Richard Hamlin

This case is one of the more rare types of cases that I do in the fact that this did not involve a murder. However, let us be clear in the fact that while a murder did not occur it, that may have only been by luck for the victim. Richard Hamlin threatened it seems to kill his wife, Susan, by holding a gun to her and beat her several times throughout their marriage to the point in which caused many injuries. Richard never pulled the trigger when the gun was on his wife but the reason for that may never be known.

Richard Hamlin was a prominent El Dorado Hills California attorney. In 2004 he walked into the county sheriff's department with his wife, Susan. The couple sat down with investigators as Susan began telling them a story. It did not take long before investigators became suspicious not just of Susan's story, but why she would be telling it. It also seems apparent that Richard was interjecting and adding additional information while the story was being told. The long and short of the story was that Susan was confessing to molesting the couple's four children, two boys and two girls as well as telling investigators that her father, who had allegedly molested her as a child, was involved in a satanic cult and that she and her father were planning to murder and sacrifice Richard. Richard's version of things “included drugs, sex and a prostitution ring that met at Starbucks.” Investigators knew that it was unusual for someone to come into a police station and confess such things, but they also knew that it was more rare that a mother would molest her children. In addition to that molesters tend to focus on one gender and not both so that also made things seem odd.

Investigators decided to separate the couple and interview them separately to get to the bottom of the story. My research did not indicate whether Richard fought against this but my instincts tell me that he likely did although he was unsuccessful. The only reason I would believe that he would not have resisted this tactic by investigators would have been that he was confident that Susan would not stray from the story but even still I am unsure that he could be that confident. It appears that initially Susan did stick with her story. She would later say that while the story she was telling was not true, she also saw it as a way to get away from Richard. In her mind jail or prison would have been better than the life she was living. She was shocked when investigators announced they were not going to arrest her and it was then that she revealed the real story.

Richard and Susan had met in law school and had been together for close to twenty years. She put her career on hold for a while to start a family that would eventually include their four children. According to Susan, Richard had “always been unfaithful” and at some point began using drugs. It is unclear exactly when the abuse began but it seems that initially Richard did what a lot of abuser did, he inflicted injuries in areas that could easily be hidden by those on the outside. He would stab her on her head “with an ice-pick type instrument,” he would would hit the same spots repeatedly which inflicted more pain but “limited the number of visible injuries.” Susan would claim that several times he had held a gun to her or even in her mouth and ask her if she was ready to die.

It is not clear exactly when the abuse began but over time it had escalated as Richard's ideas, plans and apparently delusions also escalated. One could argue that this was due to his apparent drug addiction but as we will get into things later I do not believe that argument has much merit. According to Susan, Richard had began to plant a story in her head that her father had molested her as a child. Susan says that when this began she insisted that was not true but Richard attempted to manipulate her and convince her that it had happened and she simply had repressed memories. Prosecutors would later say that it the story was concocted in an effort to “put together a million dollar lawsuit against her father.” Despite having income from two attorney's (Susan was working as an attorney by at least 2004) in the household the family finances were in trouble. It was said that by December of 2003 they were “broke” and their home was facing foreclosure. The following month Richard bought a book about “surviving” Satanic abuse and instead of simply telling Susan her father had molested her he now added a Satanic theme to it saying it had all been involved in a cult.

By this time it was said that Richard had taken to wearing guns in holsters around his waist around the house. He also kept a taser and a sword in the couple's bedroom. The month of February seemed to be especially chaotic in the Hamlin household. At some point it was said that Richard had accidentally shot himself in the leg. It was then, while at the emergency room Susan was first directed to tell authorities about the Satanic cult things that had now “involved” other people. Strangely it seems that Susan went with the story and told authorities or at least doctors the story she was instructed to tell but nothing seemed to come of it. Susan would claim that on February 10^th Richard had been swinging the sword around in their bedroom and that her finger was cut when she attempted to block the sword. He then stabbed the mattress of the bed several times, threw her against the wall. He then began choking her with one hand and hitting her in the head with the other. Later that night, as they slept Susan claims that Richard kept a gun pointing at her.

It was on the 26^th of February that Richard forced Susan to go to the sheriff station to make her confession. Investigators really had nothing but Susan's word about the abuse she endured and they had not believed her initial story so both Richard and Susan were allowed to leave. However, investigators did call in child protective services and the couple's four children were taken into state custody that night. The following day the children were interviewed and at that point law enforcement had enough to arrest Richard. On March 1^st Susan was given a physical examination. My research was not specific but it appears that she was likely taken for this examination at the time, or near the time of his arrest. It was determined that both of her ears were swollen. One of ear canals was bruised and 90% swollen shut. She had bruising of her face from under her eye to her chin and her nose was broken. She had multiple bruises along her neck, shoulders, arms, abdomen and thigh and she suffered from five broken ribs. It seems that if authorities had not already had enough to arrest him for domestic battery, this would have done it.

Richard was indicted on eighteen counts that included things like discharging a firearm, torture, child neglect and false imprisonment. He would be held in the county jail until his trial without bail. His trial would begin in October of 2005 and he would be tried on all eighteen counts. The couple's two sons testified that on more than one occasion they were certain their father was going to kill their mother. They also stated that they were often forced to watch and that he would tell them that he was “helping her” after he had beaten her. Susan herself would be on the stand for seven days. While it was reported that the former defense attorney represented himself there was an indication that another attorney was assigned to help him with his case. It was not made clear as to who cross examined Susan or what may have been asked.

The trial ended in January 2006. Of the eighteen counts he faced the jury found him guilty on eight, not guilty on seven and were undecided on three after deliberating for eight days. He was found guilty on the counts of torture, making a criminal threat, three counts of inflicting corporal injury upon Susan and three counts of misdemeanor child abuse. The judge imposed a life sentence for the torture. He was also given three consecutive sentences of 180 days on the child abuse counts. While the judge also imposed a three year sentence for the criminal threat and four years (times three) for the counts of inflicting corporal injury he stayed those sentences.

In December of 2011 Richard had a parole hearing. He was denied and Susan and the children had been assured that he would not have another hearing for ten years. In December of 2014 Richard asked to move his parole date and it was denied but when he asked again in February of 2018 it was granted and he had a hearing in January of 2019. He would claim how he as a new man basically and had a “new found faith” but according to Susan she never believed that. In fact, throughout their marriage they had been regular church goers and he had even quote Bible verses to her while he was beating her to support his reasons. It also seems that he has still insisted that she was abused by her father. The parole board denied his request. His next hearing is set for January of 2026 but is seems reasonable to believe he will once again attempt to be approved for a hearing sooner than that.

I will admit that I have never seen or heard of a case in which a life sentence has been imposed in a case of domestic abuse that did not involve a death. This indicates to me that there was likely much more to this case than I really uncovered in my research. Susan and her children have moved on with their lives and say they feel safe as long as Richard remains behind bars. It appears they all believe that if he were to be released they would all, especially Susan, be in grave danger.