South OC Doctor Guilty Of Strangling Wife, DA Says

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — A fertility doctor was convicted today of second-degree murder for the strangulation of his wife, whose body was found at the foot of the stairs in a staged accident at their south Orange County home in Nov. 2016.

E. Scott Sills, 58, was found guilty by a jury today of one count of second-degree murder. He faces a maximum sentence of 15 years to life in state prison and is due to be sentenced March 15.

On Nov. 13, 2016, Sills made a 911 call and said he woke up to find the lifeless body of his wife, 45-year-old Susann Sills, after she apparently fell down the stairs.

Evidence procured at the trial showed that she died due to strangulation and blood stains were found on a wall and curtains in their daughter's bedroom, where Susann was sleeping due to a migraine.

A clump of her hair was also found in the room, indicating a violent struggle between the couple, OC District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement.

“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,” Spitzer said. “Think of how diabolical you have to be – not only to kill your wife but to make it look like she had fallen 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.”