The Bel Air teen charged with killing his father appeared at a hearing today at the Harford County Courthouse, where supporters also staged a rally on his behalf.
According to police, Robert (Bob) C. Richardson, 17, shot his father at their Bel Air home last January before dumping the body in an Aberdeen pond and leading officers on a chase through residential portions of Bel Air. The chase ended when Richardson crashed the family truck in the parking lot of the Bel Air United Methodist Church and fled on foot to a nearby community, where he was taken into custody.
Richardson admitted killing his father, Robert C. Richardson Jr., 58, and told investigators that they would find the elder Richardson’s body in an Aberdeen pond on property owned by a relative. Police found the body laying on the edge of the pond, partially submerged.
Richardson was 16 years old when he was charged as an adult with first- and second-degree murder and the use of a handgun in the commission of a felony. He is currently being held in the Harford County Detention Center pending trial.
Richardson appeared in the Bel Air courtroom Wednesday for a brief hearing related to the manner of his visits with defense attorneys. Following the hearing, County Attorney Rob McCord, representing the county detention center, said that attorneys on all sides had reached an agreement allowing defense attorneys to meet face to face with Richardson, rather than be separated from him by a customary glass partition.
Richardson’s hearing was attended by approximately 30 supporters, some of whom gasped when he entered the courtroom in shackles and a grey striped prison uniform. Following the hearing, several supporters were in tears.
“He looked drained… He looks like a baby” said Dottie Kilduff, who attended both the outside rally and the hearing in the courtroom. Kilduff said that she lived with Richardson and his father for a time after Bob’s mother died of cancer. She said she witnessed verbal abuse by the father toward the son, and believed it got worse when she left. “I was a Band-Aid,” she said.
Richardson’s supporters say he was driven to the crime by years of neglect and abuse by his father. Eileen Siple and her daughter Hannah maintain a Facebook page entitled “Free Robert (Bob) Richardson” and helped organize the rally. Siple explained the group’s position in a recent email to The Dagger:
“It continues to be our contention that Bob was horribly abused by his father, and that he was unable to obtain the help that he needed, prior to this tragic event. While we do not condone killing, it is our belief that this tragedy would not have occurred, if “the system” had worked as it should have. As adults, it is our job to look out for the children, and somehow this boy was overlooked.
As a group, we have continued to support Bob during the past year. We regret that we did not know of Bob’s plight prior to January of last year. While we were unable to help him during those years, we have come forward to help him since the tragedy occurred. We regret that he is charged as an adult, as we believe his case belongs in the juvenile courts, and we are horrified by the situations he has had to endure since his arrest, i.e. 10 months of segregation within the Harford County Detention Center, simply because the facility is not set up to handle juveniles.”
Siple later said that Richardson was isolated for his own safety until he turned 17. Now, she said, he is allowed time outside his cell and calls her house every day. He talks mostly with her daughter, she said, who was a friend when Richardson attended C. Milton Wright High School before his arrest. Siple said the two teenagers talk, laugh and listen to music together on speakerphone. “You would never guess that one of them was calling from a jail cell,” she said.
Richardson’s trial is set for May 14th.
Dagger contributor Todd Holden was also at the hearing and reported on the scene:
FIRST IMPRESSIONS….
There was a quiet dignity about him as he walked shackled and in prison stripes into Judge Waldron’s courtroom at 4:20 p/m Wednesday….just a little guy, short hair and fear all over his face…fear and bewilderment….stumbling over leg irons and chains…
The hearing was about pre-trial motions…he sat quietly as his two attorneys asked the prosecuting attorneys that their line of communication be kept ‘fluid’ for the preparation of their defense….Judge Waldron agreed once the States Attorney team concurred. It was all very civil…
As I mingled with the folks who rallied an hour earlier for young Bob Richardson III, I asked others if they ever knew or bowled or watched a football game with the senior, now deceased Bob Richardson, Jr.
No one said they even knew him…no one was there to counter the children who went to school with the accused, or who rode the bus with him when his face showed the signs of abuse…or his clothes didn’t fit…
No one among the half filled main courtroom uttered a word against the accused…not one person that I came into contact with said they were sorry not for the accused but for the deceased…
Not one.The entire proceeding lasted less than 10 minutes…I was sitting with Sheriff Jesse Bane, was asked by the SA office to be present…
Judge Waldron dismissed the hearing and a young boy struggled to maintain his balance in the shackles and stutter-stepped across the carpeted floor of the courtroom, slowly and assisted by two deputies. He disappeared out the chambers door, and folks just spoke to one another of when was the last time they saw him…on the bus, in class…mothers mentioned they had spoken with him days before the shooting…
Rather than anger they were quietly consoling one another in the name of a boy who now stands accused of murdering his father…and the question remains, what pushed him to kill?
All that is going on in a young boy’s head…and we can only wonder at the toll it will take on him as time passes into years…and what the outcome will be.
And what will become of Bob as he reaches adulthood? Right now he doesn’t know what or where that will be….for certain, he has replayed that last evening with his father…over and over…till it rings in his ears as he passes yet another day in jail…waiting for a trial that could bring freedom…and closure…or bring a prison term…a different sort of closure…
We cannot know the inside of this boy’s head…only know from what we see in glimpses in a crowded courtroom…only he will know the unspoken truth between him and his father.
When he is released he should go straight to Hollywood and put his fine acting skills to use. Inside the facility he has bragged and joked about the killing and had to be warned multiple times that other inmates will use any information he gives them to try to bargain for their own cases. There are many people out there that have rough childhoods and they use it to inspire them to be better, this kid decided to kill his father. This is a very good example of mob mentality, a very select number of people have any first hand knowledge of the situation and then a group of soft hearted women let their emotions get the best of them and jumped on the bandwagon.
We (Me, my mother, and all his friends, family and supporters who showed up to this rally) disagree wholeheartedly. I saw first hand signs of abuse, as did MANY of his friends. We saw classic signs of neglect every day, (little food, clothes that didn’t fit/ were dirty/ had holes) and unexplainable black eyes, bruises, cuts, scrapes, and others. Bob wasn’t an athlete or anything, and he very rarely had an excuse for all of these marks. I’ve known him since 8th grade. So if you’re trying to tell me, that for 3 years this boy acted as if he was abused, just so he could get away with killing his father, then you are an ignoramus. None of us said what he did was right. Of course it wasn’t! But he didn’t wake up one day and say “Oh, I have a great idea! I’m going to go get this here gun, and shoot my father, and throw my whole life away!!” It doesn’t work like that. Sorry, Bud.
If you saw signs of abuse and neglect “every day” and did NOTHING to stop it, YOU HAVE BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS Hanna.
WTF, WTF is wrong with you? Guess we should all be able to guess by your initials. Obviously, Hannah is a child, since she says she went to school with Bob. How the hell could you accuse an acquaintance of Bob’s of having blood on her hands? She said she reported her suspicions to school authorities. How the hell is this her fault in any way? You are a sick person to accuse an innocent girl of somehow being complicit in this horrible event. I am not surprised that you didn’t sign your name to your inane ignorant comments.
Why does it surprise you that WTF did not sign their name to their comments? You don’t sign your name to your comments. Lots of folks named Eileen out there.
Does Hannah’s mom know she took the day off from school to rally at the courthouse and then post to blogs all day? You know a parent that believes blogging on a community website or marching around with signs is more important than attending class might easily be accused of neglect…perhaps even abuse given the Bob supporters appear to be opening the definition of abuse to include wearing ill-fitting cloths.
Money Tree, you are truly laughable. First of all, Hannah was not at the rally – she was home sick, and quite upset that she could not attend. Secondly, the rally started at 3:00, well after the school day had already ended.
Eileen read her post…she says she was there and posts this in the morning when she should be in class. Now she’s posting again…new post a moment or two ago. How is this young girl is free to sit on a blog all day (for the 2nd day) when she should be in school? If she’s your daughter or you know her you’re as guilty as anyone of abuse. That girl belongs in school and if you care as much about kids as you claim you do you’d strongly suggest she skip the picketing and march her azz to class.
I am her mother. She was not at the rally. She never claimed to be at the rally. She was home sick, and very upset that she could not go to the rally. I wouldn’t allow her to go to the rally, because she was too sick to go to school, and that is a rule in my home – too sick for school, too sick for after-school activities. She spent hours making most of the signs for the rally, so it was very disappointing to her. She is home because she is sick. She has been sick since Tuesday. It’s not some big mysterious conspiracy – she has that nasty stomach bug that is going around. I am very proud of my daughter; she knows how to stand up for herself and others, and she is well-spoken and well-written. She has a heart of gold, and would do anything she could to help anyone in need. I’m sorry that you find fault with it – most of society sees those as good attributes, but you seem to use a different scale. I have asked her not to post on here any more, not because she is doing anything wrong, but frankly, because your intolerant bullying hateful attitude, and that of others, worries me a lot. So if I had my choice between allowing you or Robert into my home, I would choose Robert any day.
Very smart on your part Eileen because I will watch the timing on her posts and if it seems like she stays an inordinate amount I’m turning you and she into the authorities.
Please do. That would be amusing.
Very smart on your part Eileen because I will watch the timing on her posts and if it seems like she stays home an inordinate amount of time I’m turning you and she into the authorities.
Very sad Eileen that others have to force you to act like a parent.
Eileen,
Hannah, in her very first post on this enormous blog, did clearly state that she was at the rally. I quote, “We (Me, my mother, and all his friends, family and supporters who showed up to this rally) disagree wholeheartedly.”
Perhaps more time in school would make her better in expressing thoughts, or better at grammar? She does seem to post all hours of the day, perhaps they are permitting smartphones in the classroom now? Is she getting some type of extra-credit in a particular class for her blogging?
Money Tree – good point in bringing up even more inconsistencies in their defence.
I DID do something to stop it. I went to the school to report it, and that was the most that i could do. I’m 16. How does it make you feel to bash on someone still in high school? WTF, WTF?
AND MY NAME IS HANNAH! If i’m such a horrible person, you can at least have the decency to remember my name. HANNAH SIPLE, PROUD FRIEND AND DEVOTED SUPPORTER OF ROBERT CONLEY RICHARDSON III. Thank you VERY much.
WTF, there is no doubt that you are one of the Harford County Officials of which Public Opinion is turning against, and you actually believe that picking on another child helps your cause. How disgusting!
Well, it’s a good thing that all of you cared enough to do something about it.
we did! Many neighbors calls police, many friends reported the abuse, as did parents, many people gave him clothes and food when he needed it. We did the best we could. It was in the states hands at that point.
Everyone keeps talking about rob like hes a good kid, if im not mistaken, i remember this kid hooking school several times to get high in the woods behind cmilton…..i bet all the supporting parents forgot about that. Hope your kids wernt back there huffing paint with him.
Nick, if you followed the facts, you would have seen that in the beginning neighbors are on WJZ, talking about all of the 911 calls made by them to the Sheriff’s Department stating that there is violence occurring in that home. Again, you are clearly a Harford County PR Minion, trying to help your fleeting cause. Your actions show that Harford County is trying to make this kid pay for the county’s abject failings to provide public safety, using the tax-payer money, to it’s most vulnerable citizens – like Robby, a boy whose mom was dead and who was constantly abused and neglected.
If you are so confident in your statements, please state who you really are, in the same light as those of us who were at the rally, supporting this boy because it is the right thing to do. We are helping a human being versus helping someone’s career that’s in jeopardy or help a personal relationships. Everyone knows that Harford County Governmental Employees and/ or friend are scrambling because this case has so much traction, because the County Employees ignored their professional responsibilities to address this issue before the father or the boy was killed.
Actually, I was abused as a kid, and I would have killed the jerk who did it. But, I had a family around me. Even though I did not speak about the abuse until I was older, they were my support system and didn’t know it. This kid had no one else in his home to be around. So don’t be so quick to judge someone who has been through something you seem to know very little to nothing about. If you DID know what it was like to feel like a piece of crap everyday from someone who was supposed to “love” you, you wouldn’t be so ignorant. Shocker: some kids don’t know how to deal with adult hatred or disapproval on a daily basis. Running away would have been the more obvious choice for most.
If what you state are facts, then be a man or woman and state who you are. Otherwise, stop being quite clear that you are part of Harford County’s spin machine, trying to sweep this abused child’s situation under the rug to mitigate damage to Harford County’s Goverments’ role in this tragedy.
“Juveniles belong in juvenile court”
I agree that juvenile court has its uses, for small things that are a childish mistake the person can outgrow and society is served by having their record sealed, like getting caught with weed, underage booze, shoplifting, maybe a fight here or there. But murder is murder.
Once there’s a body in the ground, its no longer a child’s foolishness that can be laughed about in a few years and the accused (if guilty) has made serious adult-level decisions. He played an adult game, now he stands to win adult prizes.
I completely agree with you, Kharn. This was not the act of a child.
I disagree. The minds of juveniles and adults are very different. The brain does not stop developing until mid 20s, and Robert was merely 16. The frontal lobe of his brain (responsible for decision making and understanding consequences) was not developed yet.
Juvenile courts understand this. They understand how a child thinks and feels and interprets the world. That’s why we have juvenile courts. Because kids are not the same as adults. In juvenile court (where they are equipped to handle such cases, and do often in many places) he would receive the therapy and counseling that he has so desperately needed for years, and can be given the help he needs. After that, he can hopefully be released into society, and become a functioning member. Remember, that’s the whole point of the prison and jail system? To rehabilitate the criminal. For many adults, who have lived a life of crime, this rehabilitation comes too late. However, for Robert, and teens like him, It could save lives.
If by the time you’re 16 you don’t know that it’s wrong to take a gun and shoot your father (or anyone else for that matter), dump the body in a lake, and then get in a high speed pursuit with the police then there’s not much hope for you.
He knew it was wrong. But please explain to me, if he already
1.) reported it to school officials
2.) had the police over to his house MANY times
3.) attempted to escape the situation by running away (only to be returned by police)
Then what was he supposed to do? Yes it was wrong. But to him, in his mind, his CHILD mind, there was no other way.
I know for a fact that if a juvenile comes to the police claiming abuse and there is evidence supporting those claims (even if the evidence is pretty flimsy) then CPS is contacted. If the abuse was in fact reported to school officials multiple times and nothing was done (something that I find very hard to believe) then those school officials could potentially face civil and/or criminal liability.
In any case, I’m not going to debate this any further with you or anyone else on here. His supporters are 100% convinced that he’s just an abused kid who finally snapped and refuse to even consider the possibility of any other scenario. Maybe that is indeed the case. Or maybe he just decided to murder his father, dump his body in a lake, and is now trying anything and everything he can to avoid spending the rest of his life in prison for 1st degree murder.
I don’t know him. I’ve never spoken to him. I probably never will speak to him so I don’t personally know which is the case here. I’ve dealt with quite a few cold blooded 16 year olds (and some even younger than that) who wouldn’t bat an eye at killing someone so I don’t find it beyond the realm of possibility that maybe he’s that cold blooded. I also don’t find it beyond the realm of possibility that he was an abused kid who finally snapped. I do find it virtually impossible to believe that so many people knew about the supposed abuse for years and that it was reported to multiple school officials and police officers by multiple people and nothing was done.
Nick,
Could not agree with you more. With all of the bleeding hearts on this page, I am wondering who – if any – would offer to take a murderer into their home if he is found “not guilty”.
How many people would be running to the courthouse then, huh? Would it be safe for you to put a murderer in a home with your other children, and feel safe at night going to sleep?
Of course, because their minds are fully developed.
I really don’t see why it’s fun for you to make fun of a child.
We would gladly take Robert into our home. As would many other people. Patricide AND parricide cases in general have a few things in common.
1.) abuse
2.) PTSD
3.) It does not happen again. This is the child/person’s only murder. Go ahead, look it up
Until you have been abused, you will not know what runs through a child’s head. They will try everything to escape the situation alive. Many of Bob’s supporters were abused themselves. They understand how it feels. Who are you to sit here and pretend to know this kid? If you only knew him. It’s so sad, because i KNOW he’s a good person.
Hannah, nobody is making fun of you, merely presenting a different view than what you have.
Look it up where, the internet? What a valuable, and reliable, source of credible information.
Who are YOU to sit there and pretend to know what he was going through? Were you / are you abused? Doesn’t seem like it, so you would have no Earthly clue what was going through his head.
Good people don’t commit murder.
Actually, “Hanna with an H”, several people here ARE making fun of Hannah, and it’s reprehensible.
Actually, Eileen, I was responding directly to Hannah since she felt compelled to state in direct response to my post, claiming that I was making fun of children.
Assuming she was referring to herself as a child.
hanna with an h, you specifically said that nobody was making fun of Hannah, and I pointed out that your statement is false. Hannah (16) will not be responding to you or anyone else here, as I asked her not to – some of these people were absolutely bullying her and others, and frankly, I am a little bit worried about what some of them might do – they seem a little bit unstable.
Sorry I was not clear, I meant “nobody” meaning me. “I” was not making fun of Hannah directly.
Hope she feels better soon, the sickness was a nasty one throughout the county.
thank you
He was not a toddler, he was a teenager. He knew the difference between right and wrong. Stop making excuses for this shit. You and your frontal lobe crap should go elsewere
It’s a fact. He knew it was wrong! I never said he didn’t, but he tried EVERYTHING he was supposed to, and nobody would help him! I never said that he didn’t know the difference, i said that he didn’t understand fully the consequences of what would happen. He belongs in the JUVENILE COURT.
He apparently didn’t try leaving and removing himself from the situation. I am not picking sides here, but I do believe that there is a lot more to this story than he is just an abused 16 year old who could no longer cope with his situation. Bob surly needs people to be his friend during this trying time, but blaming all of the others for his circumstances does nothing to improve his situation.
Mike Welsh, he ran away 4 times in the year before this happened. Part of the problem is that a teenager cannot legally leave the home, so each time he ran away, he was picked up by the police and returned to his abuser.
If this is true Eileen, then you should have significant issues with the police in Harford County. If they returned a child to his abuser after being told of the abuse and witnessing his busies and malnutrition without involving social services, then they have opened themselves up to a significant law suit.
In an earlier interview with Fox 45 at the time of the murder, the police confirmed all the times he ran away. Jussayin’
Running away is not unusual Hannah. What is unusual is the police returning someone who has run away several times and each and every time that they do the person who is being returned has evidence of malnutrition, signs of physical abuse, and signs of parental neglect. All of this without the police contacting child protective services.
“I never said that he didn’t know the difference, i said that he didn’t understand fully the consequences of what would happen.”
I believe that he did, and the prosecution will argue that he knew fully well what the implications were. This is why he attempted to dump and hide the body, and then committed yet another felony by attempting to flee and evade. Your argument has holes.
He did that because he was a child and didn’t know what else to do! He obviously wasn’t thinking clearly that night. Your LOGIC has holes.
No matter the reason, in the eyes of the law, however, he must be tried in criminal, as opposed to juvenile, court.
If he ran away and the system kept putting him in harms way, seems to me that a) the system doesn’t work and b) he should have a pretty good case to sue the #$#@ out of the County for endangering his life.
My guess is that both are correct.
Hannah, turn off your computer. You’re not going to change any minds here.
Kevin, Oh my, etc., I find it repulsive that adults are attacking a young, talented girl for speaking facts about which she is aware, because of her school attendance with Robby. I am quite sure that the Harford Co Government is in full defense mode, spinning facts, as the tide has quite clearly turned against them, due to the main issue in this case – that the Harford County Sheriff’s Office kept returning the boy to his abuse father after he repeatedly ran away from his abusive home. Robby was returned to his abusive and neglectful home despite being mandatory reporters of suspected child neglect/ abuse.
In addition to the fact that none of the school officials called to report his black eyes, bruised face, dirty, ill-fitting clothing, stating he didn’t have heat in his home, etc., despite also being mandatory reporters of suspected child neglect/ abuse also.
Before you get so emotionally involved crusading and holding rallies for this murderer, people should apply the same sympathetic analysis to the father. He lost his wife and was struggling to provide for a child with behavioral issues. Ask yourself, if the father had gone to trial for any of the things he supposedly did, should he have faced the death penalty? Robert Richardson decided to play judge, jury, and executioner and wrongfully decided that he should.
Actually, knowing both the son, and the family, I disagree.
Many of the mothers family claim she was also abused before her death.
He was living on welfare, and spent much of his money on drugs. Go ahead and look up the fathers records, it’s all there. And i know for a fact that his father was abusive.
What Robert did was wrong, no doubt! We all understand this. We’re not asking he be set free. We’re asking he gets HELP. Therapy and counseling, and HELP. This will only be given in the juvenile courts.
I understand where you are coming from, I do. I went through the same dilemma when i found out my friend killed someone. I was FURIOUS! But then i sat down, and asked myself WHY he killed.
And what was your answer? Why did he kill?
Because he tried everything else and didn’t get help. He wanted to escape the situation.
I looked at MD case search and all there is on the father is some no seat belt tickets. Where can we look up the fathers record that you are suggesting?
I don’t believe it will be on there, however I know they also have some drunk driving cases on there too, or at least they did a few months ago. Family and some of his old coworkers (from when he DID work, at the dollar tree) can confirm that he did drugs OFTEN.
But you said we could check out his record.
Am I asking too hard a question? Where can we check out the record?
You are claiming there is history attached to this abuse but are providing no proof. I’d love to believe this but am going to need a little more than your hear say second hand allegations.
Are there no public records of which you have claimed?
He Killed because Hanna sat by and did nothing while he was being abused.
Stop being a troll John Galt. It must be a miserable existence when you feel the need to lob baseless accusations at a young girl exercising her god given rights to stand up for what she believes in. A right which, I might add exists in spite of the way you might feel.
Agree with her or not, I am glad to see someone standing up for what they believe in and pressing forward in a constructive and intelligent manner. Too bad we can’t say the same for others who feel the need to interject their 2 cents on this thread….
John Galt, at least you signed your name to this comment so that the entire world can see your ignorance, accusing a young girl, who stated that she reported her suspicions to school authorities, of being complicit in this horrible tragedy. Seriously? You should be ashamed of yourself. If you want to have an open discussion, fine. But your comments are simply meant to hurt a young girl who has already likely been very hurt by the events of the past year. Grow up – you owe her an apology.
John Galt is a character in an Ayn Rand novel…
Sir, for the last time, my name is HANNAH
I cannot believe that one of you cruel adults who works for Harford County Government is trying to say that the boy killed bc Hannah didn’t report he was abused. This is the prosecutor office trying to shake up her as she is a witness…
“It continues to be our contention that Bob was horribly abused by his father, and that he was unable to obtain the help that he needed, prior to this tragic event. While we do not condone killing, it is our belief that this tragedy would not have occurred, if “the system” had worked as it should have.”
I’d be interested in hearing how the system let this young man down and how that makes him not responsible for his actions.
Peggysue, we all understand that he IS responsible for his actions. We agree in punishment. Just, in the juvenile court.
I reported the abuse to the school MANY times, as did Robert. His story just got lost with all the others. He tried escaping, running away, and others. This didn’t help, because he was always returned. Robert tried to stop this. That’s how the system let him down.
Its the systems fault NOT THE MURDERS. Please. He kills his father then drives to Aberdeen to dump the body all because he was abused?
Well why else would he do it? Are you implying he’s a sociopath or something? Because psychiatric analysis would be best for that, don’t you think? How about before we start jumping to conclusions, we get him that analysis. He’s not a crazy person who finds joy in killing. Most people aren’t. Most people, whether it be right or wrong, have justification for killing. He killed because he was abused. If you disagree, then i think you should also be trying to get him help that he needs, otherwise it could happen again. I know the truth. That’s all that matters.
I’m not tryna be rude in any way but I dnt appreciate wat is bein said about him, none of u ppl kno him, but I grew up with him, I grew up in that house with him, u ppl dnt kno wat went on there but I do, I kno the truth I’ve seen the abuse I’ve felt the abuse he’s not the only one of that mans children that was beatin an cursed at I’m one of his 3 daughters that left him befor any of us turned 13 did any of u dumb ppl kno he had 3 gurls that all left him an went an live with our mom, why becuz he was an abusive old man, an I honestly hope that all u ppl judgein him when u dnt kno shit all u can go die jus lik that old man did, it’s discussing the way u all are talkin about my little brother the way u are he has never hurt or done anything hurtful to anybody in his whole life, I might not hav been there to watch him grow up but I talked to him for years without my father knoin becuz he didn’t want him to hav anything to do with us an u kno wat I regret the most in my in my life leavin my little brother with that piece of shit of a dad, he was a waste if a life that should hav never happened, I’m not gonna be ignorant an wish rude shut upon u ppl but I hope u all pull ur heads out ur asses an listen an learn the facts of why he did it, I dnt blame him but I wish he didn’t do it, I jus wish I could hav takin him out of that mans home an u all should be ashamed of ur selfs for bein so selfish an unthoughtful…
-a mad sister
A. Richardson
Thank you for posting this :3
You’re a good lady.
She, along with her mother and other sisters, left her brother to live in a life of alleged misery and abuse. How does that make her a good lady?
She was a child, Mike Welsh. How dare you judge her. And she was abused by the same man that abused everyone else who lived in that home. Alr, thank God for you – you didn’t let him down. You were a kid, and you did what could to survive. Your bravery in coming forward to tell your story and help your brother is inspirational, and I thank God that you have the strength to do so. Thanks for doing what is right and what needs to be done for your brother. I know he appreciates it.
So why did they leave him?
Read her post. They left because they were being abused.
I am aware of why they left the father, my question is why they left the young son and brother with the abusive father?
They did not have the same mother. The girls left with their mother – she was not Bob’s mother.
And as a consequence of her less than legal responsibility to the boy she went with her less than ethical responsibility to the boy
Air I hope you are seeking counseling you are also a sweet girl who has been through a lot I don’t mean to imply you are mentally ill. I just hope you have support this is a lot to deal with. I have come to love your brother thru phone and mail conversations and it is so hard to deal with. You can seek me out anytime I know your brother loves you and worries about you take care of yourself God bless. You kids must have good moms to have turned out so well under very bad circumstances.
I really, really hope you did not graduate from HCPS given your demonstrated level of communication skills…
Kharn, what the hell is wrong with you? Why would you say something so hateful and hurtful to a young lady who was so victimized and is likely traumatized by the situation? What on Earth were you trying to accomplish with that statement? I certainly hope you did not graduate from HCPS, as you obviously never learned anything about empathy. You should be ashamed of yourself, and you owe Alr an apology.
Empathy is taught in the home. Grammar is taught in the schools, and the home. Let’s give everyone a pass on basic communication skills because they were abused in the home. We can call them handicapped when we see them on the street and give them a social security disability payment every month. Let’s also admire her ignorance of basic English skills and praise her for posting here multiple times so we can see her arrogance associated with her continued slaughter of language.
Ummm, I can spell wat Eva way I want to, if I could hav brought my brother to my moms house I would hav but when I left his mother was still alive, an I giv a big F U to any an all of u that judge me or my brother, thank u Hannah an mrs. Eileen for everything u guys are doin for my brother I appreciate it jus as much as he does an thank u also Valerie but I am doin fine with all this jus goin day by day …
Alr, I really want you to know how much I respect you for what you are doing. Please do not pay any attention to ignorant fools who think that it is ok to mock and belittle others who are just trying to do the right thing. I have a pretty good idea of what you have dealt with, and I find it reprehensible that anyone would say such despicable things to you. You know how to get in touch with me, if you ever need me. And for the idiot who said that we should try to help kids who are in bad situations, you obviously know nothing about me. I do just that, every time I get a chance. And some good has already come out of Robby’s situation, in that 3 children have found me, because of my involvement with this case, and I was able to get them the help they needed. I wish to God that Robby had approached me before this happened, but he didn’t know me then. I promise you that I would not have given up until he was out of that situation. I would have made sure he got help, however I could, just like those other 3 kids. Unfortunately, I never had that opportunity, but I will do everything in my power to help him now. That’s what adults are supposed to do – help the children, guide them, and love them. That’s how I try to live my life.
True Eileen, but it Alr wants to be heard and taken seriously, she should stop posting as if she is a teenager texting her boyfriend for a hookup. Just sayin’.
Eileen,
I’m not trying to be critical, just trying to understand. SOOOO many people failed this boy. You stated that he didn’t know you then and if he had approached you, you wouldn’t have given up until he was out of the situation. Isn’t Hannah your daughter? She said she went to the school numerous times. She was his friend. Did she never come to you?!?! I simply can’t believe that if someone had gone to a lawyer on Rob’s behalf, someone had taken him in and physically gone to the department of social services with him, taken photographs of the evidence of abuse, gone to a reporter about the systematic negligence by Harford County, that it could have been ignored the way it was. I work in a hospital. If a minor comes in with wounds, a full-scale investigation starts. The parents are basically criminals until proven innocent. So in my mind, the police, the hospitals, social services, the schools, friend’s, parents of friends, newspapers, all were unable or unwilling to help. That is A LOT of head-turning. Which makes me wonder, did Rob himself deny the abuse to the various people that would have been investigating? Like I said, I’m not accusing any one person, and I’m not saying he was not a victim of abuse, but can you at least understand why people are skeptical of his motive and acts? IF it was his denial of abuse, which would put him back in the abusive situation, which caused the cascade of events, then I am afraid I would have to say he is guilty and let the chips fall where they may because he would have been given the chance to get out by admitting the abuse was happening. But remember, I started off with IF, because I wasn’t there and don’t know the particulars I mentioned.
Surprised to read the negative comments. It is not hard for anyone who has taken any child development class to empathize and understand that a 16 year old who has experienced trauma (abuse, neglect, death of a parent, etc) would have stunted brain development. That makes it impossible for children of this age to fully comprehend the consequences and to consider all of their options. They cannot think through and see things the way a normal person can. Even a normal 16 year old’s brain is still developing. Additionally, if this child’s abuse/neglect had been reported or was obvious but unreported and no one helped him, why on earth would he think anyone would ever help him. I do not know the events of that day, but they do not sound planned since the child ended up partially dragging his father to a pond and ended up being chased by police. Sounds like he reacted and panicked, like a child. Most importantly, our justice system serves two basic functions (1) punishment and (2) to protect society… it is not rehabilitative. This child is being housed with adult criminals, thankfully in the county detention center, risking further abuse of him. This child has been in jail for a year now, in isolation for a good portion which in no way serves to rehabilitate him or address his mental health needs. This child has been punished, even though I am not sure that punishment is the appropriate response that society should want in this case. This child poses no real risk to further offend or be a risk to society, which should be a paramount consideration. Of course the longer someone is in jail, especially a juvenile, the more of a risk he will become. This matter should be distinguished from other juvenile murders, each case is fact specific and when it comes to children under 18 there should be great thought given to rehabilitation probability.
Dawn, you are very wise. Robert is a child, and should be treated as such. I’m glad you see that.
Well said, Dawn. I wholeheartedly agree with every word.
Well said dawn
This person poses no threat to other people. He killed another human being. That alone shows that he is capable of doing anything. You talk dribble about rehabilitation and making the person right. He killed his father and dragged him to try and hide him. NOT to get help. He wanted to hide the body. I think you need to take more courses and try to see that there are bad people in the world and a 16 year old can be a bad person. He is in jail, awaiting trial, because he committed a felony. Not because he is a kid. He was brought into court in chains and jail uniform because that is the policy. It’s not like the deputies are going to be trusting him. He has been remanded to an adult facility and is treated accordingly.
ACTUALLY, after he hid the body, he did seek out help. he went to his sisters house and told her everything. He was thinking like a child would.
It could also be argued that he was seeking help in covering up his crime like a desparate MAN would do. Just sayin…
Are you saying he, a 16 year old, is a man? Were you a man? No. Nobody is.
The Torah says a boy becomes a man at 13. At that age, any human should be able to understand that murder is wrong.
Bob’s not Jewish. Neither am I. The law in the US says that you are not an adult until you are 18 or 21, depending on the specific situation. Psychologists say that the brain is not fully developed until the mid-20’s. What is your point? Would you let a 13 year old drink alcohol, vote, serve on a jury, etc?
I would expect a 13 year old to know right from wrong.
I also would expect a 16 year old, and almost any 13 year old to know that intentionally killing another person is wrong. If they don’t know that, then something is terribly wrong.
He knew it was wrong, but felt that he had no other choice. He tried everything else.
Studies show that abused children who resort to parricide do not ever go on to kill someone else. It’s a fact. Look it up. Once their threat is gone, they are no longer afraid, and have no reason to kill anyone else.
Care to provide a reference for your assertion? Not one abused child who has killed their parent has ever gone on to kill someone else… Not ever?
Read the book, When A Child Kills: Abused Children Who Kill Their Parents by Paul Mones
Mike,
I am sure there are cases throughout history that will show this to be true. However, Eileen, I hardly feel that a novel holds enough evidentiary value to be introduced in court. No, you need cold hard facts – studies completed by competent scientists, experts in the field, FBI Crime Reports, etc…
Not a book.
Smoking Gun, you make this too easy – it is not a novel. It is a compilation of case studies of parricide. It includes a very in-depth investigation into parricide, and it is written by the world’s leading expert on parricide. I’ve read the book, along with others, from cover to cover. If you want to debate the facts, then you should know them.
Eileen,
Your emotion is clouding your judgement. Just because the back of the cover states that Paul is the world’s leading expert, does not make it so.
I would argue that Kathleen Heide has way more credible experience, has written a better piece of literature, and goes so far as to cite her credible sources on the subject.
Perhaps you should read the information presented by the Pendulum Foundation:
http://www.pendulumfoundation.com/parricidemyths.html
So, since you obviously have all the time in the world – debate away.
Thanks for making that point for me. Kathleen Heide and Paul Mones are considered to be the 2 leading experts on parricide. Both books are very well done – I have read both, have you? Paul Mones’ book is used in training by the FBI. Your link to the Pendulum Foundation is also interesting – you should look into that some more. The are an amazing organization, and they do amazing work. They also have supported our efforts with Bob, and have helped to publicize this tragedy. Thanks for mentioning them. Yes, I know them well.
SmokingGun, I LOVE how a man will make a statement like that to a woman that clearly threatens his feeling of superiority – Your emotion is clouding your judgement. Would you say that to a man who disagrees with you? I have not acted emotionally. I have very rationally explained the facts of this situation to you. If that threatens you, then it is unfortunate.
Eileen,
There you go again with assumptions.
1. I am a female, a proud, very educated, professional, female.
2. My statement had nothing to do with feeling superior, not sure how you deduced that argument.
3. Your emotions are clouding your judgement! I point you to the replies below regarding the 26-year-old. Your emotions did your talking for you. If that is not enough, look at the emotions you present in your writings regarding Hannah (whom you stated is your daughter, correct?). Very emotional there.
4. There have been no clear facts presented anywhere on this page. The only one that is credible is the “fact” that the young man is in jail – period. All of the other information that you and your daughter so emotionally present is what is referred to in the legal world as ‘hearsay’.
As a legal professional myself, yes hard to believe that someone with a higher education would be so blunt and post to such a site, however this subject intrigues me.
Although I am not personally involved in this case, and would not come near it with a 10-foot pole (so to speak); I can only hope that N.O.N.E. of you are called to the witness stand in support of this young man – the prosecution is conducting all of the research they can, and don’t think for once that they are not monitoring this thread!
His sister has already undermined any chance she had of testifying on his behalf while being taken seriously. All a defense attorney has to do is admit into evidence her posts here (which are VERY admissible in court). Once the jury sees her incoherent rambling, all of her testimony is for naught, and anything she said will have been in vain.
Your daughter is very emotionally connected to this young man, and is in the same situation. In fact, she is presenting her arguments as if she has some type of inside information that nobody else seemed to know about! I am guessing that she’ll be added to the prosecution’s witness list, and don’t be surprised if everything she typed here would be introduced.
I would only hope that the trial gets moved out of the area. Because of the stink that you 2 are singlehandedly raising, the jury pool is extremely tainted now. Judging by the responses here, it does not look too promising for him to get acquitted for murder.
With regards to your suggested readings, no…I have not read both, only the one written by Kathleen. I am also VERY familiar with the Pendulum Foundation, but thank YOU for using my post to make it seem like you know what you are talking about. In no way did I legitimize your point. I am also glad that you see this as a tragedy, the loss of a life is always a tragedy, especially when the victim was murdered.
Let me ask you, if you are such an expert in this matter, why are you not working or volunteering for the State as a counselor? Perhaps you could lessen the burden placed on the system?
As far as my disagreements with members of the opposite sex, well yes…I have them all of the time! It’s called marriage!
Threats? What would threaten me by your replies or obvious emotional involvement with the suspect? Why on God’s Green Earth would you assume that someone would be threatened by words on a computer monitor? Geesh, don’t be so full of yourself, and don’t assume that you know everyone. Women can be just as blunt and straightforward as men…
Well said!
Different mother. This is what we mean when we say the system broke down. That man had the only power over this sweet gentle boy ever time someone did intervene the dad would take it out on Robert so people were afraid to do more. These people did not have the money to fight this man in court. The police were called to that home more then 12,times not for abuse but for other violent situations. Drugs played a major roll. Dad got this boy addicted. Father and son bonding. This boy saw a lot of violence that’s what he was taught after his mom passed his role model and his dad a man he loved I don’t know what happened that day because of his defense he can’t talk about it. But I believe for that moment his immature neglected confused possibly drugged brain said pull the trigger. I do feel bad for this dad he was a human being I am sure he also need help, but he was an adult with the power. Rob was captive think of a pow PTSD now think if this 16 year old boy. The system is broken on so many levels. Rob needs to pay for his actions but 20-40-60 years in an adult jail there needs to be alternatives. Some 16 year old is this situation are tough mean rob is not he never hurt a flea until that day even a dog bites after years of abuse even the most gentle. He is not the only child facing this we need alternative punishment for violent crimes by youth and more important we need to get to these problems before they get this far. This family was broken where was the help you can ask yourself this same question for sandy hook and colimbine the movie theater the list goes on we must do a better job at helping our fellow humans this will only get worse as we isolate ourselves more and more. God bless all of you those on both sides I pray we can keep this conversation going and come up with answers not just slander each other both sides have good points. But I talk a lot with this boy and I know he has a sweet soul not an act
so where were all of you bleeding hearts when this “robert” needed help with the abuse. You all seem to come out of the woodwork and make your faces known on the news.He killed his father and is in the right place. A 16 year old who kills and tries to hide the body knows what he is doing. I think you people need to do what you were doing before he killed his father, oh wait crickets. I am sure that none of you were involved in his life before the killing.
Many of us did try to help. I know that i reported the abuse to the school many times. There was not much anyone could do but report it. After that it was in the hands of the state, and they let him down. MANY of us were, and ARE involved in his life. It’s all right there in the article.
Everyone says that they reported it to the school, many times. Did anyone, besides the father, actually call the police to report abuse? Did the son really do EVERYTHING in his power to remove himself from the father? Did the son file charges against the father for assault? Seek medical attention and alert doctors / nurses to neglect and abuse?
Did the son try to emancipate himself?
While I feel for the kid in jail, in an obviously bad situation, the fact is that he committed premeditated murder. No homicide is justifiable, and this certainly was not Heat of Passion.
The school counselors and administration are mandatory reporters, they would be required by law to report it to the police. As a child, i found talking to them much less intimidating than speaking to police directly, knowing that the information would get passed along. That’s why i chose that route.
In Maryland emancipation is usually only gone through with when the parents are the ones who file for it.
We’re not saying this homicide was right, but we’re saying there are better ways to handle it now that it is in the hands of the state. We’re saying he needs to be given therapy.
Hannah,
It seems that part of your argument towards juvenile court is that he would receive counseling. Just so you know, there are Mental Health professionals, and a whole slew of counselors for a wide area of issues, assigned to each Federal and State Institution in this country.
Regardless of which court he would be tried in, he would be able to get the counseling that you state he needs.
You are correct that murder is a sin. The bible tells us that. I don’t believe anyone is saying he does not need to pay a consequence. We are just trying to give this boy love and support he did not receive since his mom died. We are saying he was a scared, abused, human being. He does not deserve more abuse. We are also trying to bring awareness to the for front as there are others who are suffering and have suffered this same abuse. We can understand when a woman murders her captive husband, a pow kills his captor, when an abused animal bites. Robert needs help. Jesus says love the least, the lost and so on. I for one will love him as long as he needs me no matter what happens. I would pray that if I as a mom passed and this tradegy happened that someone would love my son and pray for his fathers soul.
Valerie,
It is certainly possible to love someone, support someone, and care for someone while, at the same time understanding that there is a necessary legal process that must go forward as a result of someone committing murder. Most of the comments that I have read from supporters of this young man indicate opposition to the legal process mandated in the state of Maryland.
You say that this young man faces a future of abuse if left in the adult system. I assume you feel all young adults (say those 18 to 23) would be abused in the adult system. I’m sure some fall prey to the system, but many emerge to lead productive lives after realizing the consequences of their actions and serving their sentences.
I have stated before that I personally do not care if this young man is tried in the adult court or has his case dealt with in the Juvenile system. I do realize however, that current law in Maryland does not provide for his reverse waiver to juvenile court since he is currently charged with murder. Since this reverse waiver is not possible under current law, why don’t you and your fellow supporters concentrate on getting the law changed through our legislators rather than picketing the court?
wait till all these “friends” of Robert get the phone bill for calling from the detention center. How long will these people support him, if it keeps costing them money. Guess these people think everyone is a good person and does no wrong. A supreme court justice commented on bad people and said that there were bad people in the world. He was 16 when the murder was committed and now these people are on the news. Wonder if you would do the same thing for a man who was 26 and had the same background?
Collect call – it’s been a year, and we still accept the phone call every time Bob calls. He calls often, and I am glad that we can offer him some support. I would venture to say that every other person supporting him feels the same way. And no, we do not feel that every person is good and can do no wrong. In fact, I personally believe that Bob’s father was a very bad man, and did very horrific damage to his entire family, but especially to this child, throughout his entire life. And we did not just appear on the news. We have been supporting this child for a year now. And to answer your last question, no, I personally would not do the same for a 26 year old man – his brain has fully developed, and if had been abused as a child, he would have had the opportunity to escape and to get help – opportunities not given to this child. So before you start judging a group of good people who are trying to do for this child something that should have been done a long time ago, how about we subject you to 16 years of horrific abuse and see if you continue to have the same opinion.
It’s been more than a year and we all still write him, accept his calls, send him money, books, magazines, newspapers, visit him, and support him. It seems almost as if you’re jealous, trying to underplay everything people do for him.
I am just amazed at the negativity expressed here. And I noticed that most, if not all of the negative comments were written by men (boys). Thought that was interesting. I’d be willing to bet that none of them ever had their own children. Because if they did, they would know that a 16 year old boy is just that – a boy. A child. I raised 4 children (3 boys), and when I think what they were like at 16, not one of them had the maturity to think or act like an adult at 16, 17, 18 or even beyond. They all did stupid things, just as me and my brothers before them did stupid things as teenagers. Do the research – the decision making part of the brain is not fully developed until the mid-twenties. Then take a young boy who was born into a bad situation from Day 1. Both parents had drug issues, and certainly, at the very least, this boy’s father had anger issues. At the very least, Robby was verbally abused and neglected by his father. But all indications are that it was much worse than that. Robby’s mother was abused in a previous relationship, and more than likely abused in the relationship with Robby’s father. That is usually what happens to woman who have been abused – they go from one abusive man to another. She died at approx. age 45 of cancer, when Robby was just 10 or 11. Just imagine being this little boy, already living in a chaotic home (to put it mildly), losing his mother. How devastating. Children need their mother and when she is suddenly gone at such a young age, it is going to affect you, probably for the rest of your life. Things only went downhill from there. At the time of his death, the father was not working, and from what I understand had not been working for quite a while. There was no money for food or clothing, and often no electricity or heat. Robby ran away from home numerous times and was always returned to his father. Why didn’t the police or Social Services ask themselves why does this boy keep running away? Why did they not check into it? A dozen phone calls had been made to the police in the year leading up to this, and again, neither the police nor Social Services thought that maybe they should check into this? Kids at school knew or suspected what was going on, but they don’t really know how to handle things like this. If they knew or suspected, then certainly teachers or staff at the school had to have seen something that indicated something wasn’t right. But again, the adults who should have said something or did something did not. Nobody wants to get involved. The Social Services Dept. is so overloaded with other cases, that they don’t want to take on another without some real proof. If ever there was a case where our system failed a child, this is it. And I know that there are probably thousands of kids just like Robby out there now who have slipped through the cracks and think that there is nobody who will ever help them. Many will never get the help they need. Some will die before their time because they will get involved in drugs or alcohol or other illegal activities. Some will kill for the same reasons. But most will probably end up in jail at some point in their lives because they never really knew what it was like to be loved and taken care of and wanted. If we can’t look out for these children and help them before it is too late, they don’t stand a chance at any kind of normal life. Robby never knew what a normal life was and how sad that is. Robby may never know what a normal life is like now. But doesn’t this young boy deserve a chance at life? He did not create that chaotic world that he was born into. He had no role models. He had nobody to turn to for help, because nobody would listen, and when somebody did occasionally try to intervene, Robby’s father would only get angrier and make Robby’s life worse than it already was. Please people, do not judge this boy. Wait until all the facts come out and you will probably find your heart breaking for what this boy has been through in his short life.
That’s great that you support a murderer. I got a speed camera ticket last week, can you help me pay for it? I am a fine outstanding member of the community who has never harmed anyone. I hope you can help me too!
I have walked in those shoes and have been there. I vowed that my children would never have to see what I have seen in my life. I believe that there are options for the 16 year old. I love when people show up after the fact and want to help him. Where was DSS during this time and what about the school system or the police. I had people that helped me get through the hard times and I remember the ones who were there before the problem and the ones who showed up after the fact. I would not be jealous because I have walked in his shows and never killed anyone and then had people say I was a young man who needed help. If you think I am jealous of him….he is locked up and going to trail for first degree murder. Now if he was son of the year and helped feed the poor, then I’d be jealous.
Eileen,
You and Hannah need to get on the same page here. First, you are blistering all over this article that the subject was “not in his right mind” and that “he has the mind of a child”.
Yet, another google-expert posts that if a child is abused from a young age – the mind never fully develops? Part of your flawed argument went something like this:
“The minds of juveniles and adults are very different. The brain does not stop developing until mid 20s, and Robert was merely 16. The frontal lobe of his brain (responsible for decision making and understanding consequences) was not developed yet.” (Hannah) Source: Wikipedia (an obviously scholarly site freely admissible as “qualified evidence” in a court of law. “Yes it was wrong. But to him, in his mind, his CHILD mind, there was no other way.” Hannah, your argument is flawed, you contradict yourself too many times to be taken seriously While obviously you have a deep, emotional connection with this young man, it is better to let the lawyers (with fully developed minds) handle this in a court of law. His supposedly “child mind” knew it was wrong, and knew of the consequences…simple.
Moreover, yet another WebMD told us to look further:
“Do the research – the decision making part of the brain is not fully developed until the mid-twenties.” (Shocked)
Furthermore, getting deeper into the Courtroom Drama of NCIS, Boston Legal, and other television shows, we get yet another summary of the supposed facts:
“ACTUALLY, after he hid the body, he did seek out help. he went to his sisters house and told her everything. He was thinking like a child would.” (Hannah)
How exactly is this action thinking like a child? A “child” would not have the wherewithall to involve police in a high-speed pursuit through populated areas. A “child” would not have had the capacity to hide a body, a “child” would have run immediately from the crime scene and attempted to hide himself. There exists evidence of premeditation, something a “child” could not fathom…this was a planned, deliberate action. Such planning, requires the mind of a person with reasonable thought processes and who fully knows the difference between right and wrong – something that the subject obviously knew, since he attempted to flee to avoid prosecution. I won’t even get into the sister’s actions (did she call police, or try to help her brother by covering it up?)
Then, as if this does not get deep enough, Eileen chimes in with a contraditory statement to her good-hearted posts earlier:
“I personally would not do the same for a 26 year old man – his brain has fully developed, and if had been abused as a child, he would have had the opportunity to escape and to get help”
. Your argument here is a Prosecuting Attorney’s dream, and I hope for the sake of the young man in prison, that you are not called to the stand in his defense.
In previous posts, you are clammoring on about how the State failed, and many people reported the abuse and yet he never got the help he so desperately needed. Well, flaw #1 in your obviously emotional pandering for the defense is in black and white above, “…if had been abused as a child, he would have had the opportunity to escape and to get help.” Thank you for that statement, for in that you are the polar opposite of your previous posts (and Hannah’s, Shocked’s, Alr’s, etc…) in that you mentioned the current subject “attempted” to get help, yet was unable to. I mean, even Hannah mentioned that, “he tried everything else and didn’t get help.” I am confused, so a 26-year old man would have had the opportunity when he was an abused teenager, but the person in question here did not? The 26-year old would have had the opportunity to escape and get help? But wouldn’t the police have just brought him back home as was the situation here? Hmmm…a swiss cheese argument there…
Second flaw, you agreed with a previous posting about how the mind of an abused child matures differently, even though experts state that a normal mind would be fully developed by the mid-twenties. Well, your previous argument stated that the current subject was not fully matured, and through the years of abuse, did not have the chance to mature. Well, why not help the 26-year old man who (with an obviously fully developed, but abused, brain) who was in the same situation and did the same thing? You said that, “his brain is fully developed”. I mean even the other experts here, like Hannah, posted that the subject had the mind of a child since he was not in his mid-twenties. I am confused? You are willing to help a teenager who committed murder because you felt it was justified because he was abused…yet you are unwilling to help another person in the same exact situation? Are collect calls more expensive from a 26 year old than a 17 year old?
As for the court system, here goes:
“Juvenile courts understand this,” (Hannah). Understand what? That murder by a teenager is more acceptable than an adult? Flawed. Juvenile courts exist to punish juvenile crimes, of which pre-meditated murder is not one of them. When you finally graduate High School, take a few collegiate law classes and you will begin to think like an adult here. Then again, better wait until your mid-twenties so that your mind is fully developed.
“They understand how a child thinks and feels and interprets the world,” (Hannah). Not true. Unless the court is composed of juveniles (which why would it be, the minds are not fully developed until mid-20’s), then nobody can understand how a childs mind thinks and interprets anything. The fact here is that he knew his actions were wrong, and fully understood the consequences. Juvenile Courts are there to interpret Juvenile Laws, and how the varying punishments for crimes are levied against juvenile offenders. Murder, is not a juvenile crime.
“In juvenile court (where they are equipped to handle such cases, and do often in many places),” (Hannah). No, Juvenile Court hears misdemeanors…not felonies. Murder is a felony, he is in the proper system.
“However, for Robert, and teens like him, It could save lives,” (Hannah). You are speaking of rehabilitation, and how this counseling (also available in “adult” court) would help Robert and “SAVE LIVES”. THANK YOU FOR THIS!!!! By admitting that it could save lives, you are contradicting yourselves even further (Dawn, Eileen, Hannah). Eileen quoted, “Studies show that abused children who resort to parricide do not ever go on to kill someone else. It’s a fact. Look it up. Once their threat is gone, they are no longer afraid, and have no reason to kill anyone else.”
Well, since they obviously have no reason to go on and kill someone else, then he should not need rehabilitation, or counseling, right? I mean, that is the basis of your argument on this point, correct? Well, hold the phone, because Hannah wrote that, “…it could happen again. I know the truth. That’s all that matters.”
Well, there it is ladies and gentlemen…a 16 year old girl knows the truth, and that is all that matters. The mind of a child knows the truth, and that is all that matters. I mean, many of your arguments on here center around the fact that as an underdeveloped “boy”, since he is not in his mid-twenties, then the murder should be null and void. Since Hannah is obviously leading this charge for salvation, I think her points should be considered null and void since her mind is not fully developed, obviously she is not in her mid-twenties, so how could she be in her right mind?
Out.
I apologize for not reading your entire post. Frankly, it was just long and rambling, and I have already stated my opinions and the facts many times, so there is no need to do it again. Just to clarify, however, when I said that I would not do the same for a 26 year old man, it is because that man has grown up, and presumably left the home, or at least could legally live outside the home of his parents. As an adult, he has had the opportunity to seek help for the abuse he may have suffered. As an adult, he should be expected to make better decisions. As an adult, he was no longer in a position in which his abuser had complete power over him.
You read books about murder from cover to cover, but don’t read an entire posting because it offers a different view than yours. Apparently, both you and Hannah have issues with people offering opposing viewpoints.
Having guests over must be fun in your house.
I am sickened on here who are making judgments without knowing the facts of the case and I don’t claim to be one of those people. What I do know is it is very difficult to get schools and/or social services involved with abuse or neglect. I called both places on different occasions for kids who kept calling my house who were home alone every day and were very young. Also have reported underaging drinking and parties where middle schoolers were having sex to no avail. The counselor at the school asked me what i wanted him to do about it. My point is the system is very flawed and the people on here who act like others could have done something to stop it are either completely ignorant or just nasty. Ask any police officer what calls they dread the most and many times they are domestic violence cases.
What did you want the Counselor at the school to do about it? Why didn’t you call the police? Several years ago I reported to the police that two very young children appeared to be home alone. The police responded, confirmed that no one meeting the age requirement to be left without an adult was in the home, and took the children with them. The police, as far as I know, will intervene if the situation meets the legal requirement to do so.
I told the counselor all about the underaging drinking, sex, and partying at a 13 year olds house when her stepfather was out drinking because the girls mother had died. One of my kids told me the next day because they left because they didn’t know what to do and were scared. She was at a friend’s house when it happened so i didn’t know til next day. My point continues to be that people are attacking other people for not intervening which may or may not have helped this boy and/or the family. If you are so convinced that law enforcement and social services always do their job properly you only have to look at the story of Jaycee Dugard in California. She was kidnapped and held in the backyard of a convicted pedophile, rapist and felon who impregnated her with 2 children while people came to the house repeatedly and no one ever even looked around the house. Many neighbors called the police and even told them they saw kids in the yard. No one did a thing. Just trying to make the point that you can provide all the information and make many phone calls and that doesnt guarantee anything will get done.
Sarah P, I am not convinced that law enforcement and social services always do their job properly. In the example that I gave about reporting the young children home alone, had the police not responded, or had they responded and not done anything, I would have been following up with additional phone calls. I would not have left it with… well I did my job and reported it. If you want to be effective you stay after it until you obtain a positive result.
Thank you Mike for making that point. There is no absolution for my soul in believing I did my job and simply walking away from a situation you know is painful for the people affected. And this comes from watching the system fail as I attempted to do something for a person I knew to be in trouble. Now I have the opportunity to help the individual when other responsible parties failed to listen to my warnings. It’s hard, I wish I had help, but I still feel that continuing to pursue the issue was the right thing to do.
School counselors, teachers, and administration are what the law likes to call “mandatory reporters”
If they are given information on a crime, or abuse or neglect, they HAVE to report it to the proper authorities. That is why Parent and I told the counselors of the cases.
You must have not followed up with DSS. Ever heard of Child Protective Services? They have the authority to remove children from homes that are not suitable for children. The police have to act and work with CPS to make the children safe. You should be sickened by people who show up after the fact and want to get their face on the news. There are laws out there that have to be acted on. I have been in that situation and have found that there are police out there that will act.
You know what? If i wanted publicity, or if my mother wanted publicity, or if his friends, and family, and all those people who were abused themselves wanted publicity, we could have done it some other way. Why is it so damn hard for you people to understand that MAYBE WE DO THIS BECAUSE WE CARE AND LOVE SOMEONE??? Is it because you are incapable of that? Nonetheless, you obviously have some sort of problem that you guys must work on
And if you have had any experience with CPS, you would know it’s not always the easiest system to use. People get lost all the time. Robert did try to get the help!
What grade are you in and why is this the second day that you’ve skipped school?
Hanna on your facebook page it sez….
I may look calm but in my mind I have killed you 3 times.
what does that mean?
http://www.facebook.com/hannah.siple
Gary, it’s a little bit frightening that you are stalking a child on facebook.
Actually not, she responded to an article in the baltimore sun.
Explain that Eileen……
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/blog/bs-md-richardson-hearing-20130116,0,6365047.story
When ya put that stuff on Facebook…It ain’t stalking. Gary may have looked at the page, but why do people put things on Facebook that they wouldn’t tell to their own parents. I think everyone needs to see how they have supported this poor accused murderer in the past. It’s great to say he is a child and needs to be in juvenile court. Have any of you ever sat through the process? Level A in the circuit court building. Besides, it is interesting listening to the defense lawyers talk about the parents as if they were ready for sainthood, but the majority could careless about their children and only like the fact that they are being heard for their 15 minutes of being listened too. I am sure this is what the people on the FREE ROBSTER WANT. He committed the crime in Harford County and needs to beheld accountable for the “alleged” crime that he admitted to.
If you really are a parent (the use of “ya” and “ain’t lead me to believe you are possibly another child) and you condone an adult male accessing a child’s FB page content to criticize and discredit them I must wonder about your parenting abilities. Would it not cause you concern if an adult male did this to a daughter of your own?
BillyJack..I am a parent and would not want my children to have facebook accounts and just because he is looking at the facebook account, which is on the public web. Does this person know that they can make their page private? Oh I’m sorry, you are too busy trying to speak for someone who leaves their page open. This case concerns me because it’s a 16 year old who killed..killed his father and is now having all these people come out and say he needs to be tried as a kid. Yeah OK. If you have walked a mile in my shoes, oh that’s right, you think you have the answer to every question.
Facebook is an open invitation to anyone interested in seeing another person’s narcissism.
It’s like driving past an accident, you know you shouldn’t look, but you do anyway.
Because, Parent, Money, etc. It is so obvious that all of you work for either Joseph Cassilly or the Harford County Sheriff’s Office and are frightened to think that your acute failings to adhere to Maryland Law, despite receiving money to do the same, has resulted in a horrible tragedy; which has gotten and will continue to receive so much publicity.
As your usual GOP PR antics, you are all over playing your hand. You all look like abject evil-doers for attacking the organizers of the Rally for Robert Group, especially the girl. You are truly repulsive and one can see how this could have happened in this county!
For the record Michelle, Sheriff Bane is not a member of the GOP, he is a Democrat. I also fail to see what Joseph Cassilly has to do with anything that happened prior to this young man killing his father. Please elaborate on why you have an issue with Mr. Cassilly in this case.
Michelle, you would be wrong, but don’t let that stop you.
It’s my timeline cover. It’s a quote from 30 rock. I like that show. People who watch that show often will know what I’m speaking of. Tina Fey said it. If you’re implying that i’m a murderer or something, and were truly frightened of me, then i don’t see why you continue to belittle me. Lol, watch out! I might snap! It’s a joke, buddy.
No stalking anyone she is pretty vocal here….
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/blog/bs-md-richardson-hearing-20130116,0,6365047.story
Just wondering what it means…..
No stalking anyone she is pretty vocal here….
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/blog/bs-md-richardson-hearing-20130116,0,6365047.story
Just wondering what it means…..
GaryN, who is pretty vocal? It’s a newspaper article. Hannah is not there, and she is not quoted. She would have had every right to be there, and she was disappointed because she could not be there, but she was home sick. What are you talking about?
If you guys really want to play hero, why don’t you do something about finding the other “bobs” out there that haven’t killed anyone yet? I’m sure there are dozens of people out there being abused that can still be helped. Since you are so stuck on this idea of rehabilitation, why doesn’t bob’s father get the right to rehabilitate? Obviously, Bob wasn’t such a fan of rehabilitation until it was his turn to need it. There is clearly a little girl in need of some tutoring in English (Bob’s Sister), be productive and help her out rather than standing at the court house holding signs during a hearing, wasting time and space.
Thank you, but I don’t need any help in the way I write, I can write and speak as proper as you rude people, I just chose to do it the way I would like to, I am my own person and if your sitting here judging me by the way I’m writing then you are a low life…
You could choose to be understood and you could choose to make your point in a way that does not cause others to grimace as they read your dribble. So choosing to write the way you like conveys a sense that you really don’t care what other people think which simply makes you arrogant and selfish. And being willfully ignorant is not the kind of character quality that causes people to admire you.
Ignorance has nothing to do with the way I write If u can read it then get over it, I dnt care wat u rude ppl think I only care for the outcome of my little brother I could care less wat I low life ignorant ppl hav to say u hav no heart an no respect for a child that was bein hurt as I told mrs. Eileen befor I respect her an her daughter for doin all this for my brother it’s sumthing I never could hav done an I bet if it was ur child of a friends child u would be doin the same thing they are, dnt be so quick to judge Sumone by the way they write or at they hav done, it ignorant ppl lik u that maks another want to kill Sumone, an I hope one day u ppl will stop bein selfish, puckin on children an grow up a bit.
Alr, don’t waste your time and energy. Anybody who would attack your spelling, after everything that you have been through, and ignore the conteny of what you had to say, is not worth the time of day. You tell somebody that you were abused, and that your whole family was abused, and they criticize your spelling? Seriously not even worth the effort. Hold your head high. You have earned that right.
Abuse means someone has to be stronger to rise above their situation, not that she should accept a lower level of standards for her behavior. Giving up and living by those lower standards means the abuser won.
Kharn, please explain to us all how your verbal abuse will help. Abusing someone who was abused is not the best of strategies, in my opinion.
Alr,
I highly suggest that you visit this site:
https://orders.hookedonphonics.com/hop-ltr-1495-2.aspx?vc=WPG1&pc=SWPGAA&gclid=CKvaobKR8rQCFUKd4AodtiMAFA
Maybe Eileen can help you with the payments.
Eileen,
I was replying to you, but the discussion had already reached its maximum depth. You are encouraging Alr’s low skill levels, instead of helping her to communicate clearly.
but what gives you the right to critique for literacy skills? And what I am encouraging her to do is to be strong and stand up for herself and her brother. It would be great if she did not allow herself to be bullied by people like you. She’s been bullied enough.
Then Eileen, stop enabling her.
For all of you ignorant people asking why wasn’t DSS or CPS called you do realize that there are flaws (often big ones) with these organizations. Social workers are not miracle workers and some shouldn’t even be in the field. Just because these organizations exist does not mean they get it 100% right 100% of the time. Sometimes want the public thinks or wants to happen isn’t possible (for many reasons).
And for the person that had a successful experience when he was young getting help from social service organizations then consider yourself lucky and stop accusing others of just seeking fame for wanting to be involved now. These men and women have nothing to gain by lobbying for Robbie except their want to help him the best they can now.
Before you ask, I was a social worker for 7 years working for DSS and the private sector. I worked with adults and children in domestic violence situations, homeless, HIV/AIDs, disabled men and women and social security. I know how the “system” works and though the employees more often then not do their best it is not always the case and mistakes, deadly & costly mistakes are made. It is not unheard of and it happens right here.
Robby’s supporters are trying to help. If you feel the need to be hateful and lock this child up no questions asked then how about you get off your ass and start advocacy work for whatever type of punishment you think is right. Then maybe we can all judge you and tell you that you are just in it for the attention. You won’t try to make a change for anything. You will simply forget who this boy is and wait for the next chance you have to mock and belittle people who ARE ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING. If you have the solution then I urged you to speak up.
Brooke. I believe many questions have already been asked and answered regarding Robby killing his father. The answers that were obtained are probably the reason that Robby’s case is not remanded to the juvenile court system. I have not prejudged him as to his actions, but it is my understanding that he has admitted to his crime, not shown any remorse for his actions, and even bragged about what he did to many at the Detention Center. This all becomes part of the record and become significant reasons that automatic waivers of juveniles to adult status are not reverse waived back to the juvenile system. I suspect that is the case in this instance.
Mike Welsh, you say you have not prejudged this boy, but you have, by assuming facts that are not in evidence. Someone randomly writes that he has been bragging in jail about the crime, and you accept it as fact. It’s not fact, and the chances of it being true are negligible. Bob was held in isolation for the first 10 months he was there. He had no contact with the other inmates because of his age. He is now in a limited population setting, where he is allowed out of his cell for one hour a day, under close supervision. When, exactly, was he supposed to have made these comments. And remorse? His attorneys have forbidden him from talking about the case, so he has not had an opportunity to express remorse, but when I look at him, he is obviously haunted by something. Children who are abused often suffer PTSD. My guess would be that is true here. I sincerely doubt that he goes one minute of the day without regrets. And before you say that he only regrets it because he got caught, I want you to think about how ludicrous that statement would be. He’s a child. All I am really asking anyone to do is to NOT prejudge him. Wait until all of the facts come out, and then make whatever decision you want to make. But do not throw this boy’s life away until you do know the facts.
Eileen, Being in isolation does not mean you have no one to talk to. It is not unusual that the inmates (especially those in isolation) talk with the DC Officers assigned to the isolation unit, along with the limited number of other inmates housed within the isolation unit.
The young man has admitted to killing his father. He told the police where to find the body, and described the events of the day and night of the killing. The police have all of this recorded. The States Attorney has reviewed the evidence, and has made a decision to proceed with an adult prosecution. If you have evidence that this case does not merit trial in the adult system you should provide such evidence to his defense.
As for me personally, I don’t care if he is prosecuted as an adult or a juvenile. I leave that determination in the hands of the States Attorney, as I believe others should as well. I have prejudged no one.
We have given all of that evidence. We have been helping them quite a bit actually.
Mike, that is not true and his admission was given under the same circumstances all of the children in Chicago were indicted for murders they did not commit.
Michelle,
What is not true?
There ya go Eileen, clearly demonstrate that your opinions are guided by emotion. At the end of the day, to prevent Alr’s future from becoming as bleak as her brother’s she is going to have to move on, speak and act professionally, and make something of herself. By your own words, people have failed Bob and you would have us fail her too by telling her that she should accept all of her faults because she had a rough life. While that may make her feel better temporarily to be coddled, what she needs is a good push in the right direction. By demonstrating that she can write properly and chose not to, shows a level of immaturity that maybe you could devote your emotional energy to improving. There is a time and place for writing like you would text your friends. When your brother is facing 1st Degree Murder charges and you want people to take you seriously is not that time.
And you think it is your responsibility to give her that push in the right direction? Frankly, I think she’d rather have that push from someone with a heart. It has been my experience that attacking people who have suffered abuse is not generally very productive.
I have a heart Eileen. She needs a push from someone that is not set to enable or coddle her. The subject of this article was created by people that didn’t have the courage to do more then just offer pity.
Again, you have no idea what our group is all about, and how many children we have already helped. And it’s difficult to see how you are helping with your anonymous derogatory hateful comments to a girl who has been abused and towards people who are standing up for the rights of children.
I couldn’t be less interested in doing anything for her personally, thats why I nominated you since you obviously have a big heart for the less fortunate and a lot of spare time. Unfortunately, all of your group will focus all of this effort on this one kid and then not do anything to bring about any real change. Then, in a few years another Bob will come along and kill someone and we will go through this whole song and dance again. I work on problems at the macro level but on the micro level I think that this girl would be a good place for these activists/supporters to start.
Please enlighten us all, PPE – what problems do you address on the “macro level”? Quite obviously, you have no idea how many children have been already helped by our efforts, and how many national efforts we have joined to bring about major change – but I would love to hear what you have done. Perhaps I am wrong about you?
Oh, now you are involved on a national level? How so?
Also, if you are taunting your efforts for helping so many other children before, and you are so good at it, how did this kid get by you?
Major change at a national level? Not with Obama in office.
This child got by me because I did not know him before this happened. I have said that often, and I really shouldn’t have to keep repeating it. And yes, there are a few different national organizations that I am communicating with, regarding issues of child abuse, juvenile justice, and parricide. And as much as I would love to try to educate you, I see that it is hopeless, and so I’m finished now. I’m going to go meet up with some intelligent people who can actually communicate, and do not feel the need to bully and harass in order to feel superior. I’m sorry for whatever happened in your life that has made you so jaded. You should consider counseling. Bye bye now.
My mom worked as a teacher. She helped children every day. Often these children were abused or neglected. She helped them.
This seems like a premeditated act, at the very least it was no longer an act of self defense when he tried to hide the body, and the fleeing and eluding. Wish Maryland was Texas and he would be facing the death penalty, we should bring back the gallows for individuals as callous as this. I find it hard to believe that social services, the HCSO and CMW would allow a person truly being abused to remain in that environment. We need to stop holding the hand of this monster and have him answer for his crime, 16 is close enough to an adult to know right from wrong.
He would not be facing the death penalty in any state. The Supreme Court, in Roper v. Simmons, 523 U.S. 551 (2005) ruled that capitol punishment for anyone under the age of 18 at the time the act was committed, was unconstitutional.
Pissed, please know your facts before you post. The death penalty is prohibited in all 50 states for juveniles, including TX. Perhaps you should move there though. And you find it difficult to believe that public agencies did not help this boy? Are you living in a cave in TX? There are hundreds, if not thousands of cases where these agencies have failed. Do you follow the news? Do you see how many children have died from abuse, all the while being monitored by CPS? These agencies are understaffed and overwhelmed. While most staff are well intentioned, some are not, and do not complete their work with the due diligence that is required to keep children safe. Haven’t you noticed the class action lawsuit that has been going on in Baltimore for 20 years – children who were neglected by DSS? Wake up! This is not a perfect world we live in!
Still isn’t a case of justified homicide. Just sayin’ he should have known better than to kill his father, ditch the body and run from the police. Sounds like a criminal to me a cold, calculating and callous one. I wish we still would execute youth tried as adult for capital crimes it truly would benefit society.
You seriously need to grow up. Does it make you feel good to put down others? Is it the only way you can feel good about yourself? It’s disgusting, and it’s bullying.
Eileen – you’ve spent multiple posts here insulting and putting others down for nothing more than disagreeing with your views. Is it the only way you can feel good about yourself?
I actually feel very good about myself, thanks. I know that I have already done a lot of good in this world, and I continue to do so every day, standing up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. Can you say the same? No? That’s unfortunate.
Hey it’s America I’m allowed to voice my opinion.
Please explain. I cannot wait to hear it! Since your attempts to discredit me for my advocacy work has failed so miserably, you now want to attempt to attack my parenting skills? I am really not sure what this has to do with Robert, but please feel free.
The words “Self Evident” come to mind.
Well Eileen I have in no way attacked you personally, I believe that you are a good intentioned and good hearted person. When I refer to my work at the Macro level I am referring to a statewide level, it would be quite difficult though not completely impossible for me to effect that much change at the national level. Behind almost every criminal there is a sad story of how they had no father, had an abusive father, witnessed or were victim of a tragic event, etc. However, if someone is not safe to return into the community then it is what it is. Someone that has demonstrated the ability to take another human beings life by shooting them in the back of the head while they are completely defenseless should never be allowed to return to population in my opinion. The risk to society of releasing him is greater than the benefit of rehabilitating him. I am 100% for helping those that need help and preventing them from reaching this point but he has crossed the point of no return.
Again, PPE, what is this meaningful work that you are doing on the macro level? You have attempted to discredit everything that I am trying to do, so please tell us what you are doing that IS making a difference…on the macro level.
You are comical, Lazy Dog. While you are so busy critiquing my daughter’s writing skills (which are very good, by the way), you should spend more time with a dictionary, yourself. “Defense” is spelled with an “s”, not a “c”. You obviously have some difficulty with reading skills, as well, since I have posted several times that she has been home sick, and you continue to make comments about her posting during school. She’s 16. You are an adult, I presume. Please try to start acting like one. If you want to have a conversation, then do it, but all that you are doing is bullying and belittling children. It’s hard to take that seriously. If you want to have a debate, then debate the issue at hand.
Eileen,
The only thing comical here is that fact that your daughter has already stated that you were a teacher, so I am assuming a poor one at that. For your information, not that I needed to provide it to you, but my spelling of defence was completely accurate. I am not of American descent, nor am I an American citizen, nor am I an adult by the definition several of you keep posting here. I am a 17-year old Exchange Student from Great Britain, living in Harford County, who is greatly amused by all of this drama over a self-admitted killer.
Defence and defense are different spellings of the same word. Defense is preferred in American English, and defence is preferred in all other main varieties of English, including Australian, British, and Canadian English.
Now, since you were a vaulted educator, I would expect that during the course of your education, you would have had several classes on the roots of the English language. Contrary to your own beliefs, American English is not the “standard” throughout the world. It is, in fact, Proper English; also known as King’s English; also known as British English. Yes, we may speak funny and yes, we lost some war many years ago for you to gain your freedom, however just because we spell things differently does not mean that we are wrong in any sense. It certainly does not mean that YOU (yes, YOU Eileen Siple) need to resort to the same type of bullying that you are cursing at others for.
At 10:13 this morning, you posted that you were disgusted that people would come on here and belittle others, in fact you went so far as to call them bullies. Well, your post above is like the pot calling the kettle black, eh?
If your daughter is that sick, and you truly care, how about you spend less time trying to argue your point than attempting to nurse her back to health? Instead of sitting there in your living room, across from one another, teaming up on others with your emotional views, perhaps some much needed rest and a nice hot cuppa (that’s tea) would help nurse Hannah back to health? Perhaps, and I am just pointing out the obvious, you should have stayed home with your child instead of attending a rally? Since she is a self-admitted child, without a fully developed mind (laughable argument), then I am assuming that she does not have the capacity to do it herself – better get to it, Mum!
As for Hannah’s grammar, it is poor throughout her posts for the record.
I’m actually an excellent teacher, LazyDog. I have gotten excellent evaluations for almost 30 years. I am currently on a leave of absence, as my adopted son has some critical medical issues that I was unable to address while I was working full time. I mentioned that he is adopted, because you should know that he is severely disabled and has a history of abuse and neglect. His disabilities are likely from the neglect he suffered, or minimally because of poor judgement. He has been a part of my family for approximately 15 years, and I have personally nursed him through medical catastrophes that you could not even pronounce. So please do not try and tell me how I should take care of my daughter, who has a stomach bug. When you become a parent yourself, then we can have that discussion.
So you are from England? Then your position here is truly puzzling, since your own country does not address juvenile crime in the same way that we do here. In fact, the US has a much higher incidence of children in adult prisons than any other country in the world, including your own country. I personally believe that your country addresses these situations in a much more rational way than we do in this country, so I am curious as to why you would come to our land and advocate for a process that your own country finds to be extreme and inappropriate. I should also point out that study after study has proved that our system does not work – it has not reduced juvenile crime, and juveniles who are eventually released from adult prisons are often unable to function outside of the prison, as they have never learned to live in civilized society.
Did you know that the US government and Somalia are the only 2 countries in the UN that have refused to sign the Convention on the Rights of the Child? Your country signed it. The US has not, because it would mean that we would have to reform our archaic practice of putting juveniles into the adult court system.
So welcome to the US, LazyDog. It’s unfortunate that you are taking your lead here from people who are so jaded and lacking in empathy. There are good people here, with big hearts. You should try to find some of them, and see if they can teach you something that might be of value. Personally, I believe this is a great country, although there are some things that need to be fixed. I thank God that I have the right to advocate for those changes, and I will continue to do so, to the best of my ability.
Enjoy your stay. Don’t break any laws while you are here.
Thanks Joe!
You are truly laughable…. Joe, stop posting!
What evidence do you have that counters what she posts here that displays her writing skills that you describe as pretty good?
The Maryland judiciary case search makes you acknowledge that you won’t look a persons business up and post it on the Internet (I.e., disclaimer). That being said, I want to point out that anything involving a minor isn’t posted or available for you to see. Im appalled at the parent/teacher allowing her child to have conversations with strangers on the Internet and posted another minor’s business on same! You have compromised your 30 year career.
Again, Maggie, are all of you the same person or are you a few different Minions…. Through what you have just posted OUTS you as working for either Cassilly in the SA’s Office or Bane in the Sheriff’s Office. However, I hope you keep it up … you look marvelous by doing this 🙂
Maggie, I just reviewed MD Case Search’s splash screen today. I don’t see any of the language that you are stating is present when you accept the terms of service. Michelle’s nonsense aside, this is the sort of thing that plays into a question of credibility for the points you make that may have validity.
As soon as you pull it up there’s a disclaimer and you check the I agree box. I don’t know anyone and am not associated with the harco prosecutors office.
Then you didn’t read it. You imagined it. Now go back and read it.
Let me help you with that Maggie:
“All of the information collected at this site becomes a public record that may be subject to inspection and copying by members of the public, unless an exemption in law exists.”
Right from the disclaimer. Is there something you missed or you failed to understand?
Hannah with an H, stop making fun of children… There is something grossly wrong with you or you are trying for a promotion from Cassilly or Bane.
Eileen and Hannah, what both of you have done for the boy is admirable. I hope that both of you know that this ‘blog’ is run part of the GOP machine to promote their agenda in Harford County. The posts are not from the general public – but of those who have have a dog in this fight.
I am very sorry that these people (or this person) are/is so disgusting that one would find it appropriate to pick on you, Hannah. You are a wonderful young woman. Be proud of yourself.
Michelle Lane, you need to qualify this assertion and explain to me and everyone else how this news site (and myself, by association) are part of “the GOP machine” or any agenda you’ve dreamed up.
It must be true, Brian. I read it here on the Internet!
Apparently anyone who doesnt agree with her has politicial motives
Brian…I am sure they said that because the tide of opinion was going against them and they needed something to deflect their scewed view of the issue. Last time I checked, Bob, killed his father and tried to hide the body. Where were all these people who had experience in dealing with abused children, oh that’s right, they were busy helping other abused children and Bob fell through the cracks. I know plenty of HCSO and DSS and cannot believe that they looked the other way when this fine upstanding citizen of the community was committing an alleged first degree murder. They need to know the facts before they act. The Dagger is a fine and outstanding online paper, oh wait is that the star spangled banner playing in the background, that defends the right of people to express themselves under the 1st amendment and without using their real name. There are a lot of fine citizens, who believe that the United States is the best place to live and the rule of law needs to be followed. Should Bob be released and given a hero’s welcome…NO. If the court decides to try him as child. He would get out at 21 and what good would that do society. I would hire a good public defender. (pssssst I know public defenders are free except for the 50 fee you sign for )
Your small group may keep repeating the same thing that this politically “tough on crime” community didn’t make egregious errors with respect to stopping this problem before it happened but, no one buys into it. But, you may keep wasting your time with your cruel attacks on a wonderful, bright young girl who is helping an abused, fellow student… and her mother, if you insist.
Your groups actions are consistent with the exact way this county screwed this case up from the start.. ignore the problem and attack innocent people. This is especially true with respect to Cassilly’s grandstanding about the case from the beginning.
Surely this case is a pain in the neck for Craig… it would have been nice if Cassilly could have been able to sweep the case under the rug so that Craig didn’t have to answer questions about it, during his run for GOP candiate for Governor during next election cycle.
Thanks to Eileen, Hannah, etc. making people aware of the facts, Cassilly did not disappear, and the public is quite aware. This is the reason all of you are attacking this wonderful woman and her beautiful daughter.
I take from your comments Michelle, that you do not believe a community should be “tough on crime”? I believe that the place for proving facts happens to be the courtroom. If all of the things that Eileen, Hannah and others have alleged, then those “facts” will be proven in court and have a bearing on the outcome of Robby’s trial. In fact, Eileen and Hannah should be eager for Robby’s day in court… an opportunity to present the “facts”? Court would be an ideal place to bring forward facts of how this community so badly failed Robby, don’t you think?
——> Moderate Democrat as far removed as possible from the Harford County GOP machine that you refer to. And if you stick around long enough Michelle you will see people come out of the wood work to denigrate me because of that statement.
I suggest you begin to perform introspection to assess if it’s the GOP machine against you or regular people in the fat middle part of the bell curve that take umbrage with your sweeping generalization about “Us and Them”.
I think that the people on this site, who support the robster, need to wake up and smell the coffee. They try and defend an alleged murderer who killed his own father. BUT they seem to demean or disregard anyone who does not share their same belief. The bobinsky has admitted to killing his father and is not ashamed of it. His sister seems to think it is cute to write like a 5 year old and derides anyone who has an opposing view. Also, this site is not a tool of the GOP because they mention Bane and at last check, he is a democrat. As for the lady claiming to be a DSS employee, I know plenty of DSS employees and they are good workers who would drop everything to assist an abused boy. Teachers, Police, DSS, CPS are alleged to have some contact with the Robinsky and no one has done anything. It is only when Bobby takes the action of killing his father that everyone wants to defend him and make him out to be an abused boy who had no where to turn. Last time I checked there are foster homes and group homes. So my final comment on the Robbie saga is that there are a number of people, who claim to help abused children, but cannot or will not help unless it gets them on the news or in the paper.
What are you smoking? That was the most insane comment made on this site. If you are knowing what is going on, why don’t you tell us more of your useless knowledge.
Not if you can hand pick what you want to hear from your guests.
Nutbunnies. That was a response to an earlier post about Eileen’s house guests and their presumed open mindedness. The response to this particular post should bee ore along the lines of “Stay Classy Eileen”. You are demonstrating so much worth empathizing about this cause you vehemently defend while admitting your failure in this particularly egregious event. Find a PR person really quick because you are not gaining any allies for your cause and your repugnant self righteousness is generating a lot of negativity. Would I like to see the boy get a fair trial? Sure I would. Would it be important to mention he was abused? Sure it would. Is it also important to mention he killed his dad in his home, dragged the body to the Blazer, drove to Aberdeen and couldn’t quite make it all the way into the pond? Yes, it certainly is. Is he in his right mind? No one that commits an act like this is in their right mind, but anyone that seeks to make an excuse to get them anything less than a fair trial is delusional and self serving. The time for counsel and help before he murdered has passed; and it looks like a lot of people let him down. Now he can have all the help the state can muster after he stands trial for murder. Your sympathy is too little and too late.
Many people did in fact let Robby down, and most of them were his friends. Now they are aghast at the outcome of their indifference. I suppose they now think that this outward display of support makes up for their previous indifference. It doesn’t.
Why is there even going to be a trial? He admitted to killing his father and told them where the body was. It’s not like he didn’t do it. Get him before a judge let him plead guilty and lets move on to the sentencing phase and not waste any more taxpayers money. The sooner he is in supermax the better for everyone.
How dare you say that he doesn’t deserve a trial. He was an abused boy who only took action after his father was abusive to him. He was a child crying for help and wanting society to help. All the professionals didn’t help and left him with nothing else to do. A trial would be a chance to tell the world that he needed help and no one helped him.
Get off your high horse Eileen. You didn’t help when he needed it, and now you want to shout at others and fake your indignation at what they have to say. You are not helping your cause.
A few things…first of all, there is someone else on here posting under the name Eileen. While I don’t disagree with what that person is saying, I take issue with the fact that he/she is trying to confuse the issue by using the same user name that I was using earlier. Please, if you are going to post here, use a name that is unique to this page, so that it doesn’t confuse an already confused issue. Secondly, someone is also posting, using the name “Hannah”. That is not my daughter, and again, it appears that someone is posting with that name to further confuse the issue. Again, please choose a different name. Thirdly, Barbara, I am certainly on no high horse her, and as I have REPEATEDLY said, I did not know of Bob before January of last year, and I am simply trying to help out a kid that I believe lived through horrors that no child should ever have to endure. You really have no basis to claim that I let him down, since I DIDN’T KNOW HIM! And that is all I have to say on the subject. Any further posts on this page will not be from me or my daughter. Have fun.
Yes Eileen, I have read other posts where you have stated you did not know Bob prior to January of last year. Your daughter has posted that she has known him since 8th grade, and has observed evidence of abuse since that time, almost on a daily basis. She has also commented that she reported this abuse to school counselors with no positive results from anyone. I don’t know your relationship with your daughter, but it seems odd that your daughter was as concerned about Bob as she seems to indicate, and did not mention his plight to you when she thought it was important enough to mention to school counselors on more than one occasion. I’m not saying it never happened, I’m saying it is very odd.
It never happened. No child takes on a crusade; turns evidence into authorities regarding the abuse of a peer by an adult and never, NEVER just mentions it at dinner or in the car or ever. It never happened. Not sure which of the players here is delusional but there’s an odd history and behavior whereby (typically women) take up for murderers and other criminals – good lord there are women who write letters even propose sex and marriage to the night stalker – that guy that killed and raped multiple women. I don’t see this as so different. Sadly for Hanna, her mom is pulling her into this multi-actor insanity by reinforcing the false notion that slaughtering your parent is an excusable act and creating a narrative that has no evidenciary support or basis in fact.
Barbara, your posts, like the other which keep restating the same theme, are attacks on ppl who are supporting Robby’s rights as a juvenile who has been accused of a crime. The posts are so consistent with those who must be so frightened that public opinion, national now, about this case and this municipality’s failure to address the problems early – before a murder occurred.
Michelle, What are Robby’s rights as a juvenile in the State of Maryland? Does not the law in Maryland mandate that anyone who is the age of 16 or 17, and commits the crime of murder, be tried as an adult? If public opinion is so against this law, then the proper place to address change is within the legislature. I find it odd that you and others seem to take our local courts and the community to task for following the law. Why is it that you don’t think Robby deserves his day in court like all of the others before him?
Good post Barbara. Glad they came out of the woodwork for saving this poor soul who MURDERED HIS FATHER. Yes he may have been abused, but isn’t there a thing called 911. I called 911 on an abuse case. The dispatcher sent over two officers and they told us what to do. It wasn’t this well it’s his father and he has rights. I think Eileen and Hannah did not talk to each other and made up these stories. I told the police everything and the abuser was locked up and got time.
His father’s rights were severely violated. He has no chance of stating his point of view or position in a court of law. Instead we are left with a 16 year old that shot him in his home, drove the body to Aberdeen dumped it partially in a pond and then felt remorse. I’m glad you are supporting him – please don’t come here and lecture the rest of us about how holy you are for doing this.
Child crying for help? Yea most kids crying for help grab a gun a murder family members then drive their corpses down the road and throw them in a pond….. Happens all the time.
The suggestion offered centered on the confession. If he admitted killing his father (and I’m sure the evidence supports this) any trial would be a waste of money and only delay the inevitable.
Hey Because,
I don’t think the trial would be a waste of money. Even if he did confess to the offense, there are still defenses that can be offered to justify or excuse the act; such as self defense, defense of another, heat of passion, accident.
We don’t know all of the facts. I am all for trying him as an adult, as the Maryland Rules dictate as such. However, there does need to be a trial.
Anyways, have a nice day.
im thinkin that u dont lik listening too the truth. U wld rathr here the storie that he is ok n neds to be loked up.
Hooked on phonics Hannah
Give her time her frontal lobe hasnt finished growing yet
Too bad we cant give him the death penalty
we can still give him the death penalty, but Owe Malley has a liberal agenda and wants to make it seem he is a good catholic. Just look at his supporting gay marriage. He would have this kid be the poster child for what is wrong with society. Parents taking charge and correcting their children. I am not talking about abuse.
He is not eligible for the death penalty as he was under 18 at the time of the act. The Supreme Court made this ruling in Roper v. Simmons, in 2005.
Too bad…..My dad died, not by my hands, and I miss him. He had other options to deal with his problem. How many children are in his situation and don’t kill a parent. He may have been abused, but chose the wrong method of dealing with the situation. Also, Roper v Simmons was a 5-4 decision and can be overturned. Guess our state is one that thinks the death penalty is not needed. This is what happens when you give criminals more rights then victims. Yes we have a constitution, but the rights favor the accused and the victim is required to relive the ordeal in court. The accused have the right to face their accuser, but give me a break when the victim is treated like crap. I’m sure the victim in this case was a bad man, but did not deserve to be murdered.
I just read through this entire thread of replies, and very few of them make any sense at all – especially those who seem so attached to the self-confessed murderer.
Then, I read another article on here where there were 0 posts. If the people on here are truly concerned about “juveniles belong in juvenile court” garbage, perhaps they can take their cause up for 2 “juvenile” arsonists?
http://www.daggerpress.com/2013/01/18/charges-filed-against-12-and-13-yr-old-boys-in-connection-to-edgewood-vehicle-fire/
i think it depends on how there mental state is and there medical records. how they planed the murder and whether it was an accident or a planed out crime. if the parents have history on neglect and abuse. it can be thought of on both ways but both sides are correct.
7th grader wrote this! 🙂
Since you are still in school, you can take back to your classmates that when the word implies ownership the word is “their” and when a piece of wood is cut flat it is “planed” while a murder is “planned”. Also, the first letter of every sentence should be capitalized and in order to complete the sentence that begins with “if” there must be a “then” statement. As it stands it is a sentence fragment and the entire thing is a good example of how Harford County schools have failed even the children that have not killed their parents.
The man is a cold blooded murderer who planned the execution of his father and coldly planned and excecuted the dumping of his father’s dead body. The murderer also led police on a wild chase that could have killed more innocent victims.
His father may not have been father of the year, but the abuse was no excuse to commit murder. These people always have options but always chose a criminal act to solve their problems. 25 Years in a state prison should be his punishment.