Post by SoulTrainOz on Jul 26, 2006 7:05:36 GMT -5
By DOMINGO RAMIREZ JR., Fort Worth Star-Telegram
KELLER -- The unsigned message had been carved with a knife into the oak dining table at the home Norma Jean Roberts shared with her 11-year-old daughter, Kelsey.
"I can't live with the pain you have caused me & Kelsey. Now she'll always be happy and in one place ..."
Nearby, Kelsey's body was found lying across the open doorway to a bedroom. She was on her back with a sheet tucked around under her arm. Investigators believe she fought her killer.
Her shoes were partially kicked off, there were scrapes around her nose, and her hands clutched fibers. An autopsy determined that she had been smothered.
"... She cries and prays every night that she would have her family again. She won't ever have to go back and forth again."
Police and prosecutors say Roberts killed her daughter and then wrote the message. It's a key piece of evidence that prosecutors plan to present to a Tarrant County jury this week as the murder trial of Norma Jean Roberts, 50, gets under way in Fort Worth. If convicted, Roberts could be sentenced to life in prison.
Roberts' court-appointed attorney, Vance Evans of Fort Worth, has filed notice that he will use an insanity defense.
"Basically, Norma Roberts has had a history of mental health issues and treatment," Evans said. "It's very clear that she was mentally ill."
Jury selection starts Monday, with testimony scheduled to begin Tuesday in Criminal District Court 213.
At the time of Kelsey's death, Roberts was in a divorce and child-custody dispute.
Her husband at the time, Steve Roberts found his daughter's body Aug. 5 when he arrived to pick her up for a week of visitation.
Norma Jean Roberts was unconscious. Police say she cut her wrist and took an overdose of sleeping pills. She regained consciousness several days later and was taken to the Tarrant County Jail, where she remains.
"It's just going to be difficult," Steve Roberts said of the trial. He
declined to say anything more.
Kelsey was the only child of Norma Jean Roberts' fourth marriage. Roberts first married when she was 16 but got a divorce after her husband had an affair. She then married a man who was 13 years older than she was, but they divorced after he told her that he didn't want children, according Texas court records and earlier interviews with Steve Roberts.
In October 1987, she married a man who abused her, according to Steve Roberts. She eventually shot him. She was charged with attempted murder and sentenced to 10 years' probation. She completed her probation in 1996.
She met Steve Roberts, a banking official, in 1991, and they married the next year. Kelsey was born in 1993.
Steve Roberts said shortly after his daughter was killed that his wife fought depression and anxiety.
The family moved seven times in 13 years, often because she took a dislike to their home or wanted a larger one. In 2001, they ended up in North Richland Hills.
Her depression and anxiety increased as Kelsey got older and developed a temper, Steve Roberts has said.
On Feb. 18, 2001, Norma Jean Roberts walked into the Hurst police station crying uncontrollably and asking an officer to take her to a psychiatric hospital, according to police reports.
She voluntarily entered treatment at a Bedford hospital, police reports show. Her husband said she stayed three to four days.
The family moved to San Antonio in 2003 but returned the next year because Norma Jean Roberts was having panic attacks, Steve Roberts has said.
The couple separated in February 2005. They lived four blocks apart in Keller, and Kelsey spent alternate weeks with each parent. The Robertses also were ordered to undergo psychological testing. The divorce became final in April 2006.
As part of a mediated divorce settlement, Norma Jean Roberts was supposed to attend counseling once a month for a year because of her panic attacks and anxiety, but she refused, according to Tarrant County court records.
Days before Kelsey was killed, the couple divided furniture, vehicles and other property.
On Aug. 5, days before school was to start, Kelsey spent the morning with her mother shopping at North East Mall in Hurst. She was killed hours later.
The message carved into the table ended: "I'd rather go to Hell than live without you and our family. All I wanted was one chance. I hope you'll be happy now with all your money, your family and all the SEX you want!"
Source : Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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KELLER -- The unsigned message had been carved with a knife into the oak dining table at the home Norma Jean Roberts shared with her 11-year-old daughter, Kelsey.
"I can't live with the pain you have caused me & Kelsey. Now she'll always be happy and in one place ..."
Nearby, Kelsey's body was found lying across the open doorway to a bedroom. She was on her back with a sheet tucked around under her arm. Investigators believe she fought her killer.
Her shoes were partially kicked off, there were scrapes around her nose, and her hands clutched fibers. An autopsy determined that she had been smothered.
"... She cries and prays every night that she would have her family again. She won't ever have to go back and forth again."
Police and prosecutors say Roberts killed her daughter and then wrote the message. It's a key piece of evidence that prosecutors plan to present to a Tarrant County jury this week as the murder trial of Norma Jean Roberts, 50, gets under way in Fort Worth. If convicted, Roberts could be sentenced to life in prison.
Roberts' court-appointed attorney, Vance Evans of Fort Worth, has filed notice that he will use an insanity defense.
"Basically, Norma Roberts has had a history of mental health issues and treatment," Evans said. "It's very clear that she was mentally ill."
Jury selection starts Monday, with testimony scheduled to begin Tuesday in Criminal District Court 213.
At the time of Kelsey's death, Roberts was in a divorce and child-custody dispute.
Her husband at the time, Steve Roberts found his daughter's body Aug. 5 when he arrived to pick her up for a week of visitation.
Norma Jean Roberts was unconscious. Police say she cut her wrist and took an overdose of sleeping pills. She regained consciousness several days later and was taken to the Tarrant County Jail, where she remains.
"It's just going to be difficult," Steve Roberts said of the trial. He
declined to say anything more.
Kelsey was the only child of Norma Jean Roberts' fourth marriage. Roberts first married when she was 16 but got a divorce after her husband had an affair. She then married a man who was 13 years older than she was, but they divorced after he told her that he didn't want children, according Texas court records and earlier interviews with Steve Roberts.
In October 1987, she married a man who abused her, according to Steve Roberts. She eventually shot him. She was charged with attempted murder and sentenced to 10 years' probation. She completed her probation in 1996.
She met Steve Roberts, a banking official, in 1991, and they married the next year. Kelsey was born in 1993.
Steve Roberts said shortly after his daughter was killed that his wife fought depression and anxiety.
The family moved seven times in 13 years, often because she took a dislike to their home or wanted a larger one. In 2001, they ended up in North Richland Hills.
Her depression and anxiety increased as Kelsey got older and developed a temper, Steve Roberts has said.
On Feb. 18, 2001, Norma Jean Roberts walked into the Hurst police station crying uncontrollably and asking an officer to take her to a psychiatric hospital, according to police reports.
She voluntarily entered treatment at a Bedford hospital, police reports show. Her husband said she stayed three to four days.
The family moved to San Antonio in 2003 but returned the next year because Norma Jean Roberts was having panic attacks, Steve Roberts has said.
The couple separated in February 2005. They lived four blocks apart in Keller, and Kelsey spent alternate weeks with each parent. The Robertses also were ordered to undergo psychological testing. The divorce became final in April 2006.
As part of a mediated divorce settlement, Norma Jean Roberts was supposed to attend counseling once a month for a year because of her panic attacks and anxiety, but she refused, according to Tarrant County court records.
Days before Kelsey was killed, the couple divided furniture, vehicles and other property.
On Aug. 5, days before school was to start, Kelsey spent the morning with her mother shopping at North East Mall in Hurst. She was killed hours later.
The message carved into the table ended: "I'd rather go to Hell than live without you and our family. All I wanted was one chance. I hope you'll be happy now with all your money, your family and all the SEX you want!"
Source : Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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