[2] Hamilton County, Ohio prosecutor Joe Deters theorized that Della Sutorius had "a serious problem with rejection" after colleagues of her husband reported that he had been considering divorce.
[8] According to her sister Donna Hall, Sutorius's approach to men had long been colored by monetary gain: "She said you find a wealthy man and, when they die, you'd get their money".
[9] Her mother phoned the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and assured them that Darryl Sutorius's death was not a suicide, and guaranteed them that her daughter had murdered her own husband.
[11] Though her lawyers argued that police had failed to prove that Darryl Sutorius's death was anything but suicide[12] and their client's statements to police had not been preceded by a Miranda warning,[13] she was convicted on June 7, 1996, with the jury deliberating for fewer than five hours before finding her guilty of aggravated murder, use of a gun in a crime of violence, and drug possession.
Judge Richard Niehaus said that contrary to her media portrayal as a "black widow," she was more akin to a lionfish, who attracts prey with its brilliant stripes before using its poisonous spines to kill them.
Despite the coverage the press devoted to the auction,[17][18] bidders failed to meet the minimum necessary total for the pieces to sell separately and the lot was sold for a $5,100 lump sum.
[4] Della Sutorius's dramatic history with her husbands and the public perception of her as being a "black widow"[19] attracted high levels of coverage from the press; her lawyer, ex-husbands, and ex-boyfriends were all reportedly approached by talk show hosts and news broadcasts such as Geraldo and Hard Copy.