Bio 

Dr. John Robert Hill was a prominent Houston physician and plastic surgeon. He became widely known because of his marriage to Joan Robinson Hill, a Houston socialite and accomplished equestrian. Joan was the daughter of wealthy oilman Ash Robinson, whose later efforts to investigate her death helped turn the case into one of Houston’s most publicized legal scandals.

Hill’s marriage to Joan was troubled before her death. Reports stated that he had a relationship with Ann Kurth, whom he married three months after Joan died. This remarriage intensified suspicion from Joan’s father, who believed Hill had caused his daughter’s death.

Murder Story

Joan Robinson Hill became seriously ill on March 18, 1969, and died the next day at Sharpstown General Hospital in Houston. Her cause of death was disputed. Some doctors considered illnesses such as pancreatitis or hepatitis, while later examinations suggested an infection from an unknown source. Her father, Ash Robinson, believed she had been poisoned and pressured authorities to investigate John Hill.

Prosecutors eventually charged Hill under the unusual theory of “murder by omission,” alleging that he caused Joan’s death by deliberately failing to obtain proper medical treatment. His trial began in February 1971. During the trial, Hill’s second wife, Ann Kurth, testified and made damaging claims about him, including an allegation that he had admitted killing Joan. The defense objected, and the judge declared a mistrial.

A second trial was scheduled, but it never took place. On September 24, 1972, Hill was shot and killed by a masked intruder at his River Oaks home in Houston. Bobby Wayne Vandiver was later accused of being the gunman, but he was killed by police before trial. Marcia McKittrick and Lilla Paulus were later convicted as accomplices in Hill’s murder. Ash Robinson was suspected by some investigators and later sued civilly, but he was not criminally convicted of arranging Hill’s death.