05x16 - Second Shot at Love

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: cincinnati heart
surgeon dr. Darryl sutorius had

A second chance at love when he
married a pretty, young

Divorcée.

But happiness is sometimes
elusive.

Dr. Sutorius fell into a
serious depression...

And apparently committed su1c1de
with a .38-caliber p*stol.

But why did he fire a test shot
into the sofa cushion before

k*lling himself?

Cincinnati, ohio, the sixth
largest city in the united
states.

Because of its size and
sophistication

Its healthcare facility are
among the finest

Anywhere.

Dr. Darryl sutorius was one of
the city's most successful and

Respected heart surgeons, but he
was also impatient and

Demanding.

Dr. Sutorius was a very busy
surgeon, but he didn't have the

Strongest people skills.

He was perceived by many of his
co-workers as very gruff, angry,

Kind of difficult to please sort
of man.

Narrator: dr. Sutorius met
his wife, janet, who was a nurse

At the same hospital.

The couple had four children
together -- three daughters and

A son.

And it wasn't long before janet
realized the many challenges of

Being married to a busy doctor.

He was in solo practice,
which took up all of his time.

He was on call all of the time.

He chose to do that, and he was
doing very well, but it wasn't

Easy.

And he was always worried that
his last referral would be his

Last referral.

Narrator: the hard work and
sacrifice paid off.

By the mid-1980s, dr. Sutorius
was earning $300,000 a year.

But the climb to the top of his
profession came with a price.

The marriage was strained due to
long hours, pressure, and

Darryl's expl*sive temper.

He was almost dangerous.

He could put you down.

He could make you feel really
bad about yourself.

And he would do it, and
sometimes to the children.

He liked to be in control, and
he liked to be in charge, and he

Liked to be a provider and a
caretaker.

While we enjoyed some of that,
we weren't totally wanting to be

Controlled or taken care of, and
that bothered him.

I think I was a little too
independent for him.

Narrator: after 30 years of
marriage, the couple divorced.

Dr. Sutorius was lonely,
depressed, and overweight, and

Had a difficult time living
apart from his children.

He was interested in finding
a woman, I think, who didn't

Challenge him much, who would
tell him how wonderful he was

And stroke his ego, so to speak.

Narrator: for companionship,
sutorius turned to a dating

Service.

Dating services are a big
business in the united states.

For a fee, clients provide their
picture and personal

Information, which the service
distributes to other clients.

The dating service thought
dr. Sutorius and 45-year-old

Dante britain would make a good
match.

Ms. Britain described herself as
the owner of a daycare facility

Who had recently been divorced.

She was cute.

You know, perfect size 2, very
petite.

She was able to give off the air
of, "I am a catch," which is

Very important to a mate, you
know, somebody looking for a

Mate.

Narrator: after four months
of dating, dr. Sutorius and

Dante were married.

It looked as if darryl was
moving on with his life, but

Soon his new wife noticed
problems.

He was very nice and very
kind, but he was so depressed.

Narrator: and along with
depression, dante discovered

That darryl was impotent.

He was embarrassed to tell
me.

And he wasn't, I guess, quite
sure how I'd take it.

And I just told him, "just keep
giving me lots of hugs and lots

Of kisses on the cheek and just
keep holding my hand."

Narrator: dr. Sutorius was so
depressed that he spoke of

Committing su1c1de to some of
his colleagues.

Part of the problem were some
startling secrets he found out

About his new wife.

Narrator: after dr. Sutorius
married dante britain, the

Couple moved into a luxurious
home in an upscale cincinnati

Suburb.

Dante relished the lifestyle
that her husband's income could

Provide.

She finally had her wish.

She had fur coats made, she had
jaguars, she had lexus -- she

Had all the things she wanted.

She went to spas, to the
caribbean, on holidays.

Really, that's what she seemed
to always want, was that perfect

Lifestyle.

Narrator: but from the start,
the marriage was in trouble.

Dr. Sutorius was suffering from
depression, impotence, and the

Couple fought, often about money
and who controlled the purse

Strings.

Oh, deborah, I am so happy
for you.

Wherever you want the wedding
reception is fine.

Don't worry about the cost.

I'll take care of it.

Narrator: there had been a
terrible argument when dante

Learned darryl was going to pay
for his daughter's wedding.

You spend far too much money
on your kids the way it is, and

I'm sick of it.

This is ridiculous.

Narrator: dante resented
spending money on darryl's

Children.

If he were to buy something
for the children, she would

Retaliate by going out and
buying designer clothes, furs,

Jewelry, running up the credit
card bill, basically in

Retaliation for him paying
attention to his own children.

Narrator: dante's behavior
prompted sutorius to look into

His wife's background.

He found out that much of what
dante had told him were lies.

Her real name was della hall.

She never graduated from ucla,
as she had claimed.

In fact, she hadn't finished
high school.

And she had lied about how many
times she had been married.

Dr. Sutorius was della's
fifth husband.

She was the type of person who
had to have the last word, who

Would often go out of a
relationship with a bang, so to

Speak.

Narrator: and sutorius
discovered his new wife had a

Long history of v*olence.

She threatened husband number
four with a g*n.

She threatened husband number
three with a knife.

She -- one guy, the common-law
husband, she actually drugged

Him and lit his bed on fire.

He woke up in a burning bed.

He lived through it, thank god.

There were rumors that she
had m*rder*d previous boyfriends

And possibly another husband out
in california.

We spent quite a bit of time
working with the los angeles

Homicide squad, who were very
cooperative and tracked down

Several leads for us.

But we were never able to
identify a previous boyfriend or

Husband in southern california
that was not currently alive.

Narrator: mrs. Sutorius had
also been convicted of

Threatening an earlier husband
with a g*n, an incident that

Terrified darryl.

I spoke to one of his
colleagues, another heart

Surgeon in cincinnati, about
this, and he said darryl came

Into work one day wearing a
bulletproof vest.

And this other surgeon could not
believe it.

He said, "what are you talking
about?"

And darryl said, "well, I'm
fearful for my life, and I'm

Wearing a bulletproof vest."

He admitted to it.

Officer, I need your help.

Narrator: after learning the
truth about his new wife,

Dr. Sutorius stopped a local
policeman at a gas station.

He handed the policeman a
handgun belonging to his wife

And asked him to take it because
he feared for his life.

The policeman noted that
dr. Sutorius seemed disoriented.

Dr. Sutorius' next stop was his
lawyer's office.

Although the marriage was only


His wife cut out of his will.

He also began divorce
proceedings.

By this time, the couple no
longer slept together.

He spent most of his time in the
basement, and days would go by

Without the two of them seeing
one another.

On monday morning, february 19,


Up for work and didn't answer
his pages.

His nurse called 911.

This is 911 emergency
dispatcher hormon.

I work for a darryl sutorius.

He is a doctor, and I have been
paging him.

I'm afraid something has
happened to him because this

Isn't like him not to answer a
page.

[ Siren wails ]
[ chimes ring ]

[ Doorbell rings ]
narrator: when police arrived

At the sutorius home,
mrs. Sutorius said she didn't

Know where her husband was.

Police asked to search the home.

Dr. Sutorius' car was in the
garage.

Oh, my god! I found him!

Narrator: in the basement,
they found dr. Sutorius dead of

A g*nsh*t wound to the head.

A .38-caliber p*stol was on the
floor.

It had the appearances of a
su1c1de.

It was a g*nsh*t wound to the
side of the head.

The g*n was relatively close to
the body.

Narrator: the blood was
completely dry, and rigor mortis

Had set in -- an indication that
he had been dead for at least a

Day or two.

It appeared that sutorius had
been drinking and watching

Television when he fired the
fatal shot.

Well, I knew that he was
certainly suicidal, and his

Lawyer thought that he was
suicidal and that there had been

A chance that it had been
su1c1de.

Narrator: the .38-caliber
p*stol used in dr. Sutorius'

Death was registered to
mrs. Sutorius, who had picked it

Up from this store just 24 hours
before he was k*lled.

Narrator: first impressions
indicated that dr. Sutorius'

Death was su1c1de.

He was depressed, on
antidepressant medication, and

He told friends he was
considering su1c1de.

Mrs. Sutorius said she didn't
hear any g*nshots from the

Basement, but the next-door
neighbors heard a loud bang

From the sutorius home sometime
after midnight on saturday.

When forensic experts arrived at
the scene, they immediately saw

Other inconsistencies.

Two sh*ts had been fired, one
into the sofa cushion, the

Other to the head.

It is not uncommon at all for
the person who is gonna use this

Firearm to take their own life
to test-fire the w*apon first to

Make sure they know how to use
the w*apon.

Narrator: the b*llet entered
just above the right ear, and

There was no exit wound.

Blood was expelled from
sutorius' mouth and nose, but

There was blood spatter on
dr. Sutorius' left arm, as well

As both sides of his right hand.

It appeared that sutorius' right
arm was in his lap at the time

Of the fatal shot, and not
behind his head holding the g*n.

Proof of this was blood found on
dr. Sutorius' right palm.

If dr. Sutorius shot himself,
the handle of the g*n would have

Prevented blood spatter from
hitting his palm when the shot

Was fired.

The bloodstains that are
present on the palmar surface of

The right hand of dr. Sutorius
represent the exhalation of

Blood after injury.

And these are distributed over
quite a wide area, but it also

Indicates that the right hand
was very close to the face and

Indicates to me that the hand
was moved after the exhalation

Of blood occurred.

You've got the problem -- if
darryl sutorius fired the fatal

Shot at himself, his hand would
have been back here at the time

And not in the position to
receive the blood spatter.

Narrator: another
discrepancy -- blood on the

Front of the sofa in front of
the body.

This blood couldn't have come
from him and been hitting the

Front of the couch at a


This had to have been, like,
flung off of somebody's hands.

Narrator: finally, there was
the second b*llet fired at the

Scene.

It was possible that
dr. Sutorius had test-fired the

w*apon before firing the fatal
shot into his head.

But the powder burns on
dr. Sutorius' right hand and on

The sofa were on top of the
blood, which meant the blood was

There first, before the second
shot was fired.

Dr. Sutorius most likely
would not have been able to fire

That shot himself.

It was done by someone else.

It is most logical that the hand
was moved to an area where

The second shot was fired in an
attempt to produce, perhaps,

g*nsh*t residue on the hands of
the victim, which would then, in

The mind of the sh**t, make
this appear more like a su1c1de

Than a homicide.

Narrator: mrs. Sutorius was
the only other person in the

House when darryl died.

But what was her motive for
m*rder?

She had a $1 million motive.

She wanted that money.

He had a pension plan that she
was entitled to as his wife.

Narrator: if darryl had
divorced her, mrs. Sutorius

Would have only received an
allowance of between $1,000 and

$2,000 A month.

$1 Million is a powerful motive
for m*rder.

But, perhaps, the most damaging
piece of information was what

Della's mother told police.

Della's mom gets on the
phone, calls the hamilton county

Sheriff's office and assures
them that darryl sutorius did

Not commit su1c1de, assures them
that he was m*rder*d, and

Guarantees them her daughter is
the one that committed the

Offense.

Narrator: della faye hall,
also known as dante britain, was

Arrested and charged with m*rder
in the sh**ting death of her

Husband, darryl sutorius.

Her defense suggested a k*ller
was loose in the neighborhood,

Since a neighbor was brutally
m*rder*d a few blocks away three

Days after sutorius' death.

But there were no signs of
forced entry in the sutorius

Home.

And prosecutors were convinced
that the forensic evidence and

Motive clearly pointed to
mrs. Sutorius.

Around 2:00 in the morning,
dr. Sutorius was on the sofa in

The basement watching
television.

His wife approached from behind
with her .38-caliber p*stol.

She fired a fatal shot.

Blood from his nose and mouth
spattered over his right palm,

Evidence that he was not holding
the g*n when it was fired.

Della then placed the g*n in his
hand and fired the second shot

To make sure gunpowder residue
would be found on his hands.

But the blood on his palm showed
otherwise, as did the powder

Burns on the sofa cushions,
which were also on top of the

Bloodstains.

During the m*rder, blood got
onto della's hand, which she

Tried to shake off.

The blood hit the sofa from the
front at a 45-degree angle.

But, in moving dr. Sutorius'
hand and putting the g*n into

It, she committed some very
fatal flaws to her defense that

This was a su1c1de.

You now have blood -- she got
blood on her hands and kind of

Flung it back.

So now you've got blood spatter
on the couch coming from the

Wrong direction.

And it's down below where his
legs would have been.

And there was no scientific way
to explain that from the su1c1de

Position, so she's got that
problem.

She's got blood going the wrong
direction on the couch.

She's got an arm where it
shouldn't be.

She's got blood on both sides
of his hands where it shouldn't

Be, and she's got smeared blood
on a firearm where it shouldn't

Be.

Narrator: although
dr. Sutorius' death may have

Appeared to be su1c1de, the
forensic evidence clearly

Pointed to m*rder.

All rise.

Narrator: during the trial,
the voice of dr. Sutorius

Himself was heard in the
courtroom, a message to his

Daughter left on her answering
machine.

You could hear the fear in
his voice, that, you know,

"She's threatening to k*ll me.

I'm afraid she's gonna follow
through on this.

I may not live through this.

Please don't push this right
now."

Narrator: a cincinnati jury
deliberated for just over four

Hours before delivering a
verdict.

We the jury find the
defendant,

Della dante sutorius, guilty of
aggravated m*rder.

Narrator: she was sentenced
to life in prison and won't be

Eligible for parole until 2014.

Well, you know, would I prefer
to see della get the death
penalty?

Yes I would have. I think what
she did was terrible.

There was really an
overwhelming amount of blood

Evidence here to indicate that
this was a staged scene.

And, to this day, I don't know
what della was thinking that she

Was going to be able to get away
with, because there was just too

Much evidence there.

Her own mother calls her a
black widow spider.

Her own mother characterizes her
as a fortune hunter who found

Her way to success by latching
onto a successful man.

Narrator: noted crime writer
aphrodite jones interviewed

Della in prison for her
best-selling book "della's web."

Jones believes that when della
heard about her husband's

Divorce plans, della concluded
that m*rder was her only

Alternative.

Absolutely, della is a born
k*ller.

She is a born sociopath.

She is somebody who views the
world through her eyes only,

Which doesn't add up with the
reality, the consensus of

Reality in the rest of the
world.

In her eyes, the world is her
oyster for the taking, and if

She can't take it, she'll find a
way to take it.

There is no earning anything,
there is no justification for
anything

It's just all about her.

Narrator: the sutorius family
cannot easily forget the years

Stolen from them through a
senseless, irrational act of

Betrayal.

He has wonderful children who
are very accomplished and

Educated, and he would be very
proud of them.

He now has two son-in-laws and

Two grandchildren whom I think

He would have adored, who would

Have loved to have spent

Time with, and I think he would

Have come into his own in this

Part of his life.

Where he had accomplished what
he had set to do

And he could sit back and enjoy
his accomplishments

Certainly with his children

And I'm very sad that he was not
allowed to enjoy that

And I miss him. We all miss him
alot.