Sutton addresses the court. "Garrett Kopp is a drug addict, a little thug," Christopher's attorney, Bruce Fleisher, said. It was more they did what they thought was in my best interest," Christopher told Roberts. And with my descendants who are yet to come. 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. Christopher is sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole. After six hours of questioning, Garrett Kopp confessed. In the meantime, she has availed herself of another mode of recourse, New York State's Child Victims Act, which allows survivors of childhood. Detective Belyeu thought it odd that fingers were being pointed at John and Susan's son, Christopher, then 25 years old. As they looked more closely at Chris they discovered had a troubled past and scrapes with the law. Garrett went straight to the bedrooms where he said Christopher told him he'd find the Suttons. But ended up shooting them at the night after discovering they were in the house. It looked like the shooter came there to shoot Susan and her husband. He doesn't ask for leniency. Mr. Sutton is among the fewer than 7% of Florida attorneys who are Board Certified. This is my running list of significant trust, probate and guardianship related appellate opinions since 2005. "Did that make him a suspect in your mind?" 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. Moreover, he was on the phone with Susan at the time of the shooting. 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. Belyeu tells the jury about what he believes is a defining moment in the case. Prosecutors immediately tell the jury how close Christopher was to admitted hit man Garrett Kopp. A sick old man calls for you; he doesnt have a family in the conventional sense of the word for that time and place, but he lives with an enslaved black woman and their mixed-race children. Copyright 2023 MRandom News | Powered by NewsRandom, My Hero Academia Uraraka is Himiko Toga if she had adopted the nice facet, This was the tragic manner Onoki died in Boruto: Naruto Subsequent Generations. "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. "Garrett would say Mother Teresa did it to get himself a deal, to get himself out of the death penalty, to get himself out of the situation," Christopher tells Roberts. He was sentenced to three life terms without a chance of parole. 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. Terry is the fourth great grandson of an enslaved black woman named Lucy Sutton, and a white farmer named John Sutton. "The whole trial opened the wound back up, you know? Police needed more than Garrett's word that Christopher put him up to it. This person has been thoroughly investigated and removed. Reporting . But Christopher says he only cried because he believed police were setting him up. Cordero thought she'd have more luck with Teddy Montoto, John's law partner. This means Mr. Sutton has taken and passed additional exams, submitted his cases for review and received positive references from both judges and other . The defense case for Christopher Sutton, charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder, begins Thursday. He insisted that was the only thing he was lying about. And then Montoto said something surprising. As a teenager, he was into drugs which is the reason he was sent to a boarding school. "You know, my parents were the best parents and the fact that one child did something awful does not mean that they didn't like love him unconditionally they gave him every opportunity that he deserved he didn't take advantage of it," she said. plantation manager. He was now 25 and as far as John was concerned, a loving son who wanted to take care of him after the shooting. The Wine Group. But after a few hours, the celebration turned to horror. Police reinterviewed Montoto who agreed to a polygraph test. His father John Sutton was shot twice in his head. Peon met Christopher in 1999, about a year after he returned from Samoa. "There's so many changes in my life. "He was a valued member of our household," Polk said. About the AuthorIm a partner with Stokes McMillan Antnez Martinez-Lejarza P.A., a boutique trusts and estates law firm located in Miami, Florida. John Sutton's Night With Family Turns to Horror, he Coral Gables SWAT team discovered that Susan had been. I remember a lot of pain, he told Murdered By Morning, which airs Saturday 8/7c on Oxygen. "They had been very successful in their civil litigation and along the way had made some enemies," Cordero explained. Mr. Sutton is among the fewer than 7% of Florida attorneys who are Board Certified. He knew his father had just received a $1 million-plus legal settlement. Juliette Driscoll was brought in for questioning. Investigators ruled out a break-in after observing jewelry and other valuables in sight. Roberts asked. Video: Kopp's interrogation and confession. After hearing the evidence, he's convinced his son is responsible and he takes the stand. Asked how he dealt with the betrayal, John said, "I wasn't very happy about it. [4] In the 1940 federal census, the household included his wife Charlotte and her daughter from a previous marriage. "When you learned about the shooting at the Sutton home what were you thinking?" Driscoll confirmed Chris resentment about Paradise Cove, according to Murdered by Morning.. The couple believed that Chris was making progress. John Sutton celebrates the birthday of his wife Susan with an intimate party held at their exclusive Coral Gables home in Florida. ", Marier says Christopher talked about what happened. Read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekylls Will: A Tale of Testamentary Capacity, Stokes McMillan Antnez Martinez-Lejarza P.A. His final trial happened on July 21, 2010, and was taken to prison on the same day. Roberts asked Christopher? She insists, though, that she never knew Christopher would actually try and kill his parents. "Christopher had a rifle it was not loaded. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! I said, 'Christopher Sutton, the son?' John Suttons younger brother, a man named Shadrack, challenged the will on grounds that would be familiar to any of us today: Shadrack alleged that he was informed and believed that Sutton was at the time of the creation of the document very aged, infirm, bodily and mentally, and that he was then and had been for years wandering in his intellect and subject to the most childish and extravagant superstitions, that he was under the influence of ardent spirits, (he had been plied with alcohol) that his credulity and imbecility made him an easy dupe to the artifices of designing persons who represented to him that the families of children heretofore mentioned were not his offspringwere his offspring and when in fact, they were not his offspring. . 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. . Colonel Arthur Congdon (1861-1924) of the Royal Munster Fusiliers and his wife Ann Bell Sutton Moxley Congdon. Christopher says he kept drugs boxed up in the closet of his old bedroom where his mother often slept and Garrett knew it. And when John finally left the hospital, he moved in with his son. 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. He was just kidding. John Sutton also. "Every one of those bullets was Christopher saying to his parents, 'I hate you. Prosecutor: Was he joking or did he seem serious? 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. [citation needed], Sutton was born in Rawalpindi, India (now Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan). He was a successful lawyer, she managed his office. Miami-Dade County Coroner Emma Lou. Because we wouldn't have to worry about money.". "And I thought people were trying to kill me while I was in the hospital. In an instant, Bam! Susan died, and John survived but is now blind. You did it.'". 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. Det. He is accused of ordering a hit on his parents and killing his mother Susan Sutton. He told Cordero that he was a marksman and he'd been shooting a gun earlier that day. John R. Sutton February 9, 1934 - November 26, 2018. "I cried. What families, trust protectors, directed trustees, and the bankers and lawyers who work with them need to know about Floridas new Uniform Directed Trust Act. and killed. They took us on vacations," Juliette said. "The fact that people could even think that I would know something like that. John Sutton called authorities after he was shot in the head in his home as he slept. And as fugitive slaves, Lucy and her children would have lived under constant fear of being dragged back to Florida. "He said that? He didn't cause any problems living with us.". "He actually choked his mother one time, saying that he could kill her," said Belyeu. William Adams had seen to it that the family had made their way from Jacksonville, Florida, to Illinois. Give us feedback, share a story tip or update, or report an error. "I didn't suspect him, and of course, I wouldn't have wanted it to be Christopher. You may leave a message for the family by clicking here . John Sutton celebrates the birthday of his wife Susan with an intimate party held at their exclusive Coral Gables home in Florida. He also has a new love interest. "Take the wallet, easy cash, at least. He says if you didn't follow every rule, punishments were severe - including being sent to the isolation box for the day. John still hadn't heard what happened to his wife. He was adopted by John and Susan Sutton. View this and more full-time & part-time jobs in West Dundee, IL on Snagajob. "I definitely thought I was going to be acquitted," he told Roberts. Roberts asked. She says police yelled and threatened her with arrest. After a day-and-a-half of deliberations, Christopher Patrick Sutton is found guilty of first-degree murder. Its a blue sky for John and Susan Sutton living in Coral Gables, Florida, an upscale neighborhood near Miami. Christopher: In the top box about two pounds. To the detective, Christopher's reaction appeared to be an admission of guilt. Investigators questioned why he was on the phone with her. The defense in the conspiracy-to-murder case argues that Kopp concocted the story about being let in to avoid the death penalty and says he broke in on his own seeking money and drugs. The woman owned a boat, which raised suspicions about the shooter escaping by the waterway the night of the shooting. "He might be a black man or wearing all black clothing he was not sure.". Florida v Sutton Watch on The judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. And I think thats my message to you today, is that we can talk about the law. A few feet away, Garrett's father, Mitchell Kopp, sat grieving his loss. "Do you? Show. (I know what I would have advised.) When asked if he threatened his mother at gunpoint, Christopher said, "No.". It tells us as much about prevailing social normsand the unconscious biases even the best of us including judges operate under, as it does about the testators state of mind. 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. The family lived in an affluent neighborhood near Miami. "Who could have done this? Sutton's birthplace has been mistakenly listed in various sources as Orange, New Jersey, Jersey City, New Jersey, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, England, and South Africa. Despite all that has happened, Sutton has a positive outlook and is hoping that one day, he will see . Detective Roseanna Cordero met Christopher at the crime scene shortly after he'd been told about the shooting. Susan was still in her bedroom where the Coral Gables SWAT team found Susan shot six times. On August 22, 2004, they had plenty to celebrate. "I was shocked," he told Dateline of the verdict, "to know. Three months after he was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted murder, Christopher Sutton is speaking out from behind bars. When Chris Sutton arrived at his parents house, he told police he and his girlfriend had been to the cinema the night before and showed tickets as evidence. For months after the shooting, Christopher had been by his father's side. But what is it that we are doing to make life better for those around us, and for our generations yet to come. He was a successful lawyer, she managed his office. "Things would be good. 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 well as awakening to find an intruder shooting at himself and his wife as they slept, NBC Miami reports. An avid wanderlust adventurer in the same vein as, (5/22/59) Radio: Appeared in NBC University Theater's adaptation of. After graduating from That he could find a hit man to take out his parents?" I remember a lot of pain, he told Murdered By Morning, airing Saturdays at 8/7c on Oxygen. 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). The reports also came out that Kopp was a drug addict who was planning to rob Suttons family. Perhaps, but when Christopher was 16, things really escalated. Surveillance cameras showed that her boat never left the marina where it was docked. Years later, Chris, who still relied on financial support from his parents, was seething over what had occurred to him, investigators said. She had been told by the police not to tell me about Susan," he 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 clear that that is a murder weapon that killed Susan and almost killed John, said Cordero-Stutz. "It was at that point that I started interviewing some of John's closest friends," said Lead Detective Larry Belyeu. Asked if he was an out of control teenager, Christopher told Troy Roberts, "Out of control? Now it's up to Christopher to convince the jury of that love and his innocence. Chris told Kopp hed get a cut of the insurance payout. ", "Doesn't do any good," John replies. Bruce Fleisher: Were they saying Garrett, Garrett. Ive always thought of history as something that famous people did, or presidents or kings and Queens, or even individuals who did something unusual and extraordinary like Harriet Tubman who now have become part of our history. He thought he remembered a figure at the door," Cordero explained. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. John Sutton, son of William and Damaris Sutton, b. Defense attorneys allege Kopp was a drug addict who wanted. "I said, 'Now please tell me you still have that gun?'". Trusts and estates litigation, probate administration and estate planning is all I do as a lawyer. The point of entry appeared to be a sliding glass door. John R. Sutton, a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer, has practiced law in the Miami area since 1972. ", Asked why he offered up an alibi before Det. All rights reserved. If Christopher didn't shoot his parents, who did? "He was arrested. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! ", Asked who he though had done it, Christopher told Roberts, "I had no idea.".
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