My son, Joshua, was found dead in Amsler Park/McGregor, TX on the morning of February 16, 2006.
It was a curious night for me and my two sons, Joshua and Michael. As every other day, Joshua and I had argued the previous night~about the same ol' thing....his girlfriend's family.
He accused me of butting into his business, where his love life is concerned. I, understandably didn't 'follow' his rules! He told me he would not be allowed to see Kayla anymore. I already knew I'd heard this before.
Kayla was a charge of her great-grandmother, and she occasionally would tell Joshua that he was not allowed to see Kayla during the week. However, when he showed up on the weekends, she would ask him where he'd been! I thought this was yet another case of her forgetfulness, so I didn't take his accusations seriously.
Anyway, he left our house about 10:50PM that night and walked away...mad! I worried about him, but also reminded myself that he was almost 20! He didn't come home, and this didn't set any alarm bells off for me, as I figured he found a friend to stay with.
At 6:29AM, the next morning, Justin, a friend of Michael's, called our house, telling Michael that someone was hanging in the park. Michael came to me, telling me he didn't know how to tell me.........finally, he said, "Mama, Justin called. He said someone is hanging in the park."
My mind refused to 'wrap' around this, it couldn't be Josh! Without thinking, I asked Michael to run to the park (one block away), see what's going on, and come right back. He didn't.
I, in the meantime, was feeling jolts of reality hitting my brain....Could this possibly be my baby? I was crying, crawling around my front yard, wondering what was taking Michael so long.........when a patrol car pulled up in front of our house. As he approached me, I said, "Please don't tell me what you're going to tell me." The officer said, "I'm sorry, Ma'am."
I lost it....the next few moments are 'lost' to me. I do know that EMS was called. I was checked over and advised to go to an ER for a possible heart attack. I refused, I didn't have the time......I had 2 kids to care for!
My son's body was sent for autopsy. I slept intermittently. On the third day, following his death, a horrifying thought hit me~THEY FOUND HIM ALONE IN THE PARK IN THE DARK!
My good friend and funeral director, Jerry Foss, came immediately. My sisters spoke with him, as I was incoherent.
On the day of Josh's service, my sister persistently told me to get into the shower. For what?? I figured if I didn't get ready and go, all of this couldn't be real! After the service, not one officer showed to escort the service to the cemetary, although Mr. Foss had scheduled and paid the McGregor PD.
I was in a state of shock for quite some time. I wanted to die with Joshua, but when I looked at Michael, I knew I had to live. I also knew that Josh would not take his own life!
I thought about him for weeks, wondering what I had missed.......the depression, the suicidal signs..............there were none.
I decided to take a look at the documents, because McGregor peaked my curiosity, by not answering my questions, not even to tell me how he died.
On February 22, 2006, I contacted former Interim Chief Chris Molina to ask how the investigation was going. He told me, "We don't begin an investigation until something suspicious is found." I told him the whole thing is suspicious, because my son would not kill himself! Immediately, he said, "There's no footprints in the gravel." I asked him how he would know if 5 or 6 kids are playing there. He said, "It would take two people to get him up there." [I still didn't know how he died]. Out of the blue, he said, "At ten after one, there was nobody in the park."
About two weeks later, I contacted former Det. Kory Martin. He told me, "As of today, the investigation is over, the death has been ruled a suicide." I said, "What investigation, Molina told me there wasn't one?" He told me he had talked to Michael, Kayla, and Mr. Holt, Justin's father.
I knew he hadn't, but to be sure, I told him I would call him right back.
I asked Michael and Kayla. I called Mr. Holt. Kayla said that no officer had spoken to her. Mr. Holt told me that no one had come to question him, adding that he did return to the 'crime scene' asking the officers why he wasn't stopped as he ran from it. He was told, 'because we knew who you were, Mr. Holt.' Michael said he vaguely remembered Martin speaking to him, but was unable to recall the conversation. I found out later, through the officers' statement, that he went into shock, when he arrived at the park!
I called Martin back, telling him he hadn't talked to anyone but Michael. He said he found out all he needed to know from him. I told him, "No, it was Josh and I arguing, had you talked to me, you may have gotten a different perspective!"
I used the FOIA to request the documents related to the death of my son. In the beginning, I only got the statements of Det. Kory Martin and Sgt. Jeff Freeman, the name/address of the complainant, Mr. Barry Thornton, Sr, and a partial listing of the dispatch logs.
I didn't understand police protocol then. I filled out another FOIA on March 17, requesting "Any and all materials, documents, reports, etc. related to the death of my son, Joshua Robinson."
On April 24, I rec'd a call from the city secretary, Mrs. Paschall. She told me the statements of Officers Walter Kirby and Jared Norris had not yet been generated. I asked her to explain this. She said they had not yet written their statements. [These officers were on duty, a violation of police protocol]
On April 28, I rec'd yet another call from Mrs. Paschall. She told me I could pick up the documents I had requested.
I went to her office. She advised me NOT to look at the crime scene photos. I told her I didn't have a choice, as no officer had told me how he died.
Through this time, I had asked the City Manager, Dennis McDuffie, to remove the swing on which Josh died. He refused, more than once. On the very day that I got the crime scene photos, the swing was removed!
I began analyzing the documents.
I noted that although Kirby's statement said that he was the first on the scene, checking for a pulse, his patrol car was not dispatched to Amsler Park.
I noted that although all of the four officers stated they did not recognize the subject, Officer Norris ran a wants and warrants check only 8 minutes after arriving on scene!
I noted that Martin and Freeman stated: We unwrapped the chain.
I noted that Kirby and Norris stated : We cut him down
I also noted that the statements of Kirby and Norris were almost identical. A word altered here, a phrase changed here.
What grabbed my attention was at the end of their statements. Some 45 minutes after arriving on scene, he is removed from the chain, the back of his shirt is pulled down, revealing ROBINSON tattooed across his upper back. An officer commented, 'because of the proximity to the Robinson's home, they figured he must be a cousin they had never dealt with.'
All McGregor officers (8), knew both of my sons very well, especially Joshua.
In March, I found out that Joshua had been seen by a patrol officer @ 1AM. I asked the chief which officer had seen him, out of two, and he said, "I can't remember."
I began my own investigation.
I rec'd the autopsy report in May. Of course, I didn't understand what I was reading, so I learned. I taught myself basic forensics~manner and cause of death, rigor mortis, livor mortis, cadaveric spasm, digestion processes pertaining to the time of death, etc. I studied judicial/suspended hangings, suicide factors, homicides, suicide by cop, and then some...........
After 2+ years of research, contacting the medical examiner that did the autopsy, asking questions of McGregor PD and getting no/conflicting answers, I decided to go above their heads.
I contacted the Texas Rangers, specifically Steve Foster/Company F/Waco, to request an investigation into my son's suspicious death and/or McGregor PD. He denied me several times over the course of about 2 years.........NOW he IS chief of police in McGregor! Hmmm????????
I now believe that my son, Joshua, was murdered by McGregor police.
I am fighting for justice, the truth, and I will not stop!
However, because I am a disabled woman on a fixed income, I don't have the money it takes to retain an attorney or get my son re-autopsied.
If you want to read more: www.americaiswatching.org (Joshua Robinson) Attached documents, including a crime scene photo and statement that a patrol officer saw Josh in Amsler Park @ 1AM! He died between 1:15 and 2:15AM.
