| Revision as of 03:28, 20 January 2006 editMiguellarios (talk | contribs)178 edits middlename← Previous edit | Revision as of 03:45, 20 January 2006 edit undoMiguellarios (talk | contribs)178 editsNo edit summaryNext edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| ] | |||
| '''Susan Mae Polk''' (born '''Susan Bolling''' in ]) is a mother of three, who is accused of murdering her husband, Dr. Frank "Felix" Polk. Dr. Polk was a prominent Berkeley psychologist, who was found with five stab wounds in the pool house at the couple's upscale San Francisco home in 2002. She is being held without bail at the Martinez Detention Facility. | '''Susan Mae Polk''' (born '''Susan Bolling''' in ]) is a mother of three, who is accused of murdering her husband, Dr. Frank "Felix" Polk. Dr. Polk was a prominent Berkeley psychologist, who was found with five stab wounds in the pool house at the couple's upscale San Francisco home in 2002. She is being held without bail at the Martinez Detention Facility. | ||
Revision as of 03:45, 20 January 2006
Susan Mae Polk (born Susan Bolling in 1957/1958) is a mother of three, who is accused of murdering her husband, Dr. Frank "Felix" Polk. Dr. Polk was a prominent Berkeley psychologist, who was found with five stab wounds in the pool house at the couple's upscale San Francisco home in 2002. She is being held without bail at the Martinez Detention Facility.
Background
In the early 1970s, Susan Bolling was growing up in suburbs of Oakland, California. Her parents were divorcing and her mother wondered if Susan was trying to shut out the emotional turmoil of the divorce. Later, a school counselor at Clayton Valley High School in Concord, California recommended therapy for Susan. He suggested an expert in adolescent behavior, Felix Polk.
First Encounter with Felix Polk
Felix Polk began treating Susan in 1972 when she was 15 years old. Within a year, however, the doctor-patient relationship changed. Susan claimed that they first had sex when he drugged and raped her. Felix was, at that time, a married father of two.
Susan went to Mills College, an all-girls' school nestled in the Oakland hills, before moving to San Francisco State University where she graduated from. She stopped seeing Felix as a therapist, but the personal relationship continued.
In 1982, Polk divorced his wife Sharon Mann and married Susan, a woman literally half his age. According to Susan, her husband was a domineering, manipulative husband who was obsessed with controlling her life. Susan and Felix eventually had three sons -- Gabriel, Eli and Adam.
Murder charges and Trial
Currently, Susan Polk is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the October 13, 2002, death of her husband in a cottage on the couple's $2 million estate in Orinda, California. If convicted, she faces 25 years to life in prison.
Prosecutors claim the murder of Polk was a cold, calculated attempt by his wife to gain control of his multimillion dollar estate, but defense attorneys claim Susan Polk had long been controlled, abused and battered by her husband and she acted in self-defense when he flew into a rage and attacked her.
Susan's defense attorney, Daniel Horowitz, claims that she had long been a battered wife under the physical and emotional control of her husband.
The trial began on October 17, 2005, but a mistrial was declared, because of the murder of the wife of her lead attorney, Daniel Horowitz.