A retired Ohio State University music professor will spend the rest of his life behind bars unless he wins parole. James Hill admitted he killed his wife and says an online extortion scheme pushed him to it.

Hill is 77. He admitted that he fatally stabbed Mary, who was 64. He also tried to stab the family dog and then turned the knife on himself.

He told investigators that a woman he had been talking to online threatened to share nude photos he had sent her. Her price for silence was $15,000 paid in Apple gift cards.

The day of the killing

Court records say the threat arrived on November 9, 2025. Hill claimed he felt cornered and decided that killing his whole family was his only way out.

He told police he first searched for his gun. He could not find it because Mary had hidden it years before, so he took a knife instead.

Hill says he walked up behind Mary while she sat at her computer in their den and stabbed her once in the chest. He told investigators he apologized and held her as she died.

The dog was hurt in the attack but got away. Before calling for help Hill went on his computer and deleted a number of photos and files.

A call for help then cut short

Around 2:30 PM Hill dialed 911 and asked for police and an ambulance. The call dropped as soon as the dispatcher pressed him for details.

He then unlocked the front door and stabbed himself while sitting on the couch. Officers arrived about four minutes later and found him still there.

Guilty plea

Hill first entered a not guilty plea. On October 28, 2026, he changed course and pleaded guilty to felony murder along with cruelty to a companion animal.

He was sentenced to life with a chance at parole after 15 years. That means he could first go before a parole board in his early 90s.

Anyone in crisis can reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by phone or text at 988 or online at 988lifeline.org.