Dateline: Who is John Sutton and what happened to him? Disturbing details of a 2004 incident, revealed

Dateline: Secrets Uncovered, Season 3 Episode 18 'Blind Justice' takes us back to a 2004 crime that shook the close-knit community in Miami. A brutal attack on the Suttons, John and Susan, which left one dead and the other heavily injured.

On August 22, 2004, John Sutton, an established Miami-based lawyer, called 911 and in a shaky voice informed them,

"I've been shot."

When the investigators reached the location, they found John Sutton surrounded by a pool of blood. He had been shot, and his skull was fractured. What shocked the investigators was that in the neighboring room, they found John's wife, Susan's, lifeless body covered with blood and six fatal gunshot wounds. Even though John survived, he didn't walk away unscathed. He was blinded due to the gruesome attack. His wife, however, wasn't so lucky; she was declared dead.

This wasn't a random break-in or a burglary. The investigators reported that nothing was stolen. The sliding glass door was left ajar, suggesting the killer knew the house. As the investigations began, the Coral Gables police soon discovered that the truth was far more sinister than a stranger's violence. The prime suspect? The couple's adoptive son, Christopher Sutton.

More about John Sutton, the lawyer who was left blinded in a 2004 fatal attack: Dateline: Secrets Uncovered

John R. Sutton had built a dreamy life. A sharp-witted attorney with a thriving practice, he and his wife, Susan, lived in one of Miami's wealthiest upscale neighborhoods. John Sutton established the Sutton Pomares Law Group in 1985 and was counted among the Top 1% of attorneys in Florida. A law graduate from the University of Miami Law School, he was awarded the Attorney General's Courage Award.

During his leisure, he loved spending time with his family and friends, cruising, skiing, and collecting cars.

The Suttons had everything; they were kind, well-respected, and successful. But all that changed when they decided to adopt two children, Christopher and Melissa, to complete their family. While everything looked normal from the outside, the Suttons were silently dealing with Christopher's tantrums. During his teenage years, he was expelled from multiple schools, vandalized a teacher's home, and most alarmingly, penned a note detailing how he'd murder his parents for money. Desperate, John and Susan sent him to Paradise Clove, a strict behavioral programme in Samoa. And who could have guessed that that would be their biggest mistake!

What happened to Miami-based attorney John Sutton in 2004, as per the Dateline episode?

On the night of the shooting, the family was in a jolly mood, celebrating Susan's 57th birthday. They celebrated with a cake and a birthday dinner. Meanwhile, later, Christopher and his fiancée left for the movies, and the theatre cameras and tickets were an alibi. But who knew Christopher had pre-planned his parents' murder?

In the early hours, a masked figure slipped through the Suttons' backyard with a 0.9mm gun. John, the only witness and survivor, who was sleeping in a separate room, did not see the gunman but only felt the bullet crash his skull. Susan, however, did not have a chance to defend herself; she was shot repeatedly while she was fast asleep.

As the investigations started, the detectives understood one thing: that the motive was not theft but something personal. As an attorney, John Sutton did have a few adversaries, but none so deadly and evil as his son. The breakthrough point in the investigation came when a tip led police to Garrett Kopp, a small-time criminal. His phone was found near the Suttons' home. Upon interrogation, Kopp confessed to the crime and said: Christopher had promised him $100,000 from the life insurance payout. The reason? Kopp told the investigators that Christopher wanted to kill his parents as revenge for sending him to the strict boot camp Paradise Cove. Additionally, he wanted to inherit his parents' wealth. As for evidence, aside from the murder weapon, there were numerous cell phone records between Kopp and Christopher.

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During the trial, in July 2010, Christopher Sutton was found guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder. He was sentenced to three life terms without a chance for parole. John Sutton, Christopher's ex-fiancée, and his old friend Jose Peon were among the ones who testified. On the other hand Garrett Kopp's prison time was reduced to 30 years for testfying against Christopher.

Also read: Dateline: 5 harrowing details about Christopher Sutton's crimes, explored

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