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| 2003 |
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Born at the Appalachian Regional Hospital in Pike County KY on November 13, 2003.
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| Dec.6,2003-Sept.3,20-05 |
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Holly came to Summerville SC with her mommy(Amber) and sister Haley. They lived with us, except for 2 months, Amber moved out, and left the girls here. Haley went to La Petite Daycare five days a week and Holly stayed here (I couldn't cut the apron strings ). We always went places and seen lots of things. The girls were very happy living with us. They loved going to the Summerville park where they had swings, slides and a sandbox, and tunnels to crawl through and wood treehouses to explore. They loved going to the turtle pond and feed the turtles and fish. On rainy days it was fun to go to the malls where they had huge indoor play areas. Here at home, we have a large screened-in patio where they had toys to play with and Haley could ride her bike. They had a tree swing and sandbox where they loved to play, and when it was warm we had a pool for them. Every night we had dinner at the table, and they both knew it was time to ring the bell and yell "dinna dinna" that was Holly and "dinner weddy" that was Haley..lol.. They loved bathtime, especially when I brought out the bubble mat and added lots of bubble bath to it. I could go on and on, but one thing both girls knew for sure..they were both happy and very much loved. And if Amber would only tell the truth, she knew she was too. I miss you all so much. |
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| 2005 |
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Murdered on November 02, 2005 at the age of 23 1/2 months after days of abuse and drugs.
Holly was laid to rest in the family cemetary of those that murdered her. The Robinson family seem to have a way of getting what they want. |
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| Nov.2005 |
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Parents charged with murder
BY RACHEL C. STANLEY
NEWS EDITOR
The parents of a little girl who would have celebrated her second birthday this weekend have been charged with her murder.
The girl's mother, 22-year-old Amber Nicole Lockard Robinson, and stepfather, 20-year-old James Franklin Robinson, pleaded not guilty to the murder charge Thursday in Pike District Court. They were arrested Wednesday morning at their home on Dix Fork in Sidney.
Their daughter, Holly Grace Lockard, was born in South Williamson on Nov. 13, 2003.
According to the Kentucky State Police, they received a phone call about a deceased child on Nov. 2. Police were first told that Lockard had been sick for several days and died of natural causes.
But police said Lockard showed several injuries, and it appeared she had been physically abused. An autopsy conduct by the Kentucky Medical Examiner's office the following day found multiple injuries consistent with prolonged physical abuse, and the cause of death was determined to be inner-cranial bleeding from blunt force trauma to the head.
Police say Lockard's death has now been ruled a homicide.
After their arrests, the Robinsons were lodged in the Pike County Detention Center, where they remain. Bond was not set Thursday because in capital murder cases, defense attorneys must file a written motion before a bond hearing can be held.
The case is still under investigation by Det. Joey Howard.
According to her obituary, Lockard is survived by her grandparents, Jerry Lockard of Hardy, and Jeanne Guest of S.C.; step-grandfather, Frank Robinson of Sidney; and one sister, Haley Robinson. Funeral services for her were held Sunday
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| Jan. 2006 |
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Trial set in murder case
BY ANDREA BENNETT
NEWS EDITOR
A trial was set Friday for the Sidney couple accused of beating to death their nearly 2-year-old daughter.
An April 24 trial date was set for both the girl's mother, 22-year-old Amber Nicole Lockard Robinson, and stepfather, 20-year-old James Franklin Robinson, after both pleaded not guilty to murder.
The Pike County Grand Jury indicted the parents of 23-month-old Holly Grace Lockard, who died Nov. 2, after the death was ruled a homicide by the Kentucky Medical Examiner's Office.
Defense attorney Robbie Wright, representing Amber Robinson, requested that the trial date be set well into the future so that he would have time to review the substantial medical evidence. In a previous hearing, where the couple's bond was set at $1 million apiece, Kentucky State Police testified that they had been told the child had been sick upon arriving at the crime scene in November.
Police said the Robinson's told them that Holly Lockard had a birth defect that caused her to have difficulty walking and fall often.
However, police said evidence indicates that the child was severely abused, and believe the abuse occurred over a period of time.
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| Dec.21,2006 |
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Judge Orders Evaluation of Man Charged With Murder
James Robinson, who stands accused of murder in relation to the death of his step daughter Holly Grace Lockard was ordered to be evaluated by the Kentucky Corrections Psychiatric Center in Lagrange. Robinson’s wife, Amber Nicole Robinson has already pleaded guilty to the murder charge stating that she had grabbed the close to two year old child “too hard” when she was misbehaving. Pending the results of the evaluation, James Robinson is set to stand trial on Febuary the 12th.
# posted by Justin Mullins @ 4:13 PM links to this post
Thursday, December 21, 2006
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| Feb.13,2007 |
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Stepdad on trial for murder; mom already found guilty
BY MARY MUSIC
STAFF WRITER
The trial against a Pike County man accused of murdering his step-daughter began yesterday, despite an attempt to get the case dismissed.
Before the trial began for Sidney resident James F. Robinson, Attorney Melissa Goodman asked Circuit Judge Eddy Coleman to dismiss the indictment because of the death of Kentucky State Police Det. Joey Howard, who initially investigated the death of Hollie Grace Lockard.
Lockard, the daughter of 22-year-old Amber Robinson, died a few days shy of her second birthday.
Goodman claimed that it would be impossible to discuss aspects of the crime scene and the investigation because Howard would not be available for trial this week. Her attempt to dismiss the case was thwarted by Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Elizabeth Burchett, who pointed out that Howard testified during Robinson's preliminary hearing and provided a deposition about his investigation in family court, where cases were handled for two surviving children in the family.
Howard's testimony was memorialized by deposition, Coleman said, denying the motion.
Goodman also asked Coleman to suppress a taped interview that Howard conducted with James and Amber Robinson at their home in November 2005 because Howard did not read Miranda Rights to any one that he interviewed that day. Burchett argued that Howard did not need to mirandize the couple or Frank Robinson, the child's step-grandfather who was also interviewed, because he did not arrest anyone. He was just investigating the mysterious death of Holly Lockard, Burchett said. Coleman ruled against Goodman's assertion that Robinson's rights were not protected during that interview and he allowed the recording to be placed as evidence on the record.
Opening statements were given to the jury yesterday, with Burchett announcing that evidence will prove that Robinson killed the child and Goodman laying the blame on Amber Robinson.
Burchett said she may call members of Amber Robinson's family to testify about the family's situation during the months prior to Lockard's death. She also said she may call two family members who will likely provide emotional testimony because they saw the child on Halloween 2005, two days before her death, and could have possibly intervened and saved her life. Burchett said she would also call a forensic toxicologist to the stand to testify about drugs found in the toddler's body.
Lockard was “limp as a doll” when she appeared with Robinson in court on the day of her death, Burchett said announcing the expected presentation of court recordings for the trial. Goodman said that same recording will show how much Robinson cared for the child. Robinson, she said, wanted to adopt the child.
Goodman, pointing out that Robinson was only 20 years old when the child died, said he was guilty of making “wrong decisions and very stupid choices,” but she blamed the child's death on Amber Robinson, whom she said was investigated by social services in South Carolina. She said Robinson gave the child, who had reportedly been sick for a couple of days, an adult dose of phenagrin, a medication used to ease stomach sickness. She claimed the child hit her head on a table and the couple didn't seek medical attention because they were not insured.
After the child died on November 2, 2005, an autopsy conducted by the Kentucky Medical Examiner's office found multiple injuries consistent with prolonged physical abuse. The medical examiner ruled that she died because of inner-cranial bleeding that was consistent of blunt force trauma.
Yesterday, Dr. Christen Roth, a Kentucky medical examiner who performed the autopsy, gave graphic testimony about injuries that Lockard sustained before she died. The child had approximately 26 separate bruises on her head, neck and face, Roth said, and those bruises were each in different stages of healing. Roth said the child's hair fell out when she rubbed her hand over the back of her head, an ailment that could have been caused by stress. She said the number of bruises indicated that Lockard's injuries couldn't be explained by something like a fall. Cases like that are very rare, she said, testifying that the child was probably either hit, shaken or swung into something.
Lockard's brain was internally bruised multiple times from front to back, Roth said, and she had two skull fractures. Lockard could have possibly lived, with severe brain damage, if medical treatment was sought for her injuries, Roth testified.
Roth also described injuries to Lockard's swollen shoulder and a fracture to her left arm, injuries that she said were probably inflicted a couple of days before the death. There were also evidence of fractures to both of Lockard's wrists, Roth said, and those injuries were probably several weeks old.
Jurors viewed more than 20 pictures of Lockard that were taken by Howard during the autopsy and when he and Pike County Coroner Russell Roberts arrived on the scene on November 2, 2005.
Last October, Coleman sentenced Amber Robinson to life in prison after she admitting to killing the child. Before the sentencing, she told the judge that she “grabbed” the toddler too hard in an attempt to discipline her. She also said that she had been drinking and taking drugs before the incident.
Robinson's trial, which is expected to last four days, is scheduled to resume this morning.
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| Feb.13,2007 |
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Murder Trial Gets Underway In Pike County
Opening arguments got underway yesterday afternoon, in a case that sees a Sidney Man stand accused of causing the death of his close to two year old step daughter. 21 year old James Robinson of Dix Fork took his seat behind the defense table in Judge Eddy Coleman’s courtroom shortly after 2:30 yesterday, as Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Beth Burchett outlined the Murder case that she says, points to James Robinson as the Killer of 21 month old Holly Grace Lockard.
“You’re going to hear from Dr. Kristen Roth; she’ll tell you her medical opinion about what the cause of Holly’s death was” said Burchett who continued detailing the commonwealth’s assertion. “You’re going to hear about significant injuries to Holly’s arms; both her left and right arms. You’re going to hear about the absence of any medical treatment or intervention for those injuries and your going to hear about the age of those injuries”
However Defense Attorney Melissa Goodman argued that it was the young girls mother Amber Robinson who was responsible for death of Lockard, not her client.
“James had only gotten to know this child about two months before her death although he had expressed a desire to adopt her and he loved her.” Goodman said before taking aim at one of the Commonwealth’s key witnesses “Amber Robinson had been investigated by social services in South Carolina for the maltreatment of her treatment before she moved back to Pike County two months before Holly’s death.”
Amber Robinson, who was also charged with Murder after they were arrested in September of 2005, pleaded guilty to the charge in September of this past year, receiving a life sentence. The trial of James Robinson is expected to last through Thursday and EKB news will keep you updated on all the court proceedings all the way up until the verdict is read.
# posted by Justin Mullins @ 4:18 PM links to this post |
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| Feb16,2007 |
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BY LEIGH ANN WELLS
STAFF WRITER
The second day of a Pike County man's murder trial was filled with testimony from several prosecutorial witnesses, including the mother of the child he is accused of killing who said she did it, not him.
Amber Lockard Robinson testified yesterday afternoon that she, not her husband James Robinson, killed 23-month-old Holly Grace Lockard on Nov. 2, 2005. Amber Robinson entered a guilty plea in Pike County Circuit Court last October, admitting to killing the toddler. She was sentenced to life in prison.
Wearing jail-issued attire and handcuffs, Amber Robinson told the court that she was 17 when she delivered her first child, a daughter fathered by James Robinson, in April 2001. Amber Robinson said she had kept the pregnancy a secret, only admitting to her mother that she was in labor on the way to a South Carolina hospital. After their daughter, Haley, was born, Amber Robinson said she told then-16-year-old James and his parents about the baby and they welcomed it into their family with open arms, even though James and Amber had been broken up for some time.
Amber Robinson testified that she became pregnant with Holly during the time she and James were apart. She said the two remained friends for Haley's sake, but that Holly's father was a man some 15 years her senior named Bobby Young. She added that although James had visitation with Haley and she allowed their daughter to stay with him on overnight visits, she would never do such a thing with Holly's father if he had chosen to be a part of the baby's life because he was “in and out of jail.”
Amber Robinson testified that she and James reunited in September 2005 when Holly was approximately 21 months old. Despite the fact that her mother, Jeanne Guest, was against Amber leaving Guest's Summerville, S.C. home, Amber said she wanted to make her family with James work and said it was “a relief to get out from under my parents' thumb” referring to Guest and her husband, Thomas, Amber's stepfather.
Amber Robinson further testified that when she returned to the Sidney home where James lived, neither of the two had a job and the expenses were paid by James' father, Frank, or from money James received in a settlement from a motor vehicle accident. She testified that the couple were married Oct. 1, 2005 in the hospital room of James' dying mother with only his family, Haley and Holly present.
Amber said that both she and James cared for the girls.
“Anything they needed, we tried to get for them. ... It meant a lot to me,” she said.
Amber said that both Haley and Holly were bonding with James and that he did not make a difference between the two.
Prior to Amber Robinson's testimony, two of her aunts, Nita Lester and Regina Lockard, testified to seeing the Robinson family trick-or-treating in the Forest Hills area on Monday, Oct. 31, just days before Holly's death. Nita Lester said she asked Amber why Holly was crying and why the child's hair had been cut very short. Lester said she did not notice any bruising on Holly's face, but stressed that it was dark and that she was trying to keep an eye on her own grandchildren.
Lockard testified that she had noticed Holly wearing a black bandage on her arm and that the child's hair had been cut “oddly . ... Like her sister had gotten hold of the scissors.”
About the bandage, Lockard said Amber told her Holly had fallen “or something.” Lockard also said Holly “was a little whiny” but chalked it up to her being tired due to the trick-or-treating. Lockard also said she saw no bruises on Holly's face, but said it was dark.
Amber Robinson explained the brace by saying that James had bought it. She said that Holly's arm was bruised and “she didn't want to work it right.” Amber said she thought the arm was sprained and that Holly received the injury while Amber was swinging her around in their yard a couple of weeks before Holly died.
“I pulled it too hard, I guess,” Amber said.
Amber Robinson said Holly's arm was getting better, adding that the toddler “whimpered around.” Amber said she gave Holly Tylenol to ease the pain, but did not seek medical attention because Amber thought she could treat it herself and did not have enough money to seek professional help. Amber admitted that she did not attempt to borrow money from her family or James' to pay for the medical attention.
As for the day Holly died, Amber Robinson said she and James had gotten into an argument. She said he had taken Haley and left their home, leaving her there alone with Holly. Amber said she took some Xanax and became irritated when Holly kept “getting into everything and whimpering around.”
“I just flew off the handle and I beat her,” Amber Robinson said. “Everywhere. ... Her head ... everywhere.”
Amber said she knew “all along” that Holly died of a fractured skull and admitted her cover story for Holly's injured arm was that the child fell on the steps leading to their home.
Amber also said she did not initially want to accept a guilty plea when her attorney, Robert Wright, advised her to do so.
“I didn't want to take it. ... I thought I could beat the trial.”
When asked by Asst. Commonwealth Attorney Elizabeth Burchett, “You took it anyway?” about the plea agreement, Amber responded, “Yes, ma'am. I'm guilty.”
As for Holly's short hair, Amber said James's aunt, Kathy Robinson, cut it because Holly would pull it out when she was mad or in pain.
“I pleaded guilty,” Amber said. “I committed the crime. There's no reason to keep James in jail.”
Amber said James loved both Haley and Holly and wanted to adopt Holly. She said he treated them “with the same respect.”
“Those were his babies. He called them ‘Daddy's babies,'” she said.
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| Feb.15,2007 |
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Robinson takes stand, says he didn't kill toddler
BY LEIGH ANN WELLS
STAFF WRITER
A Pike County Circuit Court jury will begin deliberating today whether a Sidney man killed his 23-month-old stepdaughter.
Against the advice of his attorney, defendant James Robinson testified on his own behalf yesterday afternoon, bringing to a close three days of testimony about Holly Grace Lockard's death on Nov. 2, 2005.
Initially, when Judge Eddy Coleman asked Robinson's attorney if her client planned to testify, attorney Melissa Goodman said he would not take the stand, but Robinson indicated that he wanted to do so. Coleman called for a 10-minute recess so a decision could be made. When court resumed, Coleman again asked if Robinson planned to testify and Goodman said, “No.”
Coleman then asked Robinson if that was his decision and he answered, “So so.”
Coleman responded saying either it was his decision or it wasn't and Robinson said, “Partly is, partly isn't.”
Coleman then called another 10-minute recess so a decision could be made. When court resumed, Robinson took the stand.
His testimony was confusing at times, as Robinson attempted to set the stage of his relationship and life with Holly's mother, Amber Lockard Robinson, in the time prior to Holly's death. Much of the information offered by the defendant came outside of questions asked by both Goodman and Asst. Commonwealth Attorney Elizabeth Burchett.
Robinson's testimony jumped from the day Holly died back to a couple of weeks prior to her death to Halloween night just two days before. Robinson testified that he had not spent time with Holly before Amber moved with Holly and Haley, the daughter she shares with Robinson, in September 2005.
He said that on the day Holly died, he dropped Amber and Haley off at Bevins Elementary School where Haley was a Head Start student and Amber planned to volunteer on a field trip. Robinson said that Holly had awakened briefly that morning, but slept the entire time she was with him as he made an appearance in Pike County District Court.
On Tuesday, Burchett played a tape for the jury that showed Robinson and Holly while in district court. Holly did not appear to wake up for very long during the tape's 22-minute duration and Burchett had asserted in her opening argument that the child was “limp as a doll” during that time.
Robinson said that following the court appearance, he attempted to pick Amber up at the school because she had a job interview at noon, but she had not returned from the field trip. Robinson said he then took Holly home, where he made her some cinnamon toast before returning to the school to collect Amber and Haley at 3 p.m.
Robinson said that Holly had been sick since Halloween and she had been vomiting, so he and Amber were treating her with phenagrin - an anti-nausea medication - and another children's medication of which he did not know the name.
Robinson said he had argued with Amber the day prior to Holly's death because he noticed that she had been hateful with both kids, pushing them down and yelling at them. Robinson said he was spying on his wife because he noticed Holly was falling a lot and he felt something was wrong.
Robinson said that while spying on Amber, he had seen her jerk Holly out of a Barbie Jeep Haley was driving and proceed to strike Holly on her arms. He said Holly did nothing to deserve the treatment. In addition to that incident, Robinson said several other things had happened to Holly's arm, including a fall on the steps leading to the family's home.
He said that, contrary to testimony from prior witnesses, he did seek medical attention for Holly's arm both in the Williamson Appalachian Regional Hospital emergency room and with a pediatrician recommended by social worker Kristin Overstreet. Robinson could not recall the name of the physician working in the emergency room when he sought treatment for Holly nor the name of the pediatrician. He said the pediatrician's office was located near Phelps and it was this doctor that prescribed the medication being administered to Holly, but he could not remember which pharmacy filled the prescription.
“I was really worried about the baby,” Robinson said in defense of his inability to recall the name of the pharmacy.
Robinson again said he had administered a phenagrin suppository to Holly on Nov. 1, but said he had no idea how Xanax got into the child's system. Robinson said he confronted Amber on Nov. 2 about having found Xanax tablets in the floor of the home and denied having anything to do with the bruises found on Holly's body.
Robinson said he and Amber were together mostly because of the kids and that it wasn't always a happy home.
“She wanted power one, I wanted power the other way,” he said.
Robinson said that although he alone was with Holly from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov. 2, he did not dress her nor did he change her diaper. He said this was the first entire day he had ever been alone with Holly and claimed that Amber “set” him “up.”
When questioned by Burchett about that statement, Robinson replied, “It was a set up by Amber Robinson.”
He then asked if he could explain.
“This is your time to explain if there ever was one,” Burchett replied.
Robinson said he believed he was set up because Amber had never before allowed Holly to be around James because he was not her biological father. Robinson said he wanted to adopt Holly and had planned “a good birthday” for her and took care of her when she was sick.
Burchett asked Robinson if he had watched the tape of himself and Holly in district court. He replied that he could not watch it because he suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and watching the tape could cause him to have flashbacks.
Robinson insisted that Holly woke up during their time in district court and contended that he gave her a “normal” dose of medicine before they went there.
“You killed that baby, didn't you?” Burchett asked.
“No, I sure didn't,” Robinson replied.
Robinson then said he knew what killed Holly. He said that on Halloween night Holly had suffered “a hit on the head” when Amber caused Holly's head to come in contact with the top of the couple's Toyota Camry. Robinson said he took the baby from her mother following the incident and said Holly was “crying a lot.”
Burchett cut Robinson off before he could say anything else.
Amber Robinson was also charged with murder in connection with Holly's death. She entered a guilty plea in October 2006 and is currently serving a life sentence. While entering the plea, Amber Robinson admitted that she“grabbed” the toddler too hard in an attempt to discipline her. She also said that she had been drinking and taking drugs before the incident.
Earlier this week, Dr. Christen Roth, a Kentucky medical examiner who performed the autopsy, gave graphic testimony about injuries that Holly sustained before she died. The child had approximately 26 separate bruises on her head, neck and face, Roth said, and those bruises were each in different stages of healing. Roth said the child's hair fell out when she rubbed her hand over the back of her head, an ailment that could have been caused by stress. She said the number of bruises indicated that Holly's injuries couldn't be explained by something like a fall. Cases like that are very rare, she said, testifying that the child was probably either hit, shaken or swung into something.
Holly's brain was internally bruised multiple times from front to back, Roth said, and she had two skull fractures. Holly could have possibly lived, with severe brain damage, if medical treatment was sought for her injuries, Roth testified.
Roth also described injuries to Holly's swollen shoulder and a fracture to her left arm, injuries that she said were probably inflicted a couple of days before the death. There were also evidence of fractures to both of Holly's wrists, Roth said, and those injuries were probably several weeks old.
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| Feb.17,2007 |
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Pike man to spend life in prison for child's murder
BY MARY MUSIC
STAFF WRITER
The “baby killer” did it, and he'll spend “life” in prison thinking about it.
A jury found James Robinson guilty of murdering his stepdaughter Friday after listening to four days of testimony.
“I hope little Holly can rest in peace,” Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Elizabeth Burchett emotionally said after the jury handed down the verdict and recommended a life sentence.
Circuit Judge Eddy Coleman closed the courtroom to the media and family members Friday morning, after Robinson caused a disturbance as he was being transported from the jail to the courtroom. Witnesses said it took six to eight deputies to get him under control.
Coleman told media representatives that Robinson didn't “need an audience.”
Before the delayed proceedings began, Coleman ordered deputies to remove the jury from the courtroom if Robinson created problems again. When it was time for the penalty phase, Robinson verbally resisted being shackled to his chair in the courtroom. He gripped and pushed his chair toward the bailiff, telling him to get out of his way.
“What makes them think that I'm guilty of anything?” Robinson asked his attorney, Melissa Goodman, when he was given the opportunity to make a statement on his behalf after the verdict was handed down and the jurors were preparing to decide how much time he should serve. He said he was innocent.
The jury deliberated for more than two hours, pondering whether Robinson was innocent or guilty of murder, second-degree manslaughter, reckless homicide or complicity for each of those three charges.
The last words prior to deliberations from both the prosecution and defense painted bleak pictures of the life of 23-month old Holly Grace Lockard, who was murdered on November 2, 2005.
This week, the evidence has shown that Lockard sustained at least 26 bruises on her face, head and neck, two skull fractures, a broken arm and two broken wrists. Some of the injuries had healed or partially healed, indicating that the abuse occurred over a period of time. Kentucky Medical Examiner Christen Roth said she died because of inter-cranial bleeding, a secondary condition of blunt force trauma or shaken baby syndrome. The baby had been given Xanax and phenegren.
Attorney Melissa Goodman, blamed the child's mother, Amber Robinson, who is currently serving a life sentence for murder. She confessed to the crime and talked about it this week in court and a deputy, who spent time with her during the delivery of her last child, testified that Amber Robinson said she was going to take the fall for her husband.
Amber Robinson wanted to get an abortion when she was pregnant with Holly, Goodman said, and James Robinson, who has paid child support since he was 16, wanted to adopt the child.
Jurors heard testimony this week from a witness who saw Amber Robinson grabbing and jerking the child in 2005.
Goodman described both Holly and her sister Haley, the daughter of James Robinson, as “Daddy's babies,” a term Amber Robinson used when described her husband. Goodman also reminded the jury that Amber Robinson said she “flew off the handle” and beat the child.
Referring to the prosecution's argument that Holly was abused over a period of time, Goodman told jurors that no evidence indicated that Robinson ever hit the child. She outlined the months prior to the murder to explain how busy Robinson was, dealing with the death of two family members - one that occurred the day after the couple got married. She also told the jurors about the people who saw Holly Lockard in the weeks and months before the murder.
Burchett pointed at those people when she described how the system failed Holly Lockard. Social service offices in South Carolina and Kentucky failed Holly Lockard, she said, explaining a long list of things that could have prevented the murder. That list included Robinson's decision to bring Amber Robinson and the children from South Carolina to Kentucky, against social services orders and the fact that Lisa Blevins “faked” a urine test to trick the social services. If only someone in Pike County district court would have noticed, Burchett said, that the child was “limp as a rag doll” on the day she was killed, if only Robinson hadn't drugged her, if only Amber Robinson hadn't gone to school and left the child alone with her stepfather.
Burchett told the jury that Robinson's father, Frank Robinson, who was kicked out of the courtroom earlier this week because he talked to a juror, manipulated Amber Robinson so that his son could get away with murder.
She said Amber Robinson was “dumb as a rock” and Frank Robinson, whom she called “the architect,” convinced her to take the fall for his son. Frank Robinson paid attorney Robby Wright $10,000, Burchett said, and she pleaded guilty, without a plea bargain and without going over the discovery or the evidence in the case. Amber Robinson, who “richly deserves” her life sentence, thought she was getting 10 to 12 years, Burchett said.
Frank Robinson, who had 20 years of experience as a deputy coroner, called “his life-long friend and lodge brother” Mike Hall, and not the police, when Holly Lockard died, Burchett said, because he thought Hall would declare that she died from natural causes. He manipulated Amber Robinson by keeping funds for her at the jail and by bringing her daughter over to see her every weekend at the detention center. Regardless of the jury's verdict, Amber Robinson will not see her daughter again, Burchett said.
Burchett called James Robinson the “baby killer,” and explained that he didn't want Holly Lockard or his wife, who he married, she said, because she was pregnant. To Robinson, the child and his wife were “extra baggage,” Burchett said.
Before finally closing, Burchett held up a family portrait that the defense used to portray the “happy family.”
“Look at the baby's face,” she said. “Is she happy? She's terrified. She's sitting in this picture with a broken arm and the beating that's going to end her life is about to occur.”
Even though Goodman officially expressed her disappointment in the jury's verdict and sentence recommendation, Goodman said they were dedicated and took the case seriously.
“At the end of the day, there is no good resolution anyway,” she said, “cause little Holly Lockard did lose her life.”
Robinson will be formally sentenced on March 16.
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| Feb.22,2007 |
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Man Sentenced To Life In Prison For Toddler's Death - Angela Sparkman Reports
A murdered toddler's grandmother asked a judge to make her son in law pay for the crime. A jury found James Robinson guilty of murder last week. Thursday afternoon he learned his fate.
Holly Grace Lockard's grandparents say her first 21 months of life were filled with love and happiness.
"Her last six weeks was filled with fear, abuse, neglect, broken bones until her death, because of James Robinson," said Lockard's Grandmother Jeanne Guest.
Guest confronted her granddaughter's convicted killer, her own son in law, in court before he was sentenced.
"Never again will we be able to see our precious granddaughter dancing the hokey-pokey or doing her little chicken dance," she said.
Holly died just one week before her second birthday. Her grandmother told the judge James Robinson stole more than the birthday.
"What has been taken away is her first day of school, her first dance, going away to college, her first job, her future," Guest said. "Holly Grace Lockard will never have that chance of having a life because of him."
She now wants James to pay with his own life.
"I'm gonna judge him guilty of murder. I make the finding this is a violent offense," said Pike County Circuit Court Judge Eddy Coleman. "I impose the sentence recommended by jury of life in the state penitentiary."
"What Holly had to endure her last days of life, no one should have to endure," Guest said.
Holly's grandmother says she believes justice was served.
The child's mother, Amber Robinson, is already serving a life sentence. James Robinson's family members adopted the couple's other two children Thursday morning.
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| July 2007 |
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This is a letter that I have mailed to Judge Larry Thompson, Family Court Judge, who allowed Holly's half sister and brother to be adopted by James Robinson's aunt and uncle. I am wanting him to reconsider placing them with relatives of Holly's murderer.
To Judge Larry E. Thompson
Your Honor,
Is it the intention of Family Court to break up or divide the family’s home, or is it to do what’s best for the children involved? When the case of Haley Faith Lockard began, on Nov.2,2005, she was picked up by Kentucky State Police and Children’s Services in Pike County and placed in a foster home. She had just gone through a traumatic experience by seeing her half-sister Holly Grace Lockard, who had been murdered by her dad and mom. and then seeing her dad and mom arrested for that murder. Instead of placing Haley back with me, her maternal grandmother, who had been raising her and Holly for the previous 2 years. Two months prior to that, the girls had been taken from their safe home, by an untrained and uncaring social worker in South Carolina and placed with their negligent mom, where Amber later took them to Kentucky with Haley’s biological dad, James Robinson. The Social Services in Pike County Ky were informed about the danger the girls could be in, and the social workers there, also uncaring, didn’t investigate the parents properly, by their own acknowledgment
How could you, a Family Court Judge, not investigate the situation when the accused dad and mom, having been found guilty enough by a Grand Jury to stand trial for murder, and both having a million dollar cash bond placed on them, and both come before you and state where their living child should be placed, did you have that much faith in their opinion to honor their wishes? The family, a great aunt and uncle, that the parents wished to have their child placed with, did you care that the child had never even stayed even one night with them? This family, Donnie and Cathy Robinson, was also aware of the abuse and neglect of Holly, but never cared enough to report it. In May 2006, another child was born, a boy named Noah, and he also was immediately placed in the Robinson’s home, because you had placed Haley there in Jan. 2006. The Robinson’s had been taking the children to the jail weekly to see both their mom and dad, also promising their mom, Amber that the weekly visits would continue if they, the Robinson’s, were allowed to adopt them.
The visits allowed to me, the maternal grandmother, by this Court and the Robinson’s, totaled three (3). I had three (3) one hour supervised visits at the Social Services office in Pike County.
On Feb.22, 2007, you, the Family Court Judge, told us, the maternal grandparents, we was not allowed to intervene on the adoption of my grandchildren, because they did not live with us, although a motion to intervene had been filed on Sept. 25,2006 and a hearing set for Nov.1,2006, and after arriving for that hearing was told it was to be postponed like all the previous hearings set in 2006.
On Feb.22,2007, you allowed Donnie and Cathy Robinson to adopt my grandchildren, Haley and Noah.
Also, Feb.22,2007, I, Haley’s maternal grandmother, was handed a report from Tammy Skeens, Haley’s guardian Ad Litem, that I was the cause for Haley’s headaches and stomach troubles, and Haley no longer wished to see me. Did you even consider the fact that I had only seen Haley three times the previous year, and those were supervised visits? Did you also know that it was I, who informed the Social Services in Pike County, that Haley was being treated for an ulcer? Did you even consider that Haley had been intimidated by the Robinson’s to believe the lies they told her? Did you not check back to Tammy Skeen’s first Guardian Ad Litem’s report on Nov. 29,2005, and read where Haley stated that if she couldn’t live with her parents that she was “ suppose to say with Donnie and Cathy Robinson. When asked who told her to say this, she replied Toni and Randy, who are her foster parents. Haley stated that she had never spent the night with Donnie and Cathy but would only go to visit. Haley did not appear to have a strong bond with them. But still on Jan. 26,2006, you allowed Haley’s name to be changed to Robinson from Lockard, and on Jan.31,2006, you allowed Haley to be placed in the home of Donnie and Cathy. Haley stated that she used to live with her Mamaw and Tom Guest in South Carolina and had her own room there. She also stated that they were mean to her. When questioned as to how they were mean, she said “they spanked me”. Haley stated that her parents do not spank her but they did spank Holly. In my own defense, Haley was never spanked here, but put in time out.
Also while you’re checking back, explain why you ordered us, the maternal grandparents, to pay $250.00 for the Guardian Ad Litem when we didn’t even have the children.
Why did you allow Ms. Sipple and her partner Ms. Goodman, James Robinson’s attorney’s, to make us try to prove that we were Haley’s De Facto Custodians, when in Criminal Court, Ms. Goodman stated herself that we were in fact the ones that had raised Haley and Holly both for the previous two (2) years?
The Criminal Court for James Robinson’s murder trial, proved that Frank Robinson, the paternal grandparent of Haley, had manipulated Haley’s mom into trying to convince the jury that it was she who was to blame for Holly’s murder, but the jury seen through that scheme and convicted James Robinson of the murder of his step-daughter and is now serving a life sentence also.
On Feb.22, 2007, we, the maternal grandparents, were ordered by you to have one (1) hour visitation with Haley provided we make the 840 mile round trip in order to do so, or two (2) one hour visits if we stayed overnight. Did you not even consider the expense and the time traveling that we would have to endure to have those visits?
Now on May 11th,2007, we received a notice of hearing to be heard in your Court, by the Guardian Ad Litem, to suspend all contact with her maternal grandparents and biological parents. Now do you see how this story is unfolding? Do you now see that over the past year and a half that the Robinson’s are yet again manipulating lives? But this time it’s the lives of my grandchildren. For the past year and a half, I have been denied my grandchildren, one that I helped raise and one that I haven’t been allowed to bond with, and haven’t even seen but twice for a few minutes each time when the Robinson’s allowed it. Am I to believe that you, a Family Court Judge, is really looking out for the best interest of my grandchildren? Or have you also been manipulated by the Robinson’s? That because they are Pike County Ky residents and we are not, that you would honor their requests and ignore ours? That the Social Services in Berkley County SC and Pike County Ky both had said our home was more than adequate and suitable to raise Haley in, but yet you still allowed parents of a murdered child and a great aunt and uncle that knew of the abuse that led up to the murder of a 23 month old, convince you to allow Haley to live there. Have you been so blinded by the opinions of the Robinson’s and their attorneys, that you can’t even see common sense? Or do you just not care about the children after all?
Your Honor, if you would look at all the facts from the time of Haley’s birth, all the Court cases in Mingo County WV, of James and Amber Robinson’s ,from 2001-2004,and the evidence proved in their criminal case, you would see for yourself, that not only are the Robinson family manipulating and self-serving, that the Robinson family is also capable of murder in order to get what they want. Frank Robinson, paying $10,000 to Robert Wright, Amber’s attorney, successfully got her to plead a blind plea of murder. But his role in getting James to convince Amber to bring the girls to Kentucky was priceless, all it took after they arrived was to get rid of Holly and Amber, then they would have what they wanted since 2001, and that is Haley, and now a bonus of Noah.
Those promises to Amber about seeing her children every week if the Robinson’s were to adopt them? You see now how they keep their promises.
Let me end by saying this your Honor, I love my grandchildren, all of them, and someday they will be old enough to understand what you let happen, and what the Robinson’s have done, and then we will let them decide if they had been cared for.
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