Joan Robinson Hill

Joan Robinson Hill
Joan Robinson and her horse, Beloved Belinda, 1953
Born	Joan Olive Robinson (1931-02-06)February 6, 1931 Houston, Texas, US
Died	March 19, 1969(1969-03-19) (aged 38) Houston, Texas, US
Nationality	American
Occupation	Equestrian, socialite
Known for	National competitor in equestrian events Death in unexplained circumstances
Spouse(s)	John Hill (1957-1969; her death)

Joan Olive Robinson Hill (February 6, 1931 – March 19, 1969) was a socialite and equestrian from Houston, Texas. Her unexplained death at age 38 led to her husband, John Hill, becoming the first person to be indicted by the state of Texas on the charge of murder by omission. The case precipitated a series of events that included the 1972 murder of John Hill and, two years later, the fatal police shooting of the man accused of that murder. Adopted as an infant by wealthy oil tycoon Davis "Ash" Robinson and his wife, Rhea, Joan became an equestrian at a young age. She excelled and continued the sport into adulthood, ultimately winning several national titles.

After two youthful marriages that ended in divorce, Joan married plastic surgeon John Hill in 1957. After a tumultuous marriage, she died following a short illness on March 19, 1969. Autopsy examinations failed to determine a cause of death beyond an infection from an unknown source. Ash subsequently accused John of poisoning Joan, and petitioned the district attorney to prosecute John for murder. John's murder trial was held in February 1971 but ended in a mistrial. As a second trial was approaching, John was gunned down by an intruder at his home. A suspect, Bobby Wayne Vandiver, was arrested and indicted for the murder, but was killed in a shootout with police before his trial. Two other suspects, Marcia McKittrick and Lilla Paulus, were convicted as accomplices to John's murder and served time in prison.

The case was the subject of Thomas Thompson's 1976 book Blood and Money and the 1981 made-for-television film Murder in Texas.

Davis Ashton "Ash" Robinson studied dentistry at Tulane College, New Orleans, but disliked the subject and chose not to follow it as a career. Instead, he embarked on a series of business ventures, making and losing several fortunes before becoming an oilman. He met Rhea Ernestine Gardere in New Orleans, and they married on July 28, 1919. After settling in Houston, the couple discovered that Rhea was unable to bear children, and Ash suggested that they should adopt a child instead. In March 1931, Rhea visited the Edna Gladney Home in Fort Worth where she was introduced to the one-month-old Joan Olive, who had been given up for adoption by her unmarried mother. The Robinsons adopted the baby girl.