A 76-year-old Ohio man is accused of killing his 64-year-old wife by stabbing her in the chest with a kitchen knife because he was reportedly blackmailed by a woman he met online and exchanged nude images.
James Stephen Hill was arrested over the weekend and is currently charged with one count of aggravated premeditated murder in the death of Mary Kathleen Hill, according to court records.
According to authorities, after killing his wife, Hill attempted suicide by slashing himself in the chest, describing the incident as a “domestic-related attempted murder-suicide.”
According to a news release from the Upper Arlington Police Department, officers rushed to a home in the 1500 block of Fishinger Road after receiving a “reported 911 hang-up call” from that address. Upon arrival, first responders discovered an adult female — later identified as Mary Hill — with an apparent stab wound to the chest. She was pronounced dead on the scene.
Police discovered James Hill inside the house with serious injuries after he allegedly attempted suicide. The Upper Arlington Fire Division took him to a local hospital, where he was admitted in stable condition.
Court documents filed in Franklin County Municipal Court indicate that Hill “purposefully” attacked his wife inside their home with “prior calculation and design” to kill her.
“After being unable to locate a firearm within his home, James Stephen Hill obtained a kitchen knife, proceeded into the home office where Mary Kathleen Hill was working and stabbed her once in the center of her chest while standing behind her, causing her death,” according to the prosecution.
Police interviewed James Hill in the hospital, where he allegedly admitted to killing his wife while claiming to be the victim of a blackmail plan carried out by a lady he met on an internet dating site, according to Columbus CBS station WBNS.
James Hill reportedly stated that during their encounters, he and the alleged woman exchanged naked images. That’s when the person he met online reportedly executed a sextortion operation.
On the morning of November 9, the individual to whom James Hill gave the nude photos wrote him a message asking $15,000 in Apple Pay cards. If James Hill did not supply the monies, the person he gave the images to stated that they would be released publicly.
James Hill reportedly told authorities that he “could only think of one way out of the situation,” which led to his suicide and that of his wife.
He allegedly decided to use a knife because he couldn’t remember where he had stashed his pistols three years ago, according to local ABC affiliate WSYX. James Hill then allegedly entered the office where his wife was seated and started stroking her shoulders.
Mary Hill told her husband that the massage felt amazing, and he allegedly slid the kitchen knife into her chest, apologized, and held her in his arms until she died.
According to the Columbus Dispatch, James Hill attempted to stab his dog to death, but she managed to escape. He then removed several photos and documents from his computer before stabbing himself in the chest and dialing 911.
James Hill was scheduled to appear in court for his arraignment on Wednesday, but the hearings were postponed because he was still receiving treatment in the hospital. He is currently being held without bond at the Franklin County Jail, according to documents.
