Valentine’s Day in 2001 should have been a celebration for the Hamiltons. Instead, it became the day Oklahoma City high society cracked wide open. If you’ve spent any time looking into the local lore of Quail Creek, you’ve probably asked: is dr john hamilton still alive oklahoma?
He is. As of early 2026, John Baxter Hamilton is still serving out his sentence within the Oklahoma Department of Corrections system. He’s in his late 70s now. The man who once spent his mornings performing delicate surgeries now spends them behind the walls of a state prison.
Honestly, the case is one of those that never really goes away. It sticks in your brain because it has everything: a wealthy doctor, a brutal murder, and a Valentine’s card that didn't age well. Even decades later, people are still arguing over whether the jury got it right or if a huge mistake was made in a frantic 45-minute window.
The Life Sentence at Oklahoma State Penitentiary
John Hamilton is currently an inmate at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. He’s been there for a long time. Since his 2001 conviction for the first-degree murder of his wife, Susan, he has been serving life without the possibility of parole.
That "without parole" part is the kicker. It means, barring a massive legal breakthrough or a pardon, he’s expected to stay there for the rest of his life.
The prison system keeps a record of him under DOC number 413355. If you look at his intake photos over the years, you see the transition from a polished, affluent OBGYN to an aging inmate. It’s a stark contrast. He was once a man who deposited thousands of dollars a week from his clinic; now, his life is regulated by sirens and count times.
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Why the Oklahoma Innocence Project Stepped In
Here is where things get interesting. Most people think a life sentence is the end of the book. But recently, the Oklahoma Innocence Project decided to take a look at the case.
Why? Because science changes.
The case against Hamilton was basically built on two things: a tight timeline and blood spatter. Back in 2001, "bloodstain pattern analysis" was treated like gospel in the courtroom. Today? It's often viewed with a lot more skepticism. Experts like Andrea Miller have pointed out that the interpretation of those blood drops might have been totally wrong.
- The Spatter: Prosecutors said the blood on Hamilton’s clothes proved he was the one swinging the weapon.
- The Defense: Hamilton always maintained the blood got there because he was desperately trying to perform CPR on his wife.
- The Twist: During the original trial, his own defense expert, Tom Bevel, ended up giving testimony that actually helped the prosecution. That’s the kind of thing that usually seals a defendant's fate.
The Innocence Project is leaning into the idea that the technology we have now could prove the blood didn't get there the way the state claimed. They also point to the timeline. Prosecutors argued Hamilton drove home, killed Susan, cleaned himself up, and drove back to his second surgery in about 45 minutes. For a lot of people, that still feels like an impossible window for such a messy, violent crime.
The Valentine’s Card and the Stripper
You can't talk about whether Hamilton is alive without talking about why he's in prison to begin with. The motive the state presented was classic "perfect life, dark secrets."
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Susan Hamilton had found out about her husband's phone calls to an exotic dancer. John claimed he was just "counseling" her because she was a patient in distress. Susan wasn't buying it.
The police found a Valentine’s card Susan had written to John that morning. It wasn't exactly romantic. She wrote that she’d bought it weeks earlier and it might not "seem as appropriate" anymore, but she still loved him. To the cops, that was a huge red flag that the marriage was on the rocks. They believed Susan was about to leave him, and he snapped.
What Really Happened to the Quail Creek Mansion?
The crime scene at their Quail Creek home was horrific. Susan had been beaten with a blunt object and strangled with two of John’s neckties. The murder weapon was never found. Think about that for a second. In a 45-minute window, he supposedly killed her, hid a weapon so well the police never found it, and made it back to a surgery looking professional.
The house was eventually sold, and the neighborhood moved on, but the "Doctor Death" label stuck to the property for years. People in Oklahoma City still drive by that area and remember the news trucks.
Is There Still Hope for an Appeal?
Hamilton hasn't stopped fighting. He’s filed numerous appeals over the last 20+ years. Most have been shot down. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals hasn't been eager to reopen a case that had such a mountain of circumstantial evidence.
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However, the 2013 changes to Oklahoma law regarding DNA retesting have opened a small window. If new DNA evidence can be found on the clothing or the ties used in the murder, it could potentially change everything.
Basically, the case is currently in a state of "legal limbo" while advocates look for something—anything—that the original investigators missed.
Actionable Insights: Following the Hamilton Case
If you are following the status of John Hamilton or similar cold cases in Oklahoma, here is how you can stay updated:
- Check the ODOC Offender Lookup: You can use the Oklahoma Department of Corrections website and search for John Baxter Hamilton (DOC #413355) to see his current housing location and status.
- Monitor the Oklahoma Innocence Project: They occasionally release updates on the cases they are actively investigating. If they file a new motion for Hamilton, it will show up there first.
- Review the Court Dockets: Use the Oklahoma State Courts Network (OSCN) to search for any new filings under his name in Oklahoma County.
- Look into Blood Spatter Reform: If you're interested in why his case might be overturned, research the "National Academy of Sciences 2009 report" on forensic science. It explains why the evidence used to convict him is now considered "pseudo-science" by many modern experts.
John Hamilton is still alive, still in prison, and still claiming he didn't do it. Whether the "science" that put him there will be the same thing that lets him out remains the biggest unanswered question in Oklahoma City.