Post Mortem | The Perplexing Death of Susann Sills

Summary

Post Mortem | The Perplexing Death of Suzanne Sills - Detailed Summary

Introduction

In the final episode of the season, host Anne-Marie Green delves into the mysterious death of Suzanne Sills, presenting a comprehensive analysis of the case that culminated in the charging of her husband, Dr. Scott Sills, with her murder. Joined by 48 Hours correspondent Tracy Smith and producer Gayanne Kashishian Mendez, the episode explores the intricate details, conflicting testimonies, and emotional turmoil surrounding this perplexing case.

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Background of the Case

Suzanne Sills was discovered dead at the bottom of a staircase in her Orange County, California, home on Sunday, November 13, 2016. Her husband, Dr. Scott Sills, a renowned fertility doctor, initially reported her death as an accidental fall. However, as investigations unfolded, suspicions arose, leading to Dr. Sills being charged with murder.

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The 911 Call Analysis

A pivotal piece of evidence in the trial was the 911 call made by Dr. Sills on the morning of Suzanne's death. The call revealed unusual behavior from the husband, raising questions about his credibility and intentions.

• Suspicious Behavior: During the call, Dr. Sills referred to Suzanne as "a patient," which struck Anne-Marie Green as atypical for someone in a personal crisis. Green remarked, “Why is he acting like he doesn't know CPR? He's a doctor” ([03:21]).

• Delayed CPR Response: Tracy Smith highlighted that Dr. Sills waited approximately five minutes before initiating CPR, a delay that the prosecution argued indicated premeditation. Smith stated, “The prosecution said that this 911 call is really just a setup for him to tell his story for the first time” ([03:24]).

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Cause of Death and Forensic Evidence

A year after Suzanne's death, the coroner's office concluded that she died from ligature strangulation, categorizing it as a homicide. The timing of this determination became a point of contention during the trial.

• Pathologist's Deliberation: The defense questioned the delay, suggesting potential bias in the forensic pathologist's assessment. Tracy Smith explained, “The defense attorney tried to say that she kind of arbitrarily picked the cause of death” ([05:54]).

• Prosecution's Defense: Investigators maintained that the pathologist took necessary time to ensure an accurate conclusion, considering additional evidence like crime scene photos and blood patterns ([07:16]).

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Defense Arguments and Theories Involving Dogs

One of the defense's main strategies was to introduce alternative explanations for the ligature marks found on Suzanne's neck.

• Dogs as Perpetrators: The defense posited that Dr. Sills' two dogs could have caused the ligature marks by pulling on Suzanne's scarf post-fall. Gayanne Kashishian Mendez noted, “The jurors brought up that dogs would have had to be pulling evenly at the same time” ([07:50]).

• Refuting the Theory: Forensic testimony contested this claim, asserting that the dogs' nails would not have effectively gripped the wooden staircase to produce such marks ([08:25]).

• Alternate Explanation: Dr. Sills suggested that a single dog might have been responsible, reducing the need for coordinated effort, though this theory was met with skepticism ([09:07]).

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Possible Motives Explored

The episode delves into several potential motives behind Dr. Sills' alleged actions, painting a complex picture of marital and professional strains.

1. Angry Texts and Financial Stress:

   • Text Messages: Suzanne had sent angry texts in the months leading up to her death, expressing frustration over financial pressures from their joint business ventures.
   • Marital Tensions: Friends of Suzanne mentioned that she felt disrespected by Dr. Sills' older children, particularly her son, and was upset by his lack of support ([12:17]).

2. Patrick.net and Online Activity:

   • Political Chat Room: Suzanne was active on Patrick.net, a conservative political forum, where she shared personal photos and engaged in discussions.
   • Defense's Stance: The defense argued that Dr. Sills had no motive to be angry over her online activity, emphasizing their professional collaboration ([13:07]).
   • Suspicious Posts: After Dr. Sills' arrest, messages from Patrick.net hinted at impending media attention, adding another layer of intrigue ([14:03]).

3. Letter to Marie Dalton:

   • Affair Allegations: Two weeks postSuzanne's death, Dr. Sills penned a letter to Marie Dalton, a former nurse he met online, expressing romantic interest.
   • Interpretation of Intent: The letter suggested a desire to replace Suzanne emotionally and professionally, raising suspicions about Dr. Sills' motives ([19:02]).
   • Mechanical Language: Comments by the hosts highlighted the letter's disjointed and mechanical nature, questioning its sincerity ([20:03]).

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The Trial and Verdict

The crux of the trial centered on whether Dr. Sills' actions constituted first-degree (premeditated) or second-degree (not premeditated) murder.

• Prosecution's Argument for First-Degree Murder: The prosecution contended that the prolonged period of strangulation indicated planning, asserting that Dr. Sills had ample opportunity to cease his actions ([22:01]).

• Jury Deliberations: The jury ultimately convicted Dr. Sills of second-degree murder, concluding that while he did commit the act, it was not premeditated. Gayanne Kashishian Mendez explained, “They felt like he snapped and that it was not something that he planned out” ([23:21]).

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Reactions from the Family

The verdict evoked strong emotions from Suzanne's family, particularly her daughter, Mary Catherine.

• Mary Catherine's Grief: She remains steadfast in her belief in her father's innocence, expressing profound loss and longing for her parents' presence ([24:22]).

• Twin Brother's Testimony: Although less vocal, Mary Catherine's twin brother, Eric, supported his father, testifying to his honesty and reliability despite memories fading from childhood incidents ([25:31]).

• Grandmother Teresa's Statement: At sentencing, Teresa focused on celebrating Suzanne's life and expressed sorrow over her loss, maintaining a respectful stance towards the legal proceedings ([26:40]).

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Sentencing and Future Implications

Dr. Scott Sills received a sentence of 15 years to life for second-degree murder, making him eligible for parole in 2033. The relatively lenient sentence compared to first-degree murder underscores the jury's perception of the act as impulsive rather than calculated.

• Potential for Parole: The upcoming parole consideration raises questions about justice and closure for Suzanne's family, who continue to grapple with their grief and the unresolved tensions surrounding the case ([26:26]).

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Conclusion

"The Perplexing Death of Suzanne Sills" presents a multifaceted investigation into a tragic and mysterious death. Through meticulous examination of evidence, testimonies, and psychological motives, the episode underscores the complexities inherent in criminal investigations and the profound impact on the families involved. As Dr. Sills serves his sentence, the lingering questions about motive and innocence continue to resonate, leaving listeners to ponder the true nature of justice in this heartbreaking case.

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Notable Quotes

• Anne-Marie Green on Dr. Sills' 911 Call: “Why is he acting like he doesn't know CPR? He's a doctor” ([03:21]).

• Tracy Smith on Prosecution's View of the 911 Call: “The prosecution said that this 911 call is really just a setup for him to tell his story for the first time” ([03:24]).

• Gayanne Kashishian Mendez on Jury's Opinion of Dog Involvement: “The jurors brought up that dogs would have had to be pulling evenly at the same time” ([07:50]).

• Tracy Smith on Second-Degree Verdict: “They felt like he snapped and that it was not something that he planned out” ([23:21]).

• Mary Catherine's Emotional Statement: “I want my father to walk me down the aisle at my wedding... I've been left orphaned, and I feel so lost without my parents” ([24:22]).

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Closing Remarks

This episode of "Post Mortem" encapsulates the intricate dance between evidence, motive, and human emotion in the pursuit of truth. As listeners reflect on the Sills case, the narrative serves as a poignant reminder of the enduring quest for justice and understanding in the face of tragedy.

Transcript

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[Ann Marie Green]

Hello, and welcome to Postmortem. I'm your host, Ann Marie Green, and today we're talking about the case of Suzanne Sills, who was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in her Orange County, California, home. Now, her husband, a renowned fertility doctor, claims that she fell and her death was an accident, but later he's charged with her murder. So joining me now to discuss the final episode of this season are 48 Hours correspondent Tracy Smith and producer Gayanne Kashishian Mendez. Tracy Gyanne, thanks so much for joining us.

[Gayanne Kashishian Mendez]

Thanks for having us.

[Tracy Smith]

Thank you.

[Ann Marie Green]

All right, everyone, before we dive in, a quick reminder for our listeners to go first and watch or listen to this episode. The title is the Puzzling Death of Suzanne Sills. You can find the full audio just below this episode in your podcast feed. So go listen if you haven't already, and then come join us for our conversation. All right, here we go. So there's something really unusual about this case. It's that Susanna's husband is a doctor. And you would imagine that if you're going to have an accident at home and fall down your stairs, this is the best case scenario. The doctor is already there. So we heard some portions of the 911 call that he made on that morning, Sunday, November 13, 2016. We wanna play some of it because there are a few that really jumped out at me right away.

[911 Operator]

Okay, and what's happened?

[Caller]

We got a patient here who's fallen upstairs, and I don't have a pulse, and she's cold and I don't know what time this happened.

[911 Operator]

Oh, okay. So is she. So she's not breathing?

[Caller]

No, she's not breathing.

[911 Operator]

She's not breathing. Okay, sir, I've got help being sent while we're talking. Is there anybody else there with you?

[Caller]

Oh, yes, the whole family's here.

[911 Operator]

Okay, get her. Let's get her down on a hard, flat surface on her back. Okay, we're gonna give you instructions while paramedics are driving.

[Caller]

I'll put you on speakerphone. Hang on a minute.

[911 Operator]

Okay.

[Caller]

Can you hear me?

[911 Operator]

Okay, I can still hear you, sir. So you found her down at the bottom of the stairs?

[Caller]

Yeah, partially on the stairs.

[911 Operator]

Okay.

[Caller]

Looks like her shoe come off or something. So you want me to put her on her back?

[911 Operator]

Right on her back. Flat on her back.

[Ann Marie Green]

Why is he acting like he doesn't know cpr? He's a doctor.

[Tracy Smith]

That's a really good point, and it's something that was debated at the trial. The 911 call was actually played several times, both by the prosecution and the defense. And when the prosecution played it, she really dissected it from the perspective of. Look at all these things that sound different than what you would expect a person who's just found his wife dead and trying to save her life would do. She argues that he's putting off giving her CPR, that he actually waits for the 911 operator to give him instructions on doing CPR. And he's kind of fiddling around trying to find something called a pulse oximeter, which measures if you're breathing, if you have a heartbeat. And so he waits about five minutes before he actually starts administering the cpr. And, you know, I think we all know that it's key to start doing CPR right away. The prosecution said that this 911 call is really just a setup for him to tell his story for the first time. And he knows that she's dead. There's nothing he can do. So he's just sort of biding his time and going through the motions.

[Ann Marie Green]

But then he also calls her the patient.

[Gayanne Kashishian Mendez]

So Jack early, the defense attorney for Dr. Sills, says, yes, he calls her the patient, but he's in doctor mode. So he is maybe detaching himself a little bit, but that's because he's gone into doctor mode. Now he's getting the pulse ox because the 911 operator asked if she was alive. So he's. That's his thought is, I can get the pulse ox to find out if she's alive. This is what Jack early is telling us. He also was saying he's not doing CPR every day in his IVF practice. So, of course, he's maybe a little rusty on cpr. And he also argues that Mary Catherine, the daughter is sitting there. Would Mary Catherine be in on this conspiracy? This is what Jack Early's asking me. That she would see her father not doing CPR and not say something.

[Ann Marie Green]

Okay, Those are all really, really interesting points that I had not considered. So. A year after Suzanne's death, the coroner's office finally cited her cause of death as ligature strangulation. And the manner, a homicide out of curios. Why did it take a year to come to a conclusion? Or is that a standard length of time?

[Tracy Smith]

It's something that was brought up at trial and something that Jack early, the defense attorney, kind of went after the fact that it took a year to get this ruling for the cause of death and made the case that the forensic pathologist was essentially on the prosecution's team, you know, working with the investigators, rather than being sort of an objective scientific mind looking at the case. And when the forensic pathologist who did the autopsy was on the stand, the defense attorney tried to say that she kind of arbitrarily picked the cause of death and waited until there was more from the investigation so that she could figure out which one fit best and chose that conclusion. But the investigators say, look, she just wanted to be careful. She wanted to look at all the facts. And the forensic pathologist does look at evidence in the case. They're not looking at just the body. So in this case, she saw early on that There was a C3 fracture and the ligature mark, and she indicated all of the injuries, you know, on a diagram right away. But she didn't draw her conclusions until she actually saw some crime scene photos and found out about the blood in the room.

[Ann Marie Green]

At a trial In November of 2023, the defense made the argument that the ligature marks could have been made by Sil's two dogs pulling at the scarf around Suzanne's neck after she'd already fallen down the stairs. How did that argument stand up at trial? I know they showed pictures of the dogs playing tug of war. I don't know if you guys are pet people. I think anyone who has had a dog knows they play tug of war, but I don't know. With the. With your scarf around your neck.

[Gayanne Kashishian Mendez]

Yeah, I mean, it's an interesting point. Anne Marie, the forensic pathologist testified at trial that the ligature mark required a sustained, even pull. On both sides. And the jurors discussed this when they went into deliberations. The dogs would have had to be pulling evenly at the same time. And the other thing that the jurors brought up is that if she was on this wooden staircase, how could the dogs with their nails, even get a grip to be able to pull on the scarf? So, yeah, it would have to be a very coordinated effort by the dogs, according to how the jurors looked at this.

[Ann Marie Green]

Yeah, there was also the fact that, you know, there was no damage on the stairs from Suzanne falling. You would think that there would be some scuffs, something. How did the defense explain that?

[Tracy Smith]

He didn't necessarily try to explain it. I think he was more trying to poke holes in the prosecution's theory. And he countered it with, well, you don't see marks anywhere else in the house. You know, like, the prosecution's arguing there's this big fight to the death in the bedroom and that he placed her at the bottom of the stairs. But he's saying, if that's true, where's the evidence of that? Why isn't there more blood? Why isn't there blood all over the floor, damage to the furniture? You know, he's saying there are no marks anywhere if you're gonna make the argument that there are no marks on the stairs. So that was more. His strategy was to kind of give you the argument for the reverse.

[Ann Marie Green]

And then, you know, Tracy, when you spoke to Jack earlier, he sort of gave a little more insight into what he thought happened.

[Gayanne Kashishian Mendez]

He kind of had two theories. But. And let me just explain this. It was tough to get the full story out of Jack early because he says he can't tell it because it's Dr. Sills story. Dr. Sills didn't testify. So he basically said, we didn't get the whole story at trial. There's more to tell, and Scott Sills has to tell it. Now, having said that, what he said to us was, maybe she was killed by the C3 fracture. So the fracture to her neck, which would have happened from a fall down the stairs, or maybe she was incapacitated enough from this C3 fracture that then she's at the bottom of the stairs, and the dogs pull on the scarf enough to leave the mark, not necessarily to kill her. He also theorized that maybe it was one dog because the scarf was tied around her neck. And then you wouldn't have to have the coordination of the two dogs. Then you just have the one dog pulling on the tied scarf. And it could have Made that even Mark. This was his theory.

[Ann Marie Green]

Did they present any of that at trial?

[Gayanne Kashishian Mendez]

I mean. Yes, he did. He even went so far as to test the scarf for dog DNA. And it came back positive with dog DNA, cat DNA and pig DNA, which they explained as the dogs were eating pig ears as snacks. And so that would leave pig DNA on the scarf. But, yeah, I mean, he went with the dog theory. Yes.

[Ann Marie Green]

So he was sort of asking the jury to disregard the coroner's report and to find a different cause of death.

[Gayanne Kashishian Mendez]

Yes, he poked holes in. Exactly. In the ruling that it was ligature strangulation that caused. That was the cause of death. Yes.

[Ann Marie Green]

All right, so let us talk about the motive. Because it seems like the prosecution really didn't have a clear explanation for why Dr. Seals would want to murder his wife.

[Gayanne Kashishian Mendez]

Yeah, that's true. I mean, they said that they didn't need to prove motive, but they gave a lot of options. Right, Guyanne?

[Tracy Smith]

Yeah. I mean, some of this we went into in our hour, but there were some angry texts that Suzanne had sent within three months of her death. You know, there were finances that were. That were kind of tight because they had started this business. And so they had to put kind of everything into it while it got off the ground. And another issue that we heard not only in trial, but also from one of the friends of Suzanne that we interviewed was that Suzanne felt really disrespected by Scott's older children, at times his son. And she was upset that, you know, her husband really didn't stick up for her. So that was something that the prosecutor also mentioned at trial. That in these text messages was one of the things that she was. She was mad at him about.

[Gayanne Kashishian Mendez]

I think the texts are really interesting because, you know, in talking to Jack early, he basically said, if you pull out these things that we pulled out, like, I just want out, and you're killing me. Yes, they sound very. Damn. But these are all related to work. This couple worked together. That it's that working relationship that caused all of the tension. And you shouldn't read so much into it. You know what? I work with my spouse. I kind of get that argument. It can get tense. And it doesn't mean it's not a reflection on the whole marriage. It's just in that working situation.

[Tracy Smith]

And then, of course, There are those Patrick.net posts and the photo that was posted of Suzanne topless.

[Ann Marie Green]

Let us talk about this, because I found the whole thing just really odd. But let's just start with. Cause I'd Never heard of Patrick.net can you just sort of explain what Patrick.net is?

[Gayanne Kashishian Mendez]

So it's basically this political chat room that's frequented by conservatives, kind of like Twitter or Reddit, but they say much more freedom of speech than either Twitter or Reddit.

[Tracy Smith]

Patrick actually testified.

[Ann Marie Green]

Patrick from Patrick.net yes.

[Tracy Smith]

He was a witness and he said that there were about 13,000 members. A few hundred of them were active. So kind of a small online community. But Suzanne seemed pretty active and they were really friendly exchanges. She. She seems to feel really comfortable talking about her political views. She even shared some personal photos of herself, her family, her pets. It was kind of like her little space and she seemed comfortable expressing herself.

[Ann Marie Green]

Is this something that she argued with her husband about her participation on this site?

[Tracy Smith]

When Patrick testified, he said that someone claiming to be Dr. Sills emailed him after Suzanne's death. He was being asked to remove Suzanne's information off of patrick.net and he said that that made him really uncomfortable and he felt like it would be destroying evidence. He said he left everything as is pertaining to suzanne. And when Dr. Sills was arrested, somebody, one of the users actually posted something like, you know, why do I have a feeling this is going to end up on 48 Hours Mystery on CBS? So, yeah, it was very interesting.

[Ann Marie Green]

Okay, let's Talk about that Patrick.net post that Suzanne made this photo, this topless photo.

[Tracy Smith]

One of her friends that we interviewed, Chris Solemini, he said that, you know, she wasn't like an overly flirtatious person. That wasn't the purpose with which she would do this. But he said she was somebody who would stick to her words. So she made that promise. She was not gonna back down.

[Ann Marie Green]

So in the photo, though, you notice both of Suzanne's hands are partially visible. It might have been taken using a self timer, but do we have any idea who actually took this photo?

[Gayanne Kashishian Mendez]

Well, the defense argued at one point that it was Mary Katherine who took the photo. Right. And I'm not sure how that helps them in saying that maybe that it was like a family activity and so he wouldn't have been angry about this. Like, I'm just like, I'm not sure where they were going with that. But Jack early made it very clear to us that he did not think Scott was angered by this photo and by the chat. The question is, if it didn't bother him so much, then why did he have a Screenshot of the patrick.net chat on his phone and then a printout of that on his printer?

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[Ann Marie Green]

Welcome back. So another possible motive that investigators explored was a one time relationship Sils had with a woman named Marie Dalton. Now she was a former nurse that he met online while he was still married to Suzanne. I want to play a clip that we didn't get to put in the hour of Marie's conversation with police after Suzanne died.

[Ad]

So did he mention like he was stuck in his, you know, loveless marriage and you know, he's kind of, kind of miserable?

[I]

He wasn't miserable, but he would say that they oh, he slept in his office a few times. We text. It sounds like we had a big affair, right?

[Ann Marie Green]

And we met.

[I]

Nothing, I promise you, nothing like that. We met once for like an hour.

[Tracy Smith]

One time.

[I]

One time. This was all done email or text. And I think I boosted the guy's ego. That's, that's what happened. I think I came in and you know, here he's been married what, 10, 12 years and she's very beautiful, you know, very nice. He said she was a good mother. But yeah, I think he's miserable. I, I felt that and because when I would say something nice, he would just like feed me more you know, he's like a machine.

[Ad]

I don't know.

[I]

But you have to feed compliments, too.

[Ann Marie Green]

I mean, it almost sounds a little like she feels kind of sorry for him, like she's just not that into him. But he is in need of this ego boost.

[Gayanne Kashishian Mendez]

Yeah. Yeah. I also it how she starts out saying he wasn't miserable. Oh, yeah, I guess he was pretty miserable. It's interesting how she makes that turn.

[Tracy Smith]

She. She kind of makes him sound like a little bit of a narcissist, you know? Although later in the interview, I think she also admits to leading him on a little bit because she's got a thing for doctors.

[Gayanne Kashishian Mendez]

Two weeks after Suzanne died, Dr. Sill sent Marie a letter. And I just want to read you a portion of that because it kind of illuminates this a little more by the way he addresses her as ma chre Marie, whoever I find out there, and I pray it really is you. I am confident she will be an exceptionally bright and vivacious woman, and I will be envied by all other men because I will have her. But you need to understand that in my heart, at the end of the day, that relationship will always be judged against your glow. I'm not just saying this to Jack up your ego. For me, you really have set an incredibly high standard and you probably weren't even trying. So I want the original and then in capital letters U. Yeah, he's.

[Ann Marie Green]

He's a. He's a wee bit rusty, I guess, in the wooing department, but it almost sounds like something that was, like, written by ChatGPT. There's something. I don't know how to explain it, like, somewhat sort of oddly mechanical about it.

[Gayanne Kashishian Mendez]

Mm. That's an interesting point. He is a scientist.

[Tracy Smith]

Once she heard about the arrest, Marie told investigators she felt guilty and she thought that. That he might have killed his wife basically to be with her.

[Gayanne Kashishian Mendez]

But, you know, we did ask Jack early about this flat out, did he want to get Suzanne out of the way? And he said no. And then he actually went on to say off camera that Dr. Sills really was just looking for essentially a replacement for Suzanne, mother wise, that he wanted someone to help with the kids, basically to be a mom to the kids.

[Ann Marie Green]

Does the letter include anything about, I think you'd make such a good mother.

[Tracy Smith]

He's very complimentary to Marie, and he actually kind of numerically lists the things that he finds so intriguing about her. And I don't remember if her maternal skills are one of them, but he. He definitely talks about how Great. She looks in a bikini and says, you know, you would really help me with my practice. You know, we would take it to another level. And he's kind of like offering her the position of business manager that Suzanne held. And throughout this letter, which is. Which is quite long, or email, rather, he kind of reminds himself that, oh, but I've been through this tragedy. But now that I've had a chance to grieve and I'm ready to get out there again, I really want you in my life. And we don't have to sneak around.

[Ann Marie Green]

Now just to remind everyone. This letter comes two weeks after his wife dies. So the jury deliberates, and the big question is not only if they're gonna find him guilty, but if they will find him guilty of first degree or second degree murder. So first off, can we kind of explain what the difference is?

[Gayanne Kashishian Mendez]

Sure. Basically, first degree murder is premeditated, and second degree murder is not premeditated. So second degree, you didn't plan it. First degree, you did plan it. Now, in this case, the prosecution argues that, no, he. Perhaps he didn't think about this days or weeks ahead of time, but it was premeditated, they say, in the fact that when he strangled her, he did it for a long period of time. And so the amount of time that it takes to strangle someone to death, and not just incapacitate them, is long enough for him to say, what am I doing? And stop.

[Tracy Smith]

The prosecutor and also the medical experts testified that it takes 30 seconds to render someone unconscious. And then depending on how old you are, you know, your health, it could take, you know, three to five minutes to actually strangle someone to death. And the prosecutor actually looked at her watch and said, let's all just wait for 30 seconds just to see how long 30 seconds feels like.

[Gayanne Kashishian Mendez]

And so during that time that he was strangling her, he could have stopped. That was where the premeditation came in.

[Ann Marie Green]

Mm. After about three hours, the jury came back with a verdict, and they find him not guilty of first degree murder, but guilty of second degree murder. Were you surprised by this decision?

[Gayanne Kashishian Mendez]

You know, it's interesting. Cause we talked with the jurors quite a bit about motive, and they said that they. They wanted to know the why, but they also said that they didn't need the why to know that he did it. And they told us that they spent a lot of time going first degree, second degree, first degree, second degree. And the reason that they couldn't do first degree is just that they felt like he snapped and that it Was not something that he planned out.

[Ann Marie Green]

A split 30 second decision to, you know, the prosecution's argument. The sentencing is about three months after the verdict, and we hear from a couple of members of Suzanne's family, including her daughter Mary Catherine, who still believes in her father's innocence. And, you know, this murder would have had to be occurring while both of his children are just upstairs sleeping.

[Tracy Smith]

Right.

[Ann Marie Green]

It takes a certain type of person to do that. Mary Catherine does not believe that her father is that type of person. Here's some of what she had to say.

I want my father to walk me down the aisle at my wedding. Someday when I have a family and children, I want my father to be there to hold my baby. I've been left orphaned, and I feel so lost without my parents.

My heart was breaking for her. What I heard was a young woman just trying to hang on to anything, A wisp of the life she had before this nightmare began. And if it's just a little bit of her father, then she wants it.

[Tracy Smith]

Yeah, it's really unfathomable what she and her brother Eric have been through. You know, from the age of 12, losing their mom, They've sort of lost their dad now, even though he's alive, but he's not gonna be around, really. And Mary Catherine's foster mom passed away shortly before the sentencing, and she apparently is the one who found her. So just so much tragedy, and it's just heartbreaking.

[Ann Marie Green]

Yeah. Clearly we know where Mary Catherine stands on this, but what about her brother, her twin brother? Do we know anything about, you know, how he feels about his dad and how he feels about what happened?

[Tracy Smith]

So he's out of state, whereas Mary Catherine still lives in Southern California. But both Mary Catherine and Eric were called to testify at the trial by the prosecution. He would say things like, I don't really remember. But then he would be presented with a statement that he made when he was 12. And when asked, he would say, yes, you know, that that was truthful. So, you know, they're very much in their dad's corner.

[Ann Marie Green]

Dr. Seals received the mandatory sentence under California law for second degree murder, which is 15 years to life. Would his sentence be different if it had been a first degree murder? Guilty murder, yes.

[Gayanne Kashishian Mendez]

That sentence is 25 years to life in California. And he's eligible for parole, as we mentioned at the end of the hour, in 2033, which kind of seems like it's just around the corner.

[Ann Marie Green]

Yeah, it's true. Fifteen years doesn't seem like much. Suzanne's mother, Teresa also gave a statement at sentencing about the loss of her daughter. What was it like to listen to her talk about the kind of person her daughter was?

[Tracy Smith]

So I was at the sentencing, and they were sitting on separate sides of the courtroom where the grandmother, Teresa and Suzanne's stepbrother were on one side, you know, kind of on the prosecution side. And then Mary Catherine and her other friends and family were on the defense side of the aisle. Teresa was very careful not to say anything really negative about Dr. Sills. She really focused on her daughter Suzanne and this amazing woman that she was and the hopes that she had to see her daughter grow up and get married and all these wonderful things. And then once the sentencing was over, Mary Catherine came over and talked to her grandmother, and they reminisced a little bit. That was nice to see, because we did know that that was something that was really important for Suzanne's mom was to maintain the relationship, at least with her grandchildren. And she made a really poignant remark during her statement.

[Gayanne Kashishian Mendez]

Oh, yeah, we mentioned this in the hour. The staircase that, you know, here is this staircase that Suzanne dreamed of seeing Mary Catherine walk down on her wedding day. And I think as moms, we all think about that like I think about the staircase in my home and watching my daughter walk down for prom. And that just was so poignant that, of course, the staircase ended up playing an entirely different role.

[Ann Marie Green]

Tracey Guyan, this has been fantastic. The final 48 hours for the season.

[Gayanne Kashishian Mendez]

Thank you.

[Tracy Smith]

Thanks, Anne Marie.

[Ann Marie Green]

All right, and thank you to our listeners for tuning in to this season of postmortem. We have one more special episode coming up next week, and then we'll be back for a new season of 48 Hours in September. But keep your eye on the 48 Hours podcast feed this summer for more classic 48 Hours episodes and perhaps a few more. If you like this series postmortem, please rate and review 48 hours on Apple Podcasts and follow 48 hours wherever you get your podcasts. And you can also listen ad free on the Amazon Music and Wondery app or with a 48 hours plus subscription on Apple Podcasts. Thanks again for listening.