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Susann Sills, a 45-year-old California businesswoman, met with her unexpected death in November 2016 after an alleged fall down the stairs. Her husband, Dr. Eric Scott Sill, had reported her state to the authorities who believed that the crime scene was staged to resemble an accidental fall.
However, the investigations revealed that the cause of Susann Sills' death was strangulation, leading to a difficult trial as Eric Scott Sills was charged with murder. The Dateline NBC episode titled If These Walls Could Talk chronicles the murder of Suzanne Sayles and airs on May 3, 2024, at 9 pm EST on NBC.
"When you find out the real story of the staircase... It really leaves you breathless."
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Five details about Susann Sills' murder explored
1) Susann Sills was found unresponsive after an alleged fall on November 13, 2016
On November 13, 2016, Susann Sills was reportedly found at the bottom of the staircase in their San Clemente home worth $1 million, as per Oxygen. Her husband, Dr. Eric Scott, had made the 911 call to the emergency services.
In a recording of the call, Dr. Sills was heard telling an emergency dispatcher:
“We’ve got a patient here who’s fallen off the stairs and I don’t have a pulse. I think she tripped because it was dark.”
Scott had allegedly woken up to find Susann's body while their twins slept in a bedroom upstairs, as per PEOPLE.
2) The authorities believed that Susann's death was staged
At the time of the 911 call, Eric Scott Sills was instructed to lay Susann on a flat surface and provide CPR. However, when the first responders arrived at the scene, they found her right leg resting on the last step. The prosecutors argued that Eric had left her that way as a hint and a connection to the staircase.
Additionally, the Orange County Sheriff's Office found a clump of Susann's hair and blood stains on the curtains, wall, and nightstand in their daughter's bedroom. There were blood stains on both Scott and Susann's shirts.
Scott had allegedly spent time looking for his pulse oximeter rather than saving her life while help was on the way. Besides, the autopsy reports stated the cause of death to be strangulation.
3) Susann had been suffering from migraines at the time of her death
The autopsy reports also showed the presence of drugs in Susann Sills' body. She had been suffering from migraine attacks and had allegedly dozed herself with Valium and the opioid medication, Tramadol, on an empty stomach.
She had been sleeping in her daughter's bedroom the night she was reportedly murdered by her husband.
4) Susann and Dr. Eric Scott Sills had been undergoing marital problems
The investigation into Susann Sills' murder led the detectives into a rabbit hole of marital problems. The conversations Susann and Scott had over text messages proved to be vital.
The Times reported that Susann wrote in a text:
“I will never be free, ever. You are killing me, don’t you see? ... I just want out.”
The issues in their marriage escalated as Susann posted a topless picture of her after losing a bet on Donald Trump's nomination to President, as per East Bay Times. The couple endured financial problems while Susann struggled to maintain a healthy relationship with her older stepchildren.
5) Dr. Eric Scott Sills was sentenced to 15 to life in prison
While the defendants argued that Susann Sills had lost her balance, the prosecutors took note of the autopsy report and the marks under Susann's neck. Dr. Eric Scott was charged with first-degree murder but the jury found him guilty of second-degree murder.
The Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer shared through a press release:
"Think of how diabolical you have to be — not only to kill your wife but to make it look like she had fallen down the stairs. It took calculated planning to commit this crime and worse of all he ruthlessly and selfishly murdered the mother of their children who now are left without their parents."
He was convicted on December 2023 and sentenced to 15 to life in prison on March 2024.
Catch all the details of the murder case on the Dateline episode that airs on May 3, 2024.
