The Glamorous Life and Mysterious Deaths of Joan Robinson Hill and Dr. John Hill

A High Society Murder Mystery

6 min readMay 20, 2023

In the heart of Texas, where oil and wealth flow as freely as the Rio Grande, a high society murder mystery unfolded that continues to captivate the nation. This is the story of Joan Robinson Hill and Dr. John Hill, a glamorous couple whose seemingly perfect life was shattered by scandal, betrayal, and death.

Joan Robinson Hill, a beautiful and wealthy woman living in the 1960s, had it all. She was a well-known figure in Houston’s high society, a passionate horsewoman, and the daughter of a powerful oil magnate, Ash Robinson. Her social rise, funded by her father, led to her marriage to the handsome and ambitious plastic surgeon John Hill. But their story, far from being a fairy tale, ended in a murder mystery that captivated the nation.

The Perfect Couple

Despite warnings from friends, Joan married John Hill, a man about whom little was known. They lived a grand life filled with horse shows, parties, and musical evenings in their beautiful mansion along Kirby Drive. John Hill, a music lover, built a stunning music room resembling a salon from Vienna and invited people to come. However, trouble arose as many of his friends and society swans did not like him as much as he thought they did.

Despite Dr. Hill’s affair with Ann Kurth, Joan’s love for him never wavered. They reconciled in early 1969, but later that year, Joan fell ill and eventually died. John Hill took his wife to a smaller regional hospital instead of a world-class hospital when she was deathly ill, raising suspicions of his motives. Joan Robinson Hill’s death was initially thought to result from a stomach problem. Still, it was later revealed to be a murder allegedly arranged by her plastic surgeon husband, leading to a bizarre and dramatic aftermath.

The Trial

John Hill was indicted for the murder of his wife, Joan Robinson Hill, due to Ash Robinson’s influence and the Murder By Omission charge. Don Fullenweiter, a young attorney, defended John Hill on a Murder by Omission charge based on inconclusive medical evidence. John Hill was accused of slowly poisoning his wife with bacteria-laced chocolate eclairs, but the defense team questioned the theory and proving the court case was challenging. The reporter covering the trial didn’t believe the doctor was malicious enough to inject an eclair with poison, and the evidence of the Hill’s son dividing eclairs with his mother made it unlikely that John Hill could have ensured his wife ate the infected one.

The Aftermath

John Hill got away with murder after a mistrial was declared, despite the belief of Ankurth and even his own attorneys that the jury was on their side. But his freedom was short-lived. A young reporter named Gary Taylor heard a DOA call on the police radio and rushed to the scene with his editor. What they found was a gruesome sight: John Hill’s dead body with his mouth and nose taped and blood on his face. A gunman had shot and killed John Hill while his wife managed to escape and call for help. The brazen murder of Dr. John Hill led the news that night, and the events that led to his death were sensational and caused speculation.

The murder of Joan Robinson Hill and the subsequent trial and investigation revealed the dark underbelly of society mixing with the wealthy, leaving a lingering air of mystery and uncertainty. A doctor is shot, a woman is poisoned with eclairs, and the memory of Joan Robinson Hill, a brilliant horsewoman, lingers in the house where they once lived, danced, and laughed. This tale, steeped in wealth and privilege, is also a stark reminder of the human capacity for greed and betrayal. It serves as a testament to the fact that beneath the veneer of high society, the same passions, fears, and deadly desires can exist, just as they do in any other stratum of society. The story of Joan and John Hill, with its twists and turns and its cast of characters from the elite to the underworld, continues to fascinate us, a grim yet compelling narrative that holds up a mirror to the complexities of human nature.

The Unraveling of a High Society Murder Mystery

The Murder of Dr. John Hill

The murder of Dr. John Hill was as shocking as it was gruesome. A man forced his way into Hill Hall and killed Hill with a gunshot wound to the head, a method of murder uncommon in wealthy neighborhoods where people usually settle their differences through legal means. The Houston Police Department theorized it was a robbery attempt, but Hill’s mother believed it was a planned murder orchestrated by Ash Robinson.

The murder case involved a stolen gun, a prostitute, her ex-boyfriend, and an older woman named Lila. Bobby Vandiver, the man who killed John Hill, was the boyfriend of the prostitute. His girlfriend made a deal with prosecutors, while Ash Robinson was not indicted due to a lack of corroborative evidence. Lila Paulus was charged and found guilty as an accomplice in the murder of Bobby Vandiver but never pointed the finger at Ash Robinson despite their known connection.

Ash Robinson’s Role and Aftermath

Ash Robinson, a lucky oil man turned dentist, was suspected of murder but never held responsible. Prosecutors believed Ash Robinson was involved in the murder of John Hill, but despite legal maneuvering and a civil suit, he was never held accountable.

After losing his daughter and the subsequent legal battles, Ash Robinson’s life was filled with personal losses. He won the lawsuit for half the house, but his longing for reconciliation with his grandson was never fulfilled.

The grandson, presumably the speaker, believes their grandfather was involved in a conspiracy to kill their father. However, they hold no animosity toward their grandmother and think this event will affect their life in the future.

The Dark Underbelly of Society

The mysterious deaths of Joan Robinson Hill and Dr. John Hill continue to captivate people’s attention almost 50 years later. Joan’s sudden illness in the Hill Mansion in 1969 was unexplained and gruesome, leading to speculation about foul play. The bizarre circumstances surrounding Joan’s death, including the removal of her brain during the hospital autopsy, raised suspicions of foul play.

The gruesome murder of Dr. John Hill, with his mouth and nose taped, shocked and traumatized those who discovered his body. The case of Joan Robinson Hill and Dr. John Hill involved multiple deaths and a bad guy named Bobby Vandiver, who killed John Hill.

The story of Joan Robinson Hill and Dr. John Hill is a chilling reminder of the dark side of high society, where wealth and power can mask the most sinister of intentions. It’s a tale that continues to fascinate and horrify, a true crime story that remains as captivating today as it was over half a century ago.

In the end, the story of Joan Robinson Hill and Dr. John Hill is not just a high society murder mystery. It’s a stark reminder of the human capacity for love, betrayal, and the lengths some will go to maintain a facade of perfection. It’s a testament to the fact that wealth and status can’t shield us from the darker aspects of human nature. As we delve into the lives of the Hills, we are forced to confront the uncomfortable truth that beneath the glamour and the glitz, we are all susceptible to the same passions, fears, and deadly desires. This tale, as captivating as it is tragic, serves as a mirror reflecting the complexities of our society and the human condition itself.

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