When you talk about the 1960s in Houston, you're usually talking about oil money, the space race, or the tragic saga of Joan Robinson Hill. It’s a story that sounds like a bad soap opera script, honestly. A beautiful socialite dies under mysterious circumstances, her plastic surgeon husband is accused of poisoning her with tainted pastries or needles, and then, in a final twist, he’s gunned down by a hitman before he can be retried. But in the middle of this whirlwind of lawsuits, exhumations, and murder-for-hire was a little boy named Robert Hill, son of Joan Robinson Hill, who everyone called "Boot."
What actually happens to a kid when both of his parents are dead and his grandfather is the prime suspect in his father's assassination?
Growing Up in the Shadow of River Oaks
Robert Ashton Hill was born on June 14, 1960. He was the only child of Joan and Dr. John Hill, and by all accounts, he was the center of his mother’s world. While Joan was busy winning equestrian titles and John was building his legendary $100,000 music room—which was basically a shrine to himself—Boot was caught between two parents who were increasingly living separate lives.
His grandfather, the formidable oilman Ash Robinson, was the one who gave him the nickname "Boot." Ash was obsessed with Joan, and that obsession naturally trickled down to Robert. After Joan died in 1969, things got weird. Most kids deal with grief; Robert had to deal with a grandfather who was convinced his father was a cold-blooded killer.
Think about the tension.
For a few years, Robert lived with his father and a revolving door of stepmothers, including the infamous Ann Kurth. Imagine being nine or ten years old and sitting in a house while the world debates whether your dad fed your mom "poisoned éclairs."
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The Lawsuit That Split the Family
After John Hill was murdered in 1972, the drama didn’t stop. It actually got more clinical and cold. Robert’s paternal grandmother, Myra Hill, and his stepmother, Connie Hill, ended up filing a massive wrongful death lawsuit against Ash Robinson.
They weren't just looking for money. They were alleging that Ash had orchestrated the hit on John Hill out of revenge.
Robert was the one stuck in the middle.
By the late 70s, the legal battles were still raging. It’s reported that Robert eventually drifted away from his father’s side of the family. It's kinda understandable. If your father's estate is suing your grandfather for murder, there's no "normal" Thanksgiving dinner after that.
Robert Hill Today: A Life Away from the Cameras
You’d think a guy who was the subject of a best-selling book like Blood and Money and a TV movie would be all over the tabloids. But Robert Hill did something most "true crime" kids don't. He vanished.
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Well, not vanished in a sinister way, but he chose a quiet life.
By 1981, records show he had reconciled with his grandparents, Ash and Rhea Robinson. He actually moved to Pensacola, Florida, with them. They wanted to get away from the Houston spotlight that had scorched their lives for over a decade. Honestly, can you blame them?
- 1985: Ash Robinson dies in Florida.
- The Aftermath: Robert reportedly stayed in Florida, maintaining a very low profile.
Unlike the children of other famous true crime cases, Robert hasn't spent his life doing interviews or writing "tell-all" books about whether he thinks his dad killed his mom. He’s lived a private life, far removed from the Kirby Drive mansion and the scandal that once defined his name.
Why the Story of Robert Hill Still Matters
When we look back at the case of Joan Robinson Hill, we usually focus on the "did he or didn't he" of the medical mystery. We focus on the drama. But the life of Robert Hill is a reminder of the actual human cost of these "stories."
He lost his mother at eight. He lost his father at twelve.
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Basically, he was a child of the most high-profile tragedy in Texas history and managed to come out the other side without becoming a public spectacle. That’s arguably the most impressive feat in the whole Hill-Robinson saga.
If you're looking for the current status of Robert Hill, you won't find much—and that’s likely by design. He chose to be a private citizen rather than a professional victim or a local celebrity.
Actionable Insights for True Crime Researchers
If you are diving into this case, keep these nuances in mind:
- Check the source: Many "facts" about the Hill family come from Ann Kurth’s book, which was largely discredited during the trials.
- Look for the legalities: The wrongful death suit (Hill v. Robinson) provides more raw data on the family's internal collapse than the sensationalist biographies.
- Respect the privacy: Understand that while the parents' lives were public domain, the children of these tragedies often seek the anonymity they were denied as kids.
The story of the Hill family isn't just about a suspicious death in a hospital; it's about the decades of fallout that follow a single moment of tragedy.
To understand more about the medical specifics of this case, you can research the 1969 autopsy reports conducted by Dr. Milton Helpern, which challenged the initial findings of the Houston medical examiners.