The Murder Of Joan Robinson Hill

[dakotafleming]

As is the case with many of you here, I am also fascinated with this story. The Joan Hill murder occured my senior year of high school, and many were the times I drove by some of the locations mentioned in the Thompson book.

Sharpstown Hospital was on the outskirts of town, and was more of a country hospital back then. The stables that the Hills owned off of Memorial were actually in a rural area then.

The years have passed, and things have changed. This Houston native has been exiled to Dallas for nearly 30 years now, but I still get homesick. I may pick up my old, worn copy of Blood and Money and give it a read.

One thing I have wondered about over the years is what ever happened to Connie Hill. Does anyone know?

Is it the stables where HPD horses are now?

[dakotafleming]

Has anybody ever found these pages before? It has interior photos of 1561 Kirby, including the famed music room. Just click on either of these links, find the photo of the exterior of the house on the top left corner and click where it says "View Photo Gallery."

That music room is really something!

http://www.har.com/HomeValue/dispSoldDetai...p;MLNUM=7046841

http://www.har.com/HomeValue/dispSearch.cf...mp;taxid=738999

links are dead

From real to reel

http://www.jimusnr.com/murderintexaspage2.html

[Vertigo58]

links are dead

From real to reel

http://www.jimusnr.com/murderintexaspage2.html

I am so tempted to just by the TV film DVD.

[plumber2]

I am so tempted to just by the TV film DVD.

I've driven through Edcouch several times while bird hunting. This place, birth place and hometown of John Hill, is so out of the way, you wonder how he was able to advance and become so prominent with such humble beginnings.

[dakotafleming]

I've driven through Edcouch several times while bird hunting. This place, birth place and hometown of John Hill, is so out of the way, you wonder how he was able to advance and become so prominent with such humble beginnings.

I know,just like Jerry Lee Lewis,Mickey Gilley and J immy Swaggart coming outta a one horse town like Ferriday ,La......http://deesongs.homestead.com/files/standbyjimmyjerrymickey.jpg

[OldArmy94]

I've really enjoyed reading the posts here. I remember watching "Murder in Texas" around 1985 or so as a teenager. My mom filled me in on some of the details (she and Dad lived in northeast Texas at the time of the murder but moved to the Victoria area in 1971), and it really fascinated me. My wife hasn't seen the movie so I bought it on DVD and can't wait until it arrives in the mail. Growing up in the Coastal Bend area, Houston was "big town" for us, so this story is particularly compelling. I haven't been by the house on Kirby but I think I'll take the wife by there next time we're down that way.

[EMME]

I had a friend in high school whose family moved from River Oaks to protect their children. Her mother was a witness in one of the trials and had been friends with Joan Hill. I think they lived across or down the street from the Hills. Evidently, they were getting death threats against their children.

[equusvilla]

Pin Oak Stables were right off Fournace I think in the middle of what is now the Gallariea Area.

joe

Pin Oak Stables was where Home Depot is now at 610 and 59. I can still see it in my mind's eye. My mom used to work at the Community Chest (United Way) and some of her friends who still worked there would give her tickets sometimes. I remember getting to and from the grandstands was usually a muddy affair. They later moved the "Pin Oak Charity Horse Show" to the Astrohall, but it wasn't the same and didn't last. I'm not sure it would have lasted anyway. It belonged to another time.

I realize that I am 2.5 years late in answering this but the Pin Oak Charity horse show did continue and is still in exhistance today. While I agree with the fact that it is hardly the social evenf of the year as it was back then, it is still a wonderful show that raises quite a bit of money for charities. It is held each Spring at the Great South West Equestrian Center in Katy Texas.

[EMME]

Isn't the Great Southwest Equestrian Center where Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi Swayze had their horses?

[FilioScotia]

Isn't the Great Southwest Equestrian Center where Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi Swayze had their horses?

I could be wrong about this, but I think I remember reading that Swayze and his wife bought, or tried to buy, the Great Southwest Equestrian Center.

I'm sure someone out there can set us straight on that.

[Nikolaj Sadolin]

What a fascinating thread telling about the story, buildings, schools, trees, Halloween parties, and a lot more in connection with the death of Joan Olive Robinson Hill. It is like reading through the past of River Oaks, Houston and then ending up in today’s River Oaks, Houston.

I am Dane - born in December 1969 (nine month after Joan Olive Robinson Hill died), lives in Turkey (having lived among other foreign countries two times in the US), and even I am arriving late to this thread, I would like to ask a little and add a little:

I first time heard about the story of Joan Olive Robinson Hill and John Robert Hill, when “Murder in Texas” aired on Danish national television station DR (we only had one television station in Denmark at that time) probably in 1982 (when I was 12 years old). About 20 years later, I saw it again. The book and the movie it is – no doubt – Ann Fairchild Kurth Hill’s defense story – to make her seem like a victim and not like a victimizer (to Joan Olive Robinson Hill, whose husband she had an affair too, which – probably – led him to the killing of his wife).

However, the story in fascinated me then and still does (then because of the society murder story, but today because of the loose end in the murder story as well). Nobody has been convicted for the murder of either Joan Olive Robinson Hill or John Robert Hill, and later their child, Robert, later turns against his grandfather. As a historian, I wonder about the many facts there are missing in this story, and what happened to the people involved in the case.

The story of Joan Olive Robinson Hill is some way similar to the story of “Sunny” Martha Sharp Crawford von Bülow, who married the Danish oilman Claus von Bülow (who was born Claus Borberg, but changed his surname to mother’s maiden surname), who is the cousin of my father’s cousins previous husband. In addition, the story of Sunny von Bülow contains many loose ends, and no conviction for her later death.

Here is the “Robert Ashton Hill vs. Davis Ashton Robinson (11/29/1979)” civil case, which someone asked for:

http://tx.findacase....41856.TX.htm/qx

John Robert Hill was from Edcouch, Texas, and I wonder if he was a child or grandchild of R.R. Hill (http://en.wikipedia..../Edcouch,_Texas) – of course knowing, that Hill is not an unusual surname.

Due to the thread, etc., we all know what happened to these persons:

Joan Olive Robinson Hill (1931- 1969 – probably murdered by John Robert Hill)

John Robert Hill (19xx-1972 – shot dead by Bobby Wayne Vandiver)

Myra Hill (19xx-19xx – mother of John Robert Hill)

Davis Ashton “Ash” Robinson (1898-1985 – father of Joan Olive Robinson Hill)

Rhea Robinson (1901-1987 – mother of Joan Olive Robinson Hill)

Lilla Paulus (19xx-19xx – died of cancer – divorced from Claude Paulus)

Claude Paulus (19xx-19xx – divorced from Lilla Paulus)

Bobby Wayne Vandiver (19xx-19xx – shot dead by a police officer – John Robert Hill’s hit man)

I found out of the whereabouts for “Boot” Robert Ashton Hill.

Robert Ashton Hill obtained his B.A. (Columbus College), J.D. (Catholic University of America)and L.L.M. (American University) and he works as an Assistant Team Leader for the Assistant State Attorney of at the Economic Unit at Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office – for the Assistant State Attorney of Special Prosecution Division (before: Economic Crimes Unit), where he handles major frauds. He also serves, as Chief of Legislative Affairs for the Montgomery County State’s Attorney Office Most interesting is however, that he used to be prosecutor in murder cases and other violent cases:

http://www.montgomer...conomicUnit.asp (work)

http://www.avvo.com/...ll-1547577.html (lawyer license)

Robert Ashton Hill may be this person living in Washington D.C. If so, he is today married to a Denise:

http://dc.blockshopp...ifer_street_nw/

However, little known about the other “major” persons in this story:

Ann Fairchild Kurth Hill (19xx-, John Robert Hill’s second wife – one state she died in 1990 and another state she lives outside Austin)

Connie Hill (19xx-, John Robert Hill’s third wife – no one seems to know her whereabouts)

Effie Brown (about 1903-, the housemaid – no one seems to know her whereabouts)

Marsha McKittrick (19xx-, Bobby Wayne Vandiver’s driver – no one seems to know her whereabouts - the name is not Macia McKittrick)

Mary Jo Wood (19xx- - Lilla Paulus’ daughter, who turned against her mother)

What happened to these people afterwards and where are they today (it could also be nice to get filled in the missing facts - years, etc.)?

[Poseidonite]

links are dead

From real to reel

http://www.jimusnr.c...texaspage2.html

The link is no longer dead! It never was. It was under construction. I now have galleries full of interior shots of the house, scenes from the TV movie, and a bunch of pics of the real people. Some are pictures we've all seen, but some seem to be rare. Please take a look...

http://www.jimusnr.com/murderintexasmainpage.html

[e streeter]

links are dead

From real to reel

http://www.jimusnr.c...texaspage2.html

The link is no longer dead! It never was. It was under construction. I now have galleries full of interior shots of the house, scenes from the TV movie, and a bunch of pics of the real people. Some are pictures we've all seen, but some seem to be rare. Please take a look...

http://www.jimusnr.c...asmainpage.html

cool site. thanks.

it is too bad that everyone thinks the murder in texas is the authority on the deaths of joan and john. the best researched book was blood and money by tommy thompson written in 1976. according to amazon, an epilogue has been included (though not by tommy thomspon). i haven't read it in years, but will see if i can dig out my original; otherwise, i will order it from amazon.

[Poseidonite]

cool site. thanks.

"it is too bad that everyone thinks the murder in texas is the authority on the deaths of joan and john...."

I agree. While the 1981 TV movie is what started my (and I'm sure others) interest in the story, I know that its far from the complete story. I am now adding text to the site since I put the bulk of the photos in place. I mentioned that when they came to look for sources which would be better..the more over-the-top Kurth book lends itself to a TV movie. The Thompson book should have been made into a feature film.

The book "Investigating Murder" came out in 1990 and has some updates. Also the medical examiners biography "Autopsy" goes into detail about the grimmer side of Joan Hill's passing.

[nm5k]

>Lilla Paulus (19xx-19xx – died of cancer – divorced from Claude Paulus)

>Claude Paulus (19xx-19xx – divorced from Lilla Paulus)

I'd have to double check, but this does not sound right to me. Or at least

from what I remember from the book "Blood and Money".

I don't think they got divorced. I think he died due to some illness/

heart attack a bit before she got involved with the Hill affair.

I seem to remember reading that Ash had offered her the job twice.

The first time, he was still alive. And when she told him about it,

he hit the roof, and told her not to have anything to do with it.

Then a bit later he died, and she was a widder woman left to her

own devices.

If was after this period that she was offered the contract a second

time, and being there was no one around to tell her no, she ended up

accepting the job, which she then farmed out to Vandiver for about

$5k or so. As I recall, what she paid Vandiver was a pretty small

chunk out of what she got. So she came out pretty well on the deal,

and Vandiver even gave her back $1500 of the $5000 as a finders fee.

Or as I recall anyway..

I don't recall anything about a divorce between them. Only that he

got sick and died. He was a society bookie, and ran some gambling joint

somewhere around downtown as I recall. They gave the name of the place

in the book, but it's lost in the gray fog at the moment..

Course, I may be all wrong about this, but that "divorce" part just

doesn't ring true to me, and I've read that book a few times over the

years.

[e streeter]

i just ordered blood and money from amazon.

i also remember seeing the name paulus in law school in my administration of estates class. it had been years since i read blood and money, but rememberd the name and wondered if it was the same lady. my law professor said it was. it had something to do with her being named executor and someone wanted her removed because she was in jail. i am pretty sure she lost the case.

[Formica]

This is a walk down my childhood memory lane.

Literally.

I grew up one block away from the Hill house, on the corner of Brentwood and Chilton, and am Boot's age. I did not know him, really, but he knocked on our door when his mother died. I answered the door and he asked me to pray for his mom. It broke my heart.

I recall Dr. Hill's death having occurred on a Sunday night; we always said that our German shepherd, who regularly stuck his head through our fence's bars on Chilton, saw the murderer toss items into the bushes across the street (on Chilton still). But we were at church! (Maybe it was a Wednesday night? Church on Wednesdays too, in the South, darlin'!)

Thompson made me mad when he described the children who found the briefcase as having gotten their grubby little fingers all over the evidence. I'll have you know that when 11-yr-old Helen and her 8-yr-old little brother John were walking past my house home (4 doors down Brentwood from the Hills) from school and found the briefcase, they had no idea what the thing was doing there. They opened it to see to whom it belonged; it was Hill's. They closed it immediately, and Helen used her gym shorts to avoid getting any more fingerprints on it!! So *there*, Thompson! We neighborhood kids weren't nasty little urchins! Lol! The police then found the gun in the same spot. John would have gone *nuts* had he found the gun. (And some squirrels and birds might have lost their lives before the gun was reported.)

(I am very interested to know who the family was that lived on the street - who moved because their children were being threatened (someone's post a while back)? I knew every child on the two blocks of Brentwood (although, as I said, Boot the very least).)

Regarding the music room, my mother went in at Connie's invitation. She says it was absolutely state-of-the-art, which really only means that there was a lotta stuff my mother didn't recognize, but the interior was enormous and the sound perfectly crystal clear! I think Connie let my mom pick something out (since my mom's not a classical buff) and she played either South Pacific or My Fair Lady, I believe.

Dr. Radelat, the pathologist on the case about whom WestUNative spoke negatively on p. 4 here, was the dad of one of my close friends. Having been a child then myself, I can in no way defend his abilities or confirm the poster's complaints, but I do know he seemed like a very competent man. (Or, WestUNative, were you referring to Helpern, against who Radelat himself railed?)

But more interestingly, my parents had dinner with him a while ago. Somehow, the Hill case came up (my mother probably brought it up! Ha!). Dr. Radelat says now he is absolutely convinced that it was Toxic Shock that was the source of Joan's infection, a syndrome that indeed was simply not commonly diagnosed (or even named?) then.

And to confirm: yes EVERYBODY then thought that Dr. Hill had killed his wife, either by the botulism/whatever in the eclair or at least by neglect ("He's a doctor! He knows about petri dishes and how to do things like that!"), and EVERYBODY thought (nay, *knew*) Ash had had Hill killed. I cannot imagine, though, that Ash had any intention of his beloved grandson's witnessing the death of his father. Horrible. But none of us blamed him very much for [allegedly] avenging his daughter's death.

Note: my family was *not* in the Hill's social circle, despite our living on the same street. But this case swirled all around me, even though very *very* peripherally! (I even went to school with Racehorse Haynes' son through high school! Ha!)

And now I too have to take my copy of the book off the shelf and re-read it!

[WestUNative]

Thank you for that very interesting inside glimpse of life surrounding the scene. I am sorry you misunderstood me concerning the post-mortem. I was speaking of Dr. Morse, the part time Pathologist at Sharpstown Hospital, who seems to have botched everything, under the supervision of Dr. Hill. Remember him? "Lost" the brain, brought what was left later to offical Harris County Autopsy in the trunk of his car, oops.

When I worked for doctors in Spring Branch in the early 1960's, several years prior to the Hill events, this same man, Dr. Morse was the Pathologist working at Spring Branch Memorial Hospital on Long Point and part time at several other small hospitals, I believe Bellaire and Sam Houston. Through my personal witnessing and knowledge, he made some glaring and disasterous errors in his tissue evaluations, particularly involving pronouncements of malignant or benign. He was not well thought of by the doctors I knew.

Thus when we heard in 1969 of his far less than professional procedures at Sharpstown Hospital when Joan Hill died, I was not surprised, but very angry to hear he was still employed in this capacity. I do not recall his first name at the moment, but I hope this information clears some things up for you.

[Formica]

I'm so very glad to hear that my friend's dad was indeed as good a doctor as I'd always felt and heard that he was.

Thanks for clearing that up.

Morse does indeed sound a man you would not want working on your case!

Glad you liked my recollections. I had always love the detail of the gym shorts holding the evidence, and I'm glad I have a place to pass that on!

[isuredid]

I recall Dr. Hill's death having occurred on a Sunday night; we always said that our German shepherd, who regularly stuck his head through our fence's bars on Chilton, saw the murderer toss items into the bushes across the street (on Chilton still). But we were at church! (Maybe it was a Wednesday night? Church on Wednesdays too, in the South, darlin'!)

It was a Sunday night. Specifically it was Sunday, September 24, 1972

[winsan2]

The house is still there, but it's a little difficult to see because of the thick hedge around it. It is on the Northeast corner of Kirby and Brentwood.

I met the now-deceased owner of the house in St Petersburgh, Russia in 1997; on a subsequent trip to Houston he and his partner invited me over for drinks and a tour of the house at that time redone.

Much had been moved around according to the book descriptions: a new staircase installed, the horse sculpture at the front door moved to the breakfast room; a tiny swimming pool squeezed into an outside corner; bedrooms on the second and third floor were very luxurious, and the music room had remained the same--way too large for the house and not too impressive even with beautiful furniture, although I'm sure the accoustics were wonderful. Just a large, semi-ornate room which seemed out-of-place. The house is oversized for the lot but nothing detracts from the cachet of "the murder house".

I just had to write something--that was a once in a lifetime occurrence: running into the owner, and seeing the house. Thanks for listening.

PS--we knew the embarrassed sister of Ann Kurth; and had even met her before her 15 min. of notoriety--histrionic. I don't think he tried to kill her although I'm sure there were many who wanted to do so.

[NoGardE]

I don't know if anyone is still reading this, but oh well.

My aunt was John Hill's last wife. I'm not sure because we don't talk about this much in the family, but from what I can gather, she saw John murdered. John Hill is dead. Please stop trying to dig up affairs that are long since past. My family dealt with enough issues in the years following the tragedy, and we don't want any more.

[mkultra25]

I met the now-deceased owner of the house in St Petersburgh, Russia in 1997; on a subsequent trip to Houston he and his partner invited me over for drinks and a tour of the house at that time redone.

Much had been moved around according to the book descriptions: a new staircase installed, the horse sculpture at the front door moved to the breakfast room; a tiny swimming pool squeezed into an outside corner; bedrooms on the second and third floor were very luxurious, and the music room had remained the same--way too large for the house and not too impressive even with beautiful furniture, although I'm sure the accoustics were wonderful. Just a large, semi-ornate room which seemed out-of-place. The house is oversized for the lot but nothing detracts from the cachet of "the murder house".

I just had to write something--that was a once in a lifetime occurrence: running into the owner, and seeing the house. Thanks for listening.

1561 Kirby was featured prominently on the front page of the Sunday Chronicle's homes for sale section this week. "Music room" and "corner lot" caught my attention. Sure enough, it is the former Hill residence, and it's apparently been for sale since late last year.

HAR link with picture gallery

[Riomar]

The house appears to not be for sale anymore. I tried to look it up on HAR before I got to the bottom post. When you put the address in it says there are no listings (however, HAR does this sometimes). I am starting to wonder if the house is haunted or something, lol. I am mostly kidding about that, but it does seemed to have changed hands a bit over the years since. This post has given me a new mystery to check out. I am a bit of a true-crime junkie. I didn't even know about this story until today. I only looked at this post cause I thought it would be about another Texas murder ( a definite murder) from the 80's. I was not disappointed, though. I am now very intrigued. If I am correct Murder in Texas is the good book to get, then. Going off what I have been reading here (and hoping I am reading right), I do wonder why she was buried way out here. There wasn't even really anything out my way at the time (I live just past Dairy Ashford). This is unless you are talking about another Forest Park West, but this is the only one I can find. If I am right it is interesting that it is just about around the corner from me. Now it is time for Google searches and book hunting.

[KristinDaugherty]

Yes sir, get Tommy Thompson's book. Ann Kurth's is almost unreadable.

[Riomar]

I would be leery about reading a book by the ex wife of the person accused anyway.

[A.T.Farrier]

Watch on Youtube Season 1, Episode 13 of "Behind Mansion Walls". They tell the full story of Joan Robinson Hill, and what truly happened. I've lived in Houston for most of my life and was shocked by the true facts and the outcome of this story!

http://www.joanhillmurdersaga.com/

[dualref]

The Hill house at 1561 Kirby Drive is up for sale again..link

Asking price is $2.1 million, down $200K recently. That is an amazingly low price for a central Kirby Dr piece of real estate. To tell you the truth, I would not be surprised if this house doesn't become a tear down. There have been other tear downs on Kirby Dr before.

If you look at the photos, the house looks pretty dated in decor and design.

Let's see.. you have someone who was killed on the front steps/foyer, another owner died in the master bedroom from cancer.. this house seems to have some serious bad karma attached. I don't know if I could live there myself.

"Ash" Robinson is probably buried in Pensacola, FL. That's where his wife Rhea is buried.

It does look like Boot is the only one left of this entire saga, and he's not talking. He's probably doing the best he can to forget this all. What a horrible experience to have growing up.

[Former Houstonian]

I had a friend in high school whose family moved from River Oaks to protect their children. Her mother was a witness in one of the trials and had been friends with Joan Hill. I think they lived across or down the street from the Hills. Evidently, they were getting death threats against their children.

I think you must be talking about my family. Did you go to Memorial High School? My mom was very close to Joan and did testify at the trial. A very difficult period for everyone for many reasons.

I know it's been awhile on this thread - I just ran across it as our old house across the street at Kirby and Brentwood is for sale right now and it brought back all these memories.

She was an amazing woman, Joan. Very gracious and inclusive.

[BorninHouston]

Just discovered this thread. Have read it from beginning to end. Thanks for all the excellent information.

One night in the early 90's, I came home late and turned on the tv. It was a movie, and I almost changed the channel, but I thought I heard someone say the name "Ann Kurth." So I watched and was fascinated and horrified by what I saw. I knew Ann Kurth in the early 60's when she lived in Lufkin. She was married to Marvin (or Melvin) Kurth, and they had two or three young boys. She was a friendly, charming, down-to-earth person, and I always enjoyed her company. She was an excellent cook and a gracious and thoughtful hostess. I did not keep up with her after we moved away from Lufkin in 65. You can imagine the shock I had seeing a movie about her and hearing that story for the first time. I read both books immediately. I called a mutual friend who told me Ann did move to the Austin area, somewhere in the Hill Country, I think. But she had already died of cancer by the time I saw the movie.