MI MI - Richard 42, & Shirley Robison 40, & 4 children, Good Hart, 25 Jun 1968

[Betty P]

This 2018 magazine article indicates that the case is officially closed:
https://www.gwood.us/media/1194/063_wiles.pdf

"But those close to Robison said he was a true Jekyll and Hyde, a swindler with a mercurial personality and a nasty temper, wrote Mardi Link in her 2008 book on the case, "When Evil Came to Good Hart." Over the years he had overbilled clients to the tune of about $50,000. He was also a skirt chaser who preyed on his secretaries, sometimes subjecting them to bizarre closed-door sessions during which he stroked their legs. Perhaps the killer was an angry husband or boyfriend."
Mystery of Michigan family slaughtered in their log cabin in 1968 remains unsolved

Thanks, the article in your first link above has more details about the crime scene and evidence. It also has details about all the lies his business partner told to investigators. Lies about the guns, alibis, witnesses, business transactions, etc.

In this article, there are details about matching ballistics evidence. I'm back to thinking its the business partner.

As for Robison's behavior with his secretaries, etc. Its bad behavior, but it doesn't justify it as an excuse for claiming those acts caused him and his family to be murdered. From the evidence, there's nothing Robison did to cause these murders. The blame lies solely with the killer.

 

[Richard]

June 25, 1968, the Robison family is 10 days in to a relaxing summer “Up North” at their wood and stone cottage on Lake Michigan.

That night a killer or killers fired on the house, wounding Richard Robison, they then entered the house and executed the entire family...

Read Mardi Link’s Book When Evil Came to Good Hart for a deeper look at the case.

The Robison Family – Shirley, Gary, Susie, Randy, Richard and Dick.

LINK:
Already Gone Podcast – True Crime | Stories of the missing, the murdered, the mysterious and the lost. | Page 3

 

[itsrak]

June 25, 1968, the Robison family is 10 days in to a relaxing summer “Up North” at their wood and stone cottage on Lake Michigan.

That night a killer or killers fired on the house, wounding Richard Robison, they then entered the house and executed the entire family...

Read Mardi Link’s Book When Evil Came to Good Hart for a deeper look at the case.

The Robison Family – Shirley, Gary, Susie, Randy, Richard and Dick.

LINK:
Already Gone Podcast – True Crime | Stories of the missing, the murdered, the mysterious and the lost. | Page 3

 

[itsrak]

I've read the Mardi Link book on the Robison case and found it to be well written and an interesting read and can recommend it. A few post-read impressions:
* the investigators really worked the case super hard and diligently
* if Scolaro was involved, I think he hired the shooter(s), don't think he was there. Shooting heard at 8-9pm, Scolaro said to have been home shortly after 11. In any case, I don't Scolaro was there, raped Mrs. Robison or staged her body, butchered the kids....sure, he was a fraud, but so was Robison...
* the story of life long criminal Brock was pretty intriguing. He'd be a likely hitman.
* hard to believe Monnie Bliss did it, but man, that his son died the day before...
* no answer as to where John Norman Collins was at time of killings...
* I'd been unaware that Mrs. Robison's wedding band, which she NEVER took off, was missing...and why was hers missing, but not his...
* Mr. Robison was a real dreamer and a real talker and not well-liked and pretty much a con...
* Were it not for the fact that no gun was found at the scene, I'd believe that it was a murder/suicide, that Mr. Robison - Howard Hughes-esque fantasies collapsing, cash flow probs, weird philandering - destroyed the family to avoid shame and then killed himself. He'd basically walked away from is businesses, turned operation over to Scolaro, had to know of the cash flow probs and biz fraud, and was supposedly chasing some massive biz deals and a looming cross-country trip for real estate purchases that strike me as sheer fantasy. Either he was insane or just stringing everyone along till he was about to be exposed as very much no Howard Hughes and he offed the family and himself - but there was no gun there! I swear, I'd even entertain the notion that he hired someone to take he and his family out...

FWIW, this is the home the Robisons lived in in Lathrup Village, sixteen years old when they died...
18790 Dolores Ave, Southfield, MI 48076 | MLS #2210006135 | Zillow

 

[Richard]

The staging of Mrs. Robison's body, the extreme violence on the little girl, and the missing ring are similar to the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti "co-ed" murders generally believed to have been committed by John Norman Collins (and possibly associates of his).

Since the murders of the Robison family occurred before most of the Ypsilanti murders, this could hardly be considered an attempt to copy the "Co-ed Murders" (they weren't called that yet) or try to mislead investigators into thinking that they were connected.

IF Collins was connected to the Robison murders, it would seem that Mr. Robison and his sons were simply killed outright to be eliminated, so that Collins could concentrate on the female victims.

 

[itsrak]

The staging of Mrs. Robison's body, the extreme violence on the little girl, and the missing ring are similar to the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti "co-ed" murders generally believed to have been committed by John Norman Collins (and possibly associates of his).

Since the murders of the Robison family occurred before most of the Ypsilanti murders, this could hardly be considered an attempt to copy the "Co-ed Murders" (they weren't called that yet) or try to mislead investigators into thinking that they were connected.

If Collins was connected to the Robison murders, it would seem that Mr. Robison and his sons were simply killed outright to be eliminated, so that Collins could concentrate on the female victims.

Agreed.
I wonder where JNC (and perhaps one of his pals) was at around 8pm on Tuesday, June 25, 1968. You'd think Robison case investigators would have answered that question and ruled JNC out, unless they got fixated on Scolaro, which they seem to have (based on ballistics, as detailed in typepad link below). Summer school? Working? I've never heard anything indicating that LE determined that JNC has an alibi was was thusly rule out as Robison perp.
Also, I'd wonder why this Mr. Roeberts, who was purportedly to have shortly traveled with the Robisons, never materialized to offer any info to LE after the murders. But I don't wonder, because I'm pretty sure Mr. Roeberts was nothing more than a figment of Mr. Robison's fertile imagination.

And then there is this from https://mardilink.typepad.com/files/couvaults-letter-of-evidence.pdf (The thoughts of Ronald Covault, a former Oakland County assistant prosecutor who tried to bring charges in the case in 1973): "The perpetrator’s account of the evening of June 25 suffered the same fate upon investigation. He advised the detectives that he returned to his office, unplugged the downspout and proceeded to the Robison home to “check for flooding.” He described significant flooding there and claimed to have spent three hours bailing and mopping up in the basement. He further stated that during the evening at the Robison residence he had called a Robison family friend (Margaret Smith) to report the flooding." Mrs. Smith disputes that, says Scolaro called her the next day. But if Scolaro made this call on Tuesday eve (while the murders were going down) as he said, it would have been from the Robison home phone, and a search of records would have revealed that, thus firming up Scolaro's alibi, right?! So what was the outcome of search of Robison home phone records to determine if call was made to Smith from the home phone that evening (at which time LE says Scolaro was up north butchering the Robisons) as Scolaro contended?

 

[Richard]

...He further stated that during the evening at the Robison residence he had called a Robison family friend (Margaret Smith) to report the flooding." Mrs. Smith disputes that, says Scolaro called her the next day. But if Scolaro made this call on Tuesday eve (while the murders were going down) as he said, it would have been from the Robison home phone, and a search of records would have revealed that, thus firming up Scolaro's alibi, right?! So what was the outcome of search of Robison home phone records to determine if call was made to Smith from the home phone that evening (at which time LE says Scolaro was up north butchering the Robisons) as Scolaro contended?

If it was a local call, no record would have existed for it. Only long distance calls would have shown up on their phone bill/record. How long those records would have been kept is another issue. Five years had passed between the murders and the attempts in Oakland County to bring Scolaro to trial.

 

[Richard]

Emmet County undersheriff Clifford Fosmore (l.) shows county prosecutor W. Richard Smith the blood-stained hammer that was used to hit Susan and Richard Robison. Fosmore is wearing a gas mask due to the stench of the family's decaying bodies.

LINK:
Mystery of Michigan family slaughtered in their log cabin in 1968 remains unsolved

A Book about the Robison Family murders:
https://www.amazon.com/When-Evil-Ca...1&sr=8-1&keywords=when+evil+came+to+good+hart

 

[itsrak]

Emmet County undersheriff Clifford Fosmore (l.) shows county prosecutor W. Richard Smith the blood-stained hammer that was used to hit Susan and Richard Robison. Fosmore is wearing a gas mask due to the stench of the family's decaying bodies.

LINK:
Mystery of Michigan family slaughtered in their log cabin in 1968 remains unsolved

A Book about the Robison Family murders:
https://www.amazon.com/When-Evil-Ca...1&sr=8-1&keywords=when+evil+came+to+good+hart

The furnace in the Robison cottage, 'Summerset', ran full blast for a month in June/July, when the average high temp there is 75 and the average low 56. Interesting that supposedly no one, especially builder/caretaker Monnie Bliss - noticed. Not the chimney exhaust or the sound of the furnace running. Or was that thing electric - would have been a long way to run a gas line. No, most likely fuel oil or propane - I don't see a tank in any image of the cabin, but there must have been one. If anyone would have noticed the oddity of the furnace running in July, Monnie Bliss would have. But he didn't. Or did he? Who turned the furnace on and piled three bodies atop the floor vent? And what was the motive behind the latter? Some sort of twisted vengeance?

 

[Richard]

Since the murders took place on or about 25 June 1968, there was no need to run the heat for the cabin. Clearly, the perpetrator turned on the heat after killing the family. This was very likely done in an attempt to hasten the deterioration of the bodies. But what the reason was for killing the family - or for turning up the furnace heat is still a mystery.

 

[itsrak]

Since the murders took place on or about 22 July 1968, there was no need to run the heat for the cabin. Clearly, the perpetrator turned on the heat after killing the family. This was very likely done in an attempt to hasten the deterioration of the bodies. But what the reason was for killing the family - or for turning up the furnace heat is still a mystery.

Meh. I'd lean more toward some sort of twisted vengeance as motive. Overkill. A hateful or rage-filled as opposed to calculating killer - claw hammer to the skull, rape or at least staging of mother's body, piling of bodies over furnace vent to rot. Killer could not have imagined the bodies would go undiscovered for more than a day or two, so could not have anticipated the decay. And the decay doesn't hide much anyway, except DNA evidence, which was unknown back then. In fact, had the furnace not been on, the crime would have gone undiscovered for even longer. And I doubt the family had the furnace on. My family vacationed at a cottage at about the same latitude in July in the early 70s, and we didn't use heat. And of course the placing of the bodies over the vent suggests it was killer who turned on the furnace. Hate-filled, vengeful, psychotic *advertiser censored*, rather than white-collar embezzler with no rap sheet.

 

[Richard]

Here is a link to a website which suggests one Edward Wayne Edwards as a possible suspect in the Robison Murders. He also suggests that Edwards committed many other murders, including those believed to have been part of the Zodiac series.

LINK:

1960-1969 - Cold Case Cameron

 

[itsrak]

Here is a link to a website which suggests one Edward Wayne Edwards as a possible suspect in the Robison Murders. He also suggests that Edwards committed many other murders, including those believed to have been part of the Zodiac series.

LINK:

1960-1969 - Cold Case Cameron

...and JonBenet Ramsey, and Laci Peterson, and the Black Dahlia, and.....

 

[Richard]

...and JonBenet Ramsey, and Laci Peterson, and the Black Dahlia, and.....

My point exactly. While there are very likely some connections between some of the cases, when the list becomes so expansive as to cover a period of 60 years or more, the BS flags start to go up, and you have to question the research and analysis of everything set forth in the treatise.

It brings to mind some of the books about the Kennedy assassination that include long lists of "suspicious" deaths over the years - most of which were by natural causes.

Still, there could be some interesting "coincidences" mentioned that bear consideration.

The very nature of serial killers is that they have a number of victims, spread out over a period of time. The temptation to connect unsolved cases to them is a strong one.

 

[itsrak]

My point exactly. While there are very likely some connections between some of the cases, when the list becomes so expansive as to cover a period of 60 years or more, the BS flags start to go up, and you have to question the research and analysis of everything set forth in the treatise.

It brings to mind some of the books about the Kennedy assassination that include long lists of "suspicious" deaths over the years - most of which were by natural causes.

Still, there could be some interesting "coincidences" mentioned that bear consideration.

Richard, if you don't mind, do you find the case against Scolaro compelling? It seems the investigators from back then do, are convinced - ballistics, mainly. Me, I find it kind of hard to believe. How could he think he, the key business associate, could possibly get away with it? And why the animus toward the female victims (hard to believe he had the foresight to stage that as cover)? And Mrs. Scolaro said he came home that evening at like 11-12pm, which was around 3 hours after all the shooting was heard by Robison neighbor - not near enough time to get back to Detroit. Was she covering for him? Did she come clean after her husban killed himself? And the guy had no rap sheet, right? The crimes would seem to fit a John Norman Collins as an active killer, and a deviant, acquainted with a Robison family member, or an Edward Edwards, also an active killer and a deviant, if only they could be placed in the Good Hart area around the time of the murders. I'd think if Scolaro was crazy enough to take out his bread and butter, his biz associate, and to also wipe out his entire family, he was at least clever enough to hire the job out.

 

[Betty P]

Richard, if you don't mind, do you find the case against Scolaro compelling? It seems the investigators from back then do, are convinced - ballistics, mainly. Me, I find it kind of hard to believe. How could he think he, the key business associate, could possibly get away with it? And why the animus toward the female victims (hard to believe he had the foresight to stage that as cover)? And Mrs. Scolaro said he came home that evening at like 11-12pm, which was around 3 hours after all the shooting was heard by Robison neighbor - not near enough time to get back to Detroit. And the guy had no rap sheet, right? The crimes would seem to fit a John Norman Collins as an active killer, and a deviant, acquainted with a Robison family member, or an Edward Edwards, also an active killer and a deviant, if only they could be placed in the Good Hart area around the time of the murders. I'd think if Scolaro was crazy enough to take out his bread and butter, his biz associate, and to also wipe out his entire family, he was at least clever enough to hire the job out.

Your question wasn't directed to me, but I thought I'd share some info about Scolaro and the murders

• Some victims struck with the tool - there's speculation that the killer was running out of ammo. He had brought 2 weapons, but possibly didn't bring enough ammo. Back then, guns didn't have high capacity magazines.
  
• A common motive behind "family annihilation" murders is financial trouble, in this case a need to cover up financial wrongdoing
  
• There were 2 different times witnesses reported hearing shots and people shouting. One time was early enough for Scolaro to have driven back home.
  
• In those days, financial crimes were easy to hide. Robison didn't realize anything was up until a large deposit went missing. All Scolaro had to do was quickly return the funds to the company account. LE still suspected him, though.
  
• Scolaro was a white collar criminal with a big ego. He knew how to manipulate people. It was only when Robison discovered what he had done that his world came crashing down. He risked losing everything and going to prison. He also (correctly) assumed he could continue running the business in his boss's absence, though it eventually failed.
• LE also assumed Scolaro tried to stage Mrs. Robison's murder to make it seem like a sex crime, but there was no evidence of sexual assault.

ETA: Regarding ammo - he may have brought extra ammo, but didn't have the time to reload either of his guns. There were still living victims who could have escaped or otherwise called attention from neighbors. JMO, this also points to the likelihood that he committed these crimes alone. One would think if he had a partner, they would have had enough ammo or time to reload.

I'm still on the fence about him hiring someone to help. He may have hired someone to do the job for him and supplied them with his own weapons or ammo. He still would have been there or somewhere nearby because he was unaccounted for during the time of the murders.

 

[itsrak]

Investigators seem convinced that Scolaro was perp in large part based on ballistics. Yet, there is this (highlighted by me):

"Police managed to recover one of the AR-7s from Scolaro’s friend but this also came back as a negative match. Having received a tip off that Scolaro had once used the other AR-7 for target practice in a field, Detective Flis was able to recover some of the shells. They proved to match the .22 murder weapon very closely (but not exactly).''

from this piece:

The Robison Family Murder - a holiday home invasion

If this is accurate, then there actually was no ballistics match to the .22 caliber AR-7 Scolaro had fired at his father-in-law's range with the .22 caliber used to shoot Mr. Robison. Close is hardly good enough. And the .25 caliber used to shoot the rest of the family was never found and thus there is no ballistics match pointing at Scolaro in that instance either.

 

[itsrak]

Your question wasn't directed to me, but I thought I'd share some info about Scolaro and the murders

• There were 2 different times witnesses reported hearing shots and people shouting. One time was early enough for Scolaro to have driven back home. The earlier shots were heard from like 4 miles away. No voices were heard, just shots. The later 9pm shots were heard from like a half mile away by the Freemans, who also heard males and females screaming. IMO the later would be more credible due to proximity and screaming.

• In those days, financial crimes were easy to hide. Robison didn't realize anything was up until a large deposit went missing. All Scolaro had to do was quickly return the funds to the company account. LE still suspected him, though. I believe you refer to the supposedly anticipated $200,000 deposit? Source was supposedly the mysterious Mr. Roebert? I doubt if there really was an incoming $200,000 deposit. That is around $2 million in today's money, and I don't think the Robison empire was earning that sort of income. I think it was fictitious. Either that, or money coming from billing scam on Harry Ford's employer. Is there any evidence that that deposit eventually came in? Source of the transfer? Any evidence that Scolaro transferred the money? That whole Roebert thing and Robison's supposed belief that he was soon to be rich and the supposed pending real estate buying spree is a big unresolved mystery, IMO

• LE also assumed Scolaro tried to stage Mrs. Robison's murder to make it seem like a sex crime, but there was no evidence of sexual assault. Convenient assumption if you're zeroed in on a person of interest with no history of deviancy. There were three pubic hairs saved, supposed they could have been her own, and there is talk of damage to vaginal area, though Nov. 1968 they dug up bodies found no damage but not sure it would have been possible on account of decay.

ETA: Regarding ammo - he may have brought extra ammo, but didn't have the time to reload either of his guns. There were still living victims who could have escaped or otherwise called attention from neighbors. JMO, this also points to the likelihood that he committed these crimes alone. One would think if he had a partner, they would have had enough ammo or time to reload. Countering that is assertion of Freemans that they heard males and females screaming after shooting, potentially suggesting multiple perps.

I'm still on the fence about him hiring someone to help. He may have hired someone to do the job for him and supplied them with his own weapons or ammo. He still would have been there or somewhere nearby because he was unaccounted for during the time of the murders. Had this case gone to a jury, I think there'd have been plenty of reasonable doubt. I can see why Noggle didn't want to bring it.

My responses in bold above.

And then there is the Harry Ford thing. Ford may well have been in cahoots with Robison in stealing from Ford's employer. Motive.

And then there is Mrs. Robison's brother Marvin Fulton. He claim no association with Robison's business, yet was listed as a Director with MI SEC, and he'd dined with Ford and Robison, and he'd seemingly appeared at crime scene whilst bodies were undiscovered and also after discovery and he owned a .25 cal and .22 cal and police report on Marvin Fulton stated that 'lines and grooves of the weapons...are same as weapons used in this murder'...

Plus, he was a blood relative. Always gotta look at family first....

This piece is worth reading over and over. Reasonable doubt everywhere, or so it seems....

The Robison Family Murder - a holiday home invasion

 

[Richard]

Before I would make an educated guess as to whether or not any of the suggested suspects were involved, I would want to see the actual case file and in particular the ballistic report.

Remember that these murders went un-noticed until quite a bit of time passed. Because of that, any eyewitness statement of what they saw or heard - and when becomes suspect. Most people can't remember if something took place yesterday or the day before - let alone several days or weeks in the past. This also makes it very difficult for someone like Scolaro (or anyone testifying about him) to say where he was or what he had done weeks or even years before at a specific time.

I tend to agree that Scolaro does not seem like someone who would murder an entire family at the far end of the state - and still make it home in time for the Johnny Carson show.

The actual deed of killing the family is much more along the line of what Collins was actually doing before and after in other places in Michigan. And it also seems to fit what Edwards is known to have done. But trying to connect either of them with that family in that remote cabin is something else.

When it comes to firearms and ballistics - all I have seen is second hand statements of bullets or casings being like this or that weapon. If there was a solid, ballistic match with any other bullets/casings used in other crimes, or to specific recovered firearms - then the police should have stated the facts clearly. They did not.

The killer's choice of firearms was odd. A .22 rifle or a .22 pistol, or .25 pistol can certainly kill someone - but they are very under powered compared to just about any other choice. And yes, the killer likely DID run out of ammunition. He would have had to shoot each victim multiple times to kill them. A person with a .25, two inch barrel, automatic pistol would have a hard time even hitting his target at anything but point blank aim.

The idea of someone like Scolaro giving his firearms to someone else to use on the family is beyond strange. If a hitman has to use your personal weapon, you'd have to wonder how much of a professional he is - and what his angle is. It would be a perfect set-up for blackmail.

Ballistics is a science which can identify the type of rifle or pistol which fired a given bullet or its spent shell casing. Police could state with a degree of certainty what the make and model of firearm it was and sometimes they release this information to press early on. If at some point, a suspected weapon is found, it can be test fired and the bullet and casing compared to the ones in evidence for an exact match.

This, however, might be difficult if years have gone by before the subject firearm is tested because wear, rust, changing of parts, etc. might have taken place, changing the marks made on the bullet and casing.

Here is a link I posted on another thread recently regarding the subject of ballistic comparisons in regard to .22 casings and the marks left on them:

https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5241&context=jclc

 

[itsrak]

Before I would make an educated guess as to whether or not any of the suggested suspects were involved, I would want to see the actual case file and in particular the ballistic report.

Remember that these murders went un-noticed until quite a bit of time passed. Because of that, any eyewitness statement of what they saw or heard - and when becomes suspect. Most people can't remember if something took place yesterday or the day before - let alone several days or weeks in the past. This also makes it very difficult for someone like Scolaro (or anyone testifying about him) to say where he was or what he had done weeks or even years before at a specific time.

I tend to agree that Scolaro does not seem like someone who would murder an entire family at the far end of the state - and still make it home in time for the Johnny Carson show.

The actual deed of killing the family is much more along the line of what Collins was actually doing before and after in other places in Michigan. And it also seems to fit what Edwards is known to have done. But trying to connect either of them with that family in that remote cabin is something else.

When it comes to firearms and ballistics - all I have seen is second hand statements of bullets or casings being like this or that weapon. If there was a solid, ballistic match with any other bullets/casings used in other crimes, or to specific recovered firearms - then the police should have stated the facts clearly. They did not.

The killer's choice of firearms was odd. A .22 rifle or a .22 pistol, or .25 pistol can certainly kill someone - but they are very under powered compared to just about any other choice. And yes, the killer likely DID run out of ammunition. He would have had to shoot each victim multiple times to kill them. A person with a .25, two inch barrel, automatic pistol would have a hard time even hitting his target at anything but point blank aim.

The idea of someone like Scolaro giving his firearms to someone else to use on the family is beyond strange. If a hitman has to use your personal weapon, you'd have to wonder how much of a professional he is - and what his angle is. It would be a perfect set-up for blackmail.

Ballistics is a science which can identify the type of rifle or pistol which fired a given bullet or its spent shell casing. Police could state with a degree of certainty what the make and model of firearm it was and sometimes they release this information to press early on. If at some point, a suspected weapon is found, it can be test fired and the bullet and casing compared to the ones in evidence for an exact match.

This, however, might be difficult if years have gone by before the subject firearm is tested because wear, rust, changing of parts, etc. might have taken place, changing the marks made on the bullet and casing.

Here is a link I posted on another thread recently regarding the subject of ballistic comparisons in regard to .22 casings and the marks left on them:

https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5241&context=jclc

Thanks for the reply. Were you aware that, if I understand correctly, per a police report on Mrs. Robison's brother Marvin Fulton, Fulton had
a) claimed no association with Robison's business, yet was listed as a Director with MI SEC, and
b) dined with Ford and Robison - curious!
c) seemingly appeared at crime scene whilst bodies were undiscovered and also after discovery and he owned a .25 cal and .22 cal and police report on Marvin Fulton stated that 'lines and grooves of the weapons...are same as weapons used in this murder'...

The Robison Family Murder - a holiday home invasion