OC fertility doctor found guilty of murdering wife
SANTA ANA, CA - November 28: Eric Scott Sills listens during opening statements in Orange County Superior Court in Santa Ana, CA on Tuesday, November 28, 2023. Sills is on trial for the death of his wife, Susann Sills. (Photo by Paul Bersebach/MediaN
SANTA ANA, Calif. - A fertility doctor was convicted of second-degree murder for the strangulation death of his wife.
Eric Scott Sills, 58, faces a maximum sentence of 15 years to life in state prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 15.
According to the Orange County DA's office, on Nov. 13, 2016, Sills called 911 to say he woke up and found his wife's lifeless body at the bottom of the stairs. However, evidence presented at the trial showed that 45-year-old Susann Sills died from strangulation. Detectives found blood stains on the walls and curtains in their daughter’s bedroom, apparently where Susann was sleeping due to a migraine. Detectives also found a clump of her hair in the room, indicating there was a struggle.
According to the DA's office, Sills tried to stage his wife's murder by making it look like she fell 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," said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer.
"Dr. Sills was sworn to care for the sick and injured and his chosen profession as a fertility doctor helped bring so much joy to his patients but the woman he vowed to love in sickness and health was strangled to death by his own hands."