← Back to United States casesJoshua Blane Hilling Murdered by Amber Michelle Fields/Hilberling, Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Case Summary
Joshua Blane Hilling and Amber Michelle Fields married quickly in 2011 before moving to Fairbanks, Alaska, where the source reports repeated domestic violence, police involvement, drug-related instability, isolation, and escalating conflict. After Joshua was discharged from the Air Force and the couple returned to Tulsa, they lived separately from Amber's family while she was pregnant. On June 7, 2011, Joshua fell from their apartment window at University Club Towers and died from his injuries. Amber initially told responders and her mother that she had pushed him, later claimed self-defense, and was convicted of second-degree murder in 2013. She received a 25-year sentence and died by hanging in prison in 2016; the source leaves some circumstances of her death unresolved.
Basic Information
Country: United States
State/Province: Oklahoma, United States
City/Region: Tulsa
Incident Type: Murder
Relationship Status: Married
Relationship Duration:
Incident Date: June 7, 2011
Incident Sequence and Additional Victims
Primary reported outcome: Homicide
Reported self-harm outcome: Completed suicide
Person(s) reported to have died by or attempted suicide: Amber Michelle Fields/Hilberling
Reported role: Alleged suspect / offender
Reported sequence: Homicide or serious injury, then suicide or attempt
Additional victims reported: 0
Relationship Journey
Relationship Origins:
- Met at school/college/university
- Friends circle
Relationship Stages:
- Dating
- Married Living Together
- Love Marriage
- Police report filed
Analysis
Contributing Factors:
- Drugs / Alchohol Use
- Domestic Conflict
- Mental instability
- Divorce / Separation
- Career / Employment Decline
Red Flags:
- Deception after incident
- Escalation Pattern / Violence
- Threats
- Social Isolation / Withdrawal
- Divorce Pending / Recent Separation
- High-Conflict Household
Motives:
- Revenge
- Control/domination
Relationship Outcomes:
- Divorce filed
- Custody dispute
- Legal case ongoing
- Homicide during marriage
- Arrest made
- Suicide
Source Video
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People Link Graph
Joshua Blane Hilling Murdered by Amber Michelle Fields/Hilberling, Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Relationship Journey Graph
Origin
- Met at school/college/university
- Friends circle
How the relationship or connection began.
Status
- Married
Stages
- Dating
- Married Living Together
- Love Marriage
- Police report filed
Important relationship phases recorded for this case.
Warning Signals
- Deception after incident
- Escalation Pattern / Violence
- Threats
- Social Isolation / Withdrawal
- Divorce Pending / Recent Separation
- High-Conflict Household
Reported red flags or early concern points.
Pressure Points
- Drugs / Alchohol Use
- Domestic Conflict
- Mental instability
- Divorce / Separation
- Career / Employment Decline
- Revenge
- Control/domination
Contributing factors and possible motives from the available sources.
Incident
2011-06-07
Outcome
- Divorce filed
- Custody dispute
- Legal case ongoing
- Homicide during marriage
- Arrest made
- Suicide
Recorded relationship or case outcome.
Sources
English labels are shown first. Original-language titles are preserved for source verification.
Joshua Blane Hilling Murdered by Amber Michelle Fields/Hilberling, Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
کارآگاه الیت - Iran · Original language: Persian
View original title
راز این زوج جوان بعد از سالها فاش شد | پرونده جاش و امبر
AI Intelligence Assessment
Relationship Pattern
Domestic Violence
Pattern Analysis
The source presents a rapid marriage followed by repeated mutual violence, police involvement, drug-related instability, separation pressures, and social isolation. The fatal incident occurred during an ongoing marital dispute after Joshua's military discharge and the couple's return to Tulsa. Amber's initial statements, later self-defense account, physical-scene evidence, and witness testimony produced competing interpretations, but a jury convicted her of second-degree murder.
Investigative Notes
Amber was arrested after reportedly telling responders and her mother that she had pushed Joshua. Police used a hidden recording during a conversation between Amber and her grandmother, according to the source. The initial first-degree murder charge was later changed to second-degree murder. Amber was released on bond with an ankle monitor and house arrest, violated the terms approximately ten times, and was jailed again. Her trial began March 13, 2013; the jury convicted her on March 18, and the court imposed a 25-year sentence on April 23, 2013. Custody of Levi was awarded to Joshua's parents. Amber died in prison on October 24, 2016; the medical examiner reportedly listed hanging as the cause of death, while toxicology found substances in her blood.
Investigation Confusion
The source describes materially different accounts. Amber initially said she pushed Joshua and did not intend to kill him, later claimed she pushed him in self-defense after he grabbed her, while prosecutors argued that she deliberately pushed him through the window. The source also reports conflicting interpretations of the broken window, the condition of candle holders and the apartment, witness observations, and the circumstances of Amber's later prison death.
Case Reconstruction / Puzzle Pieces
Joshua and Amber met, married quickly in June 2011, moved to Fairbanks, and reportedly developed a pattern of mutual physical conflict and police involvement. Joshua's military discharge and reported drug use led to a return to Tulsa, conflict with Amber's family, and a move to University Club Towers. On June 7, Joshua returned while a repairman was fixing a previously broken bedroom window; later, a neighbor heard shouting and a crash, and Joshua fell from the apartment to a lower parking structure. Amber made an early admission that she pushed him, but later asserted self-defense. Prosecutors relied on her recorded statements, scene evidence, and witness testimony; the jury accepted second-degree murder and she was sentenced to 25 years.
Risk Assessment
The reported risk pattern included repeated physical violence, prior police calls, a restraining order, threats involving divorce, substance-related instability, unemployment or military discharge, pregnancy-related dependence, isolation, and escalating conflict in a high-rise residence. These factors indicate serious relationship danger but do not independently establish intent or prove every disputed allegation.
Key Takeaways
The case illustrates how repeated domestic violence, unstable housing, substance-related behavior, isolation, pregnancy, threatened separation, and prior protective intervention can converge before a fatal incident. Early statements, witness observations, scene reconstruction, and the distinction between initial and later accounts were central to the case. The source remains limited and includes commentary, disputed claims, and unresolved questions about Amber's prison death.
AI Case Q&A
What early signals mattered most?
The most important reported early signals were repeated mutual physical assaults, police involvement, Joshua's visit to a domestic-violence support center, a reported 21-stitch head injury, a restraining order, drug-related instability, frequent absences, threats involving divorce, and escalating conflict during pregnancy.
Which clues helped connect the case?
The reported clues included Amber's statements to first responders and her mother, the hidden recording of her conversation with her grandmother, Nathan McGown's account of shouting and a crash, another neighbor's report of running, the condition of the apartment and candle holders, the broken bedroom window, and the prosecution's reconstruction of the fall.
Which evidence types appeared strongest?
According to the source, the strongest evidence included Amber's contemporaneous statements, the recorded conversation, witness testimony, physical-scene observations, the fall location, and the absence of the struggle damage Amber later described. The source also reports that the defense challenged the reliability of the old apartment windows.
Witness / Eyewitness Statements
Nathan McGown reportedly heard mostly a woman's shouting followed by a loud crash and then a woman yelling. A person smoking in the building reportedly saw Joshua fall and called police. Another neighbor reportedly heard running at the time of the fall. A prosecution witness reportedly said Amber cursed and joked about Joshua's death, which Amber denied. Patrick reportedly relayed Joshua's earlier account of being pushed down basement stairs.
How did follow-up reports change the understanding?
Early reports centered on Amber's admission that she pushed Joshua without intending to kill him. Later litigation introduced her self-defense account, prosecution claims of a deliberate push, disputed physical evidence, and witness testimony. The case ended with a second-degree murder conviction rather than a first-degree charge, and later reporting described Amber's prison death as hanging with toxicology findings but unresolved surrounding circumstances.
What remained unclear?
The source does not fully resolve whether Amber's push was intentional, reckless, or defensive, nor does it independently establish every allegation of prior violence. The precise physical sequence inside the apartment remains disputed. The source also leaves unclear whether Amber's prison hanging was definitively self-inflicted or involved another explanation.