A Southern California fertility doctor who was found guilty of fatally strangling his wife, then staging her death as an accident, was sentenced Friday to 15 years to life in state prison, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said Friday.
Dr. Eric Scott Sills, 58, was convicted in December on a single count of second-degree murder for killing his wife, 45-year-old Susann Sills, at their San Clemente home more than seven years ago.
According to prosecutors, the once-prominent doctor called 911 on the morning of Nov. 13, 2016, to report the death of his wife.
At the time, he told officials he woke up to find Susann’s lifeless body at the bottom of the stairs following “an apparent fall.”
About a year later, after an extensive investigation led by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, her death was ruled a homicide. Eric was eventually identified as a suspect and was arrested and charged in 2019.
Evidence presented at his trial showed that Susann died due to strangulation, prosecutors said.
Blood stains were found on a wall and curtains in their daughter’s bedroom, where his wife had been sleeping due to a migraine.
“A clump of her hair also was found in the room, indicating that there had been a violent struggle between the couple,” court documents said.
On Friday, District Attorney Todd Spitzer commented on the sentencing, saying, “Mr. Sills not only killed his wife but he went one step further and tried to cover up his horrific crime.”
“His actions have irreparably torn apart his family as his children have to grapple with the immeasurable pain of losing their mother at the hands of their father,” Spitzer added.
The couple had twins, a girl and a boy, who were 12 at the time of their mother’s death.
“This was the ultimate betrayal by their father and now he will spend his remaining days in state prison,” Spitzer said.
