SLO County supervisor’s widow claims he was murdered

February 16, 2023

By KAREN VELIE

In an email to San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Jimmy Paulding, former Supervisor Adam Hill’s widow claims her husband was murdered.

In the Valentine’s Day email, Dee Torres-Hill asks Paulding to convince Gov. Gavin Newson to open an investigation into Hill’s death, which she claims actually occurred on Aug. 5, 2020. Hill committed suicide on Aug. 6, 2020, the day his body was found, according to the autopsy report.

“As we both know, Adam supported and believed in you from the start, and again even in death he was right,” Torres wrote in her email to Paulding. “Will you help me convince the governor to open an honest, and public investigation into my husband Adam Craig Hill’s death on Aug. 5, 2020, which is the day I believe he died.”

In the email, Torres-Hill accuses Sheriff Ian Parkinson, District Attorney Dan Dow and others of ignoring evidence.

“In fact, I say this with all seriousness, I have more evidence of a homicide than all the law enforcers combined have provided me so far of a suicide,” Torres-Hill says in her email. “As you can imagine, this mountain of evidence can’t be swept under the proverbial rug, as it has grown too big to be ignored any longer.”

“Today Jimmy, I am on bended knee asking you to please help me get the truth for my family, our community, and frankly all of our communities. Again, I am pleading with you to facilitate a meeting with the governor so that we can figure out the best way to launch a complete investigation into the almost two decades now political targeting of me and my family which resulted in, among countless other unimaginable injustices, my husband’s inevitable death.”

Paulding does not plan to contact the governor.

“Per our phone conversation, I reviewed the coroner’s report,” Paulding wrote in an email to Torres-Hill. “There is nothing that leads me to disagree with the conclusions made in the report. Further, I do not have any investigatory authority over this matter as a supervisor.”

Hill’s separation and death

After two years of marriage, Hill and Torres-Hill separated in the fall of 2016, according to court records. In early 2019, Hill filed for divorce.

Hill submitted a proposed judgement on Jan. 24, 2020, in order to finalize the divorce. At the time, he was dating Nicole Nix, his administrative assistant.

On March 11, 2020, the FBI raided Hill’s office at the county government center and his Shell Beach home over allegations of bribery and corruption. Shortly after the last agent left his home, Hill attempted to kill himself. He survived.

The following day, Torres-Hill’s attorney filed a pleading seeking to allow Torres-Hill rights to Hill’s retirement. Their divorce was pending when Hill died in Aug. 2020.

In the days leading up to his death, Hill returned to work after a month-long absence to find Nix had accused him of sexual misconduct, including groping, slapping and “gross things.”

On Aug. 6, Hill died from a drug overdose, which was deemed a suicide. He left a four-page suicide note.

Even so, multiple people tied to the bribery schemes have questioned if Hill was forced to take the fatal combination of cocaine and antidepressants.

Responses to Torres-Hill’s email

Becky Jorgeson, a woman on the almost 80-person email list, blamed CalCoastNews for Hill’s death in her response to Torres-Hill.

Torres-Hill thanks Jorgeson and then accuses KVEC radio host Dave Congalton and this CalCoastNews reporter of being paid to lie. An allegation Hill first lodged after CalCoastNews exclusively reported on his bribery schemes.

While Torres-Hill writes that she plans to never mention Congalton or this CalCoastNews reporter again, she notes her plans to target those who she claims ask KVEC and CalCoastNews to lie.

Torres-Hill, who no longer lives in SLO County, lists those she plans to target, including SLO County supervisors Dawn Ortiz Legg, John Peschong and Debbie Arnold; District Attorney Dan Dow; attorney Stew Jenkins; former state legislator Sam Blakeslee and COLAB.