48 Hours - A Hidden Threat

Episode Date: January 11, 2026

In July 1998, two men stole Vicki Robinson's van. Vicki was missing and so was her 15-year-old daughter, Valessa. A frantic chase led police across five states. When the van was finally stopped, a new question emerged: were the seemingly loving mother and daughter actually mortal enemies? “48 Hours" Correspondent Peter Van Sant reports. This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 4/23/2001. Watch all-new episodes of “48 Hours” on Saturdays, and stream on demand on Paramount+. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

48 hours, we take you there. Vicki was always just a joy to be around. Vicki Robinson, a loving friend. She always seemed to have just that special joy about her. And a loving mother to 15-year-old Valesha. Just a happy, go lucky kid on a skateboard. My mom was the best person in the world. Then one day they both disappear.

Robinson and her daughter Valesa disappeared last week. appeared last week. What is your emergency? Authorities get a tip. They said and they killed her. Vicki has been murdered. But what happened to Balesha? All points bulletins are out across the United States. Two teenage boys are being tracked in the Robinson's van across five states. They're in Mossie Head, Florida, then they went into Alabama. Over a thousand miles. They're in Ozone, Texas. They were just there 20 minutes ago.

All leading to a dangerous high-speed chase. Finally, there's an arrest and a shocking discovery. Vicki's daughter, Bolesa, is with them. Is she an innocent victim or an accomplice to her mother's murder? Peter Van Sant investigates. I wish with all my heart that she was alive. The enemy within. There are some crimes so heartless, so despicable.

They cry out for justice. But sometimes even when justice is with us, Within reach, the whole truth remains elusive. What could possibly happen within a family to turn a loving mother and daughter the best of friends really into seemingly mortal enemies? One unsettling case, a mystery, not only as to what happened in a cold-blooded crime, but why? How could two people, a mother and daughter, so close, grow so far apart?

to the point of no return. The elusive truth lies somewhere between a mother's struggle to raise a daughter alone and a daughter's need to be loved. Peter Van Sant reports on a once loving relationship that spun out of control down a road to destruction. This is Interstate 10. It goes from coast to coast, Florida to California. I think it's one of the most dangerous highways in the United States. takes. Far criminals going up and down. Sheriff Bruce Wilson says most of the trouble he sees in Pecos County, Texas, drives off this stretch of highway. If I can stop them out here on the highway,

I will not let them get into my town and endanger the lives of other innocent people. So back in July of 1998, when he heard car thieves were headed his way, he made sure he was first on the welcoming committee. He was on the lookout for two 19-year-olds who stole a van a few days earlier in Tampa, Florida. They apparently were traveling west on our interstate 10. The van's owner, 49-year-old Vicki Robinson, hadn't been seen since. Foul play was feared to be on the lookout for him. So I'm coming over that hill right there. Once the teens spotted the sheriff, they took off. They took off. As you can see on this police video. The chase was off.

The missing woman, Vicki Robinson, was a real estate agent and active in her church. By all accounts, Vicki didn't have an enemy in the world. She was really one of the nicest women that I had ever met in my life. Vicki was such a dynamic individual, and she always seemed to have just that special joy about her. about her and it was contagious. Divorced, Vicky lived in this quiet Tampa neighborhood with her two teenage daughters. The youngest, Valesa, was 15.

My mom was the best person in the world. Nobody can replace her. Nobody. You can't replace a person like that. Vicki's other daughter, 17-year-old Michelle. We all had a special. friendship that a lot of mothers and daughters and don't have. I wish that I could see her right now and give her a big hug and say,

you know, I love you, Mom. I love you. I wish I could do that, but I can't. Vicki was always positive and cheerful and vivacious, just a joy to be around. Vicki's boyfriend, Jim Englert, was the first to notice her missing and persuaded police to break into Vicki's home. Went into Vicki's bedroom, the bed was unmade. I said, Vicki would not leave and leave the bed unmanned.

She was very tidy and kept the house always in immaculate condition. Then there was a far more disturbing discovery, Major Gary Terry from the sheriff's office. And then her van was determined to be missing, as was her daughter, a Velausa Robinson, who was age 15 at that time. time. Police then realized they were dealing with a missing mother and daughter. So all points, bulletins are out across the United States. A mother and daughter have been missing for several days now. Tonight, police are working...

Vicki's credit union discovered that her bank card was being used, and security cameras had recorded the transactions. We printed photographs. The photographs did reflect that it was her van, and there was a young male using. the card. Police were able to identify the young man who was using Vicki Robinson's ATM card. Surprisingly, it was Adam Davis, the 18-year-old boyfriend of Vicki's daughter, Valesa. A friend of Davis's John Wispel was seen with him. A manhunt began for the two suspects. But where were Vicki and Valesa Robinson? We thought we'd be getting a ransom note, you know. Vicki's parents figured they were being held hostage

somewhere. All I could think of was, well, they've got Vicky someplace tied up. Who's they? Adam and John. I never dawned me if they'd hurt her. But then... You have Hillsborough County, N.O.M. What is your emergency? Police heard from an anonymous caller. I got a phone call from Adam, Adam. Adam Davis. It was a call that voiced everyone's worst fears.

And they hit her mom. She got nothing conscious, and then they said that they killed her. The caller said Vicki Robinson was dead. But Valesa was apparently alive. He said that Valesa was with him? Yes. And that she's okay now? Yes.

Police didn't know what to believe. Was Valesa a hostage or an accomplice? All along, Vicki's credit union had been tracking the teen's whereabouts through her ATM car. But the police kept missing them. The teens were on the run. They're no longer in Tampa. They're in Mossie Head, Florida.

Then they went into Alabama. Five days after Vicki Robinson had vanished. Activity on the card showed Valesa, her boyfriend, Adam, and John were in Texas traveling west. They're in Ozona, Texas. They were just there 20 minutes ago. Sheriff Wilson knew they were head He headed his way.

Probably thought they were home free. So when the van came over the hill, he was ready. Turned on the sirens. It was apparent that they were going to run. They tried to run us off the road. I told my deputy to start shooting out their tires. And when he done that, they lost control of the van. Adam and John were in the van, as expected.

Well, we had to jerk him out of the car. the car they wasn't getting out. And so was Vicki Robinson's 15-year-old daughter, Valesa. Within minutes, Sheriff Wilson realized Valesa was not a hostage victim. I saw a girl that was very much there because she wanted to be, and probably a girl that took just as big a part or a bigger part than the two boys. What did Valesa do to her mother? Next, statement will be made by Adam Davis.

Adam, John, and Valesa tell police what happened to Vicki Robinson. Five-day spending spree and a nine-mile police chase, Adam Davis and John Wispel, both 19 years old, are behind bars in Fort Stockton, Texas. Adam's girlfriend, 15-year-old Valesa Robinson, is sitting in a nearby juvenile. juvenile detention center. Adam, come on, why don't you talk, bud? You messed up, didn't you, Adam? And now, just hours after their arrest.

Hey, John, why'd you guys arrive? Now's the time to talk. Now's the time to talk. John Wispal has agreed to talk. And answer the one question everyone wants answered. And answer the one question everyone wants answered. I want you to tell us about your involvement. What happened to Vicki Robinson?

A mother growing more and more distant from her daughter. A daughter drawn closer to her daughter, drawn closer to her boyfriend, Adam Davis, and friend John Whispel. Three teens, spending hours together, doing drugs, videotaping themselves. I'll take a tape statement from John Whispel. John Whispel's confession starts at the beginning. He describes how they came up with their gruesome plan, completely out of the blue. I remember I was sitting in Denny's with Adam of a lesson.

And I heard something about killing mother. And I was like, there's no way we could actually do something like that. Next, Whistple tells detectives it was Adam who came up with the bizarre plan of how to kill Vicki Robinson. We went back to the house, got the van, and tried to go down to get some heroin, run over those. overdose. So I have a plan to overdose? Yes.

Yes. Yes. But Whispel says he didn't really believe Adam was serious. No, that looked like it was a joke or something. Even after Adam tried to buy heroin and couldn't find any. So even when you went back to the house in your mind, you still thought they were sort of play acting, kidding around? Shortly after midnight, they returned to Valesa's house. Her mother was fast asleep.

When we got to the house, we went straight to Vlessa's bedroom. When we got in there, Valesa closed and locked the door, turned her light off and turned the black light on. We're just sitting around tripping. I'm thinking, oh, damn, you know, ain't nothing going to happen. We're actually going to stay here and trip out on the black light. The three teens had taken LSD earlier in the evening. All three of you high?

We're starting to feel the effects of the acid, yes. It's hitting us real good now. At that point, John says, Adam Davis came up with another idea of how to overdose Vicki Robinson. After a few minutes, he jumps up, turns out and says, I need some bleach. That's right, bleach. Well, is like, what do you mean? And I look at him and said, what for what for?

He says, so I can do this. So Adam takes a syringe, uncaps it, fills it up. Around that time, Valessa's mother woke up and came into her bedroom. Miss Robinson's like, what are you guys still doing here? doing here. So she's like, Belessa, get your sitting back. And you're going to sleep in my room. Miss Robinson turned around from the doorway and walked into the kitchen. I had him followed her out there. You knew a murder was about to be committed and you kept your mouth shut. I didn't know if he was going to turn on me if I would have said something.

John Whistple then describes the last few moments of Vicki Robinson's life. All of a sudden it was quiet. I mean, you could hear a pin drop. And in chilling detail, he blames most of the murder on Valesa's boyfriend, Adam Davis. And the next thing we hear is choking, struggling noises. I mean, Bless, we look at each other. And then we went down to the kitchen. We seen Ms. Robinson sitting on the ground. And Adam had it like this, a chokehold.

She was coughing and, you know, struggling, trying to get away from her. Adam's trying to take the syringe, you stick it in her neck. John, why didn't you do something? I don't know. If you had tackled Adam, if you had done anything, You might have saved Vicki's life. Yes.

But you didn't. In fact, John says he handed Adam a knife, then returned to Valesa's bedroom. Vesda came in, sat down next to me, and all of a sudden I hear this like escaping of air with breath, something like that type of noise from the kitchen. 49-year-old Vicki Robinson was dead. Once Whistple confessed,

statement will be made by Adam Davis. Adam Davis agrees to give his own numbing description of what he did to Vicki Robinson. And I started raging because I was tripping so hard. And John brought out the knife. He said, here, use this. And I don't know how I did it. I don't remember what was going through my mind when I did it, but I just sliced. That's it. Look, we need to clean this up.

And we put her body in the trash can. and then started cleaning up the blood. Adam says they then loaded Vicki's body into her van and drove to a wooded area behind John's house. We put her down a trail, covered her up, some dried up bomb stations. What's Velesa doing? She's just sitting in the van.

She watched what we was doing. What they did next disturbs investigators almost as much as the crime itself. After stealing Vicki Robinson's van and her money, they went on a five-day spending spree, buying clothes, drugs, and tattoos. Adam got a tattoo, and I had gotten this tattoo right here. It's the skull.

Vicki Robinson, her body is inside a garbage can, and you guys are partying? Basically, yes. After their confessions, Adam and John are charged with first-degree murder. 15-year-old Valessa Robinson is being held at this juvenile detention center in Odessa, Texas. When Valesa tells her version of what happened, detectives are stunned. Valesa claims Adam and John didn't kill her mother, she did. And she tells them she did it alone.

I had pinned her down before I had to pin her down. I had stabbed her in her throat and she was... And she wasn't dead yet. And so I stabbed her again twice in her back. It is a horrifying confession. And now, police don't know what to believe. We felt like she was absolutely involved in it, but she seemed to be protecting the other two individuals,

especially Adam Davis. Melissa, did you actually take part and killing your mom? I'm not answering any questions like that. That day, Valessa is also charged with first degree murder. What about Adam? I love Adam. What happened in Valesce's life? To turn a once loving daughter into a teenager apparently involved in her own mother's murder?

Do you wonder how did I get here? How did this happen? Valesce's story when we come back. Keep talking, right? Here's your chance, buddy. If I took the blame for everything... You messed up, didn't you, Adam. And he got out and continued on with his life.

That was fine with him. Did you do it? Did you do it, Adam? How do you feel about Veletska? Because I was more concerned about his happiness than my own. What about Adam? I love Adam. Although Valesa Robinson originally took the blame for her mother's murder,

I stabbed her in her throat and stabbed her again twice in her back. It was only a matter of a few months, alone in prison, away from her 19-year-old boy, 19-year-old boyfriend Adam Davis. That's my mom. Before she had an abrupt change of heart. Describe Adam today? I think he's the devil. A change in her story.

Velesa, did you murder your mother? No, I did not. I did not do this. Valesa now claims her boyfriend, Adam Davis, killed her mother while she was high on LSD in her bedroom. I could have been a hero if I wanted to if I wanted to have been, but I did it. In fact, the only thing Valesa says she's guilty of is not rescuing her mother.

I didn't save her. The one chance that I had to bail her out, I didn't, and it really sucks because I wish I had. And for that, she has no explanation. What makes it even worse in a lot of people's minds is just the fact that you were there, and you didn't do anything. How do you explain yourself?

I can't explain myself. I really, I hate myself for that. I hate myself that I didn't say my mom. As a child, she was full of laughter, full of love. Everyone who knows Valesa. She always loved animals. Not a malicious or vicious bone in her body. Wonders how a child's so innocent.

Just a happy, go-lucky kid on a skateboard. could turn into an out-of-control teenager, somehow involved in her own mother's murder. For Michelle, her sister's troubles started at age 11, when her parents divorced. My sister took the divorce very hard. She changed a lot when that happened. After the divorce, Valesa didn't see much of her father, Chuck Robinson. He moved out of state in search of a new sales job. I think when Vicky and I separated, she lost her father, you know, as far as she was concerned.

Her mother also wasn't around much, according to Valesa's friend, Christy Collins. I'd get over there in the afternoon. Her mom wouldn't get home until late at night, and she'd leave early in the morning. Vicky had a new job as a real estate broker and a busy social life. You know, I could call Valesa, and her mom wasn't home, and she didn't have to ask her mom if she wanted to go. go anywhere, she just went places because her mom wasn't there to ask. When Valesa was just 12 years old, she was even allowed to join a rock band with men in their 20s. That's when Valesa says she first started experimenting with drugs.

In eighth grade, things only got worse. Valesa started skipping school and doing more drugs. Acid was the main thing that we did. We also did ecstasy. Valesa even started staying out all night. She was out of control pretty much. And I don't know what Vicky could have done differently. Vicki's new boyfriend, Jim Englert, says Valesa was beyond discipline.

And Vicki was tired of it. I mean, over and over and over again. No matter what you said to her, she was going to do what she wanted to do. Then something happened during the summer after Valesce's eighth grade that Valesa's father says may have been a turning point. Vicky and Jim took a two-week family vacation to Michigan, and when Valesa refused to go, Vicki just left her young daughter behind, alone. I thought it was uncouchable. I thought it was nuts.

Of course, not having Valesa was a concern, and if she was safe, but we did try to mincephi, minimize that to some extent and enjoy our trip. For two whole weeks, Vicki Robinson never once called to check on her daughter. Valesa was just 14 years old. What do you think it said to Valesa when she was left behind? I think it said, hey, no one cares. No one gives a damn.

Shortly after that vacation, when Valesa started ninth grade, she met 18-year-old Adam Davis. She started acting really weird. She always wanted to be around him, and she kind of, like, separated from us. Adam was living on the streets. His father was dead, and his mother had abandoned him when he was two.

He was a high school dropout and a drug dealer. Lessa, why on earth would you be attracted to a guy like that? He acted like he cared about me. I mean, that's why I started to be. started dating him in the first place as he acted like he really cared. By the time Vicki realized things were out of control, Adam and Valesa had a devotion that bordered on obsession. Looking back, I realized that he had this overwhelming control over me.

He definitely had an obvious influence over her. Some kind of a power. Sick power. Sick person. Why didn't your mother your mother, look you in the eye and just say, Velessa, it's over between you and Adam. I don't ever want you to see him again. I think she was afraid that if she stepped in, put her foot down and said, you're not seeing this guy anymore. I think she was afraid that I'd leave.

And I probably would have. I probably would have. Thank you, girls. Finally, Vicki Robinson took action. Without telling Valesa, she made plans to send her daughter to a year. long program for troubled teens called Steppingstone. I had no idea. She never talked to you about it.

She never talked to me about sending me anywhere except for my dad's. But just 10 days before Valesa was scheduled to start the Stepping Stone program, Happy Birthday to you. Vicki Robinson was murdered. I wish with all my heart that she was alive. And now it's up to a day. up to a jury to decide the fates of Adam Davis and Bolesa Robinson. State of Florida versus Adam William Davis.

That's next. 49-year-old Vicki Robinson, divorced mother of two teenage girls, is found viciously murdered in her Tampa, Florida home. Nearly two years later, there is so much about the case that remains a mystery, but especially what role, if any, her 15-year-old daughter, Valesa, played in the crime. Valesa and her mother had an increasingly strained relationship. Vlessa admits that she probably would have run away if her mother tried to get between her and her boyfriend, Adam Davis. For the jurors, the truth about Vicki Robinson's murder

is being sought in a maze of shifting stories and conflicting confessions from three teenage friends. Peter Van Sant picks up the story. It's past the top of the hour, now to get rock, the bubble of the love sponge show. What kind of psycho-bri-15-year-old would ever want to kill your mom? I think they ought to fight the borg tomorrow. I know that what they did is horrible, wrong, and they deserve whatever the law gives them. Vanessa Robinson, having celebrated her past two birthdays behind bars, has had plenty of time to hear what most people think of her.

They think I'm like some horrible person that hurt her mom. Doesn't care. But it's the jury she's about to face on charges of killing her own mother that 17-year-old Valesa is most worried about. Valesa is relying on this woman, her defense lawyer, to convince a jury she's not a monster. Did Valesa kill her mother? No, she did not. Did she participate in any way in her mother's murder?

She did not. As a mother of three girls... Hey, how about a kiss for your mother? Deanne Aethon has taken a special interest in Valesa, beyond her call of duty as a public defender. What is it about Valesce that's touched your heart? She's a child. She could be my child. Win the case. When I look at my children's faces?

You can do it. I see her, and I want to protect her. Deanne Aethon's defense strategy is simple. To paint 18-year-old Adam Davis as a manipulative, dangerous drug dealer. and Valesa as the young, vulnerable child who is under his spell. And that's Dian's answer to the question she knows jurors will be asking. How could Valesa willingly go on the run with her mother's killers? In search of answers, Dian retraces the wild road trip that ended in Texas with Valesa's capture.

I'm hitting down the highway here and listening to Shadai Tway. She's singing, I'm holding on to love to save my life. Thinking that's what Belessa was doing. She was holding on to love to save her life. Words of that song totally describe her dependence on Adam. She would have done anything for him. They went down over there on that embankment? She was so in denial about what he had done to her mother.

Traveling all those days with Adam and fearing him, wanting to love him, depending on him and then ending up here. And the hope is that the jury can understand all of that and decide what's the truth here. Now you're approaching the scene where we made the arrest. And Sheriff, who was the driver of that van? Adam Davis. On November 3, 1999, a year and a half after Vicki Robinson was murdered,

the young man who says he cut her throat goes on trial. Adam Davis grabs the knife again and says, the b-b-w won't die. The evidence against Adam Davis is overwhelming. Not only do prosecutors have Davis's confession to the murder. I don't know how I did it, but I just sliced. They also have John Whistple. Then what happened?

Adam's still trying to get the kneel in, but he couldn't. Whispal agrees to testify against his best friend in exchange for a plea bargain. And how much time were you sentenced to, total? 25 years. Whispel implicates Davis in each and every step of the murder. The idea of overdosing with heroin came up. And whose idea was that? Adams.

And when I handed him the knife, he used it and cut her right here on the left-hand side. He stabbed her here and here and tried to break her neck. The defense rests without calling a single witness. In less than two hours, there's a verdict. The state of Florida versus Adam William Davis. The defendant is guilty of murder in the first degree as charged. Six weeks later, Adam Davis, abandoned as a child, is sentenced to death. Adam, do you have anything to say to Mrs. Robinson?

Adam, are you afraid to die? And now, it's Valesa's turn to face a jury. It's scary. It's made me really nervous. Valesa will claim she was not in the room while her mother was murdered. was murdered. I could never hurt my mother. Never.

But the state's star witness is about to say something entirely different. I came out of the bed of my scene, Ms. Robinson, laying on the ground, and Valesa's sitting on top of her straddled. And there is no question in your mind. No. You absolutely saw that. That's what I saw. What exactly did Valesa do that night?

And who is the jury to believe? Felesa, on your mother's memory, on everything you hold precious, are you telling me you are innocent? I am. When we come back. Do you have a dark curiosity? Heart Starts Pounding, Horrors, Hauntings, and Mysteries is a weekly podcast hosted by me, Kailen Moore. Each week, I'll take you on a dark journey through terrifying true urban legends, bizarre true crime cases, chilling tales of backwoods horror and more.

So if you're looking to join a passionate community of The Darkly Curious, check out Heart Starts Pounding on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. And remember, stay curious. I didn't have a part in this. I would never do anything to hurt my mom. As Valesa Robinson's trial gets underway... Well, can we believe Velesa? I don't know. The sides are quickly drawn.

I believe she needs to be punished for what she did. On one side, Vicki's parents, Valesce's grandparents. Because I don't feel she should be able to walk the street again. We're afraid if she gets out, she'll come into Michigan and try to kill us. you know, I mean, she's just a killer. On the other, her father... One thing my child is not, she's not a murder. And sister.

I looked her in the eye and I said, did you do it? Did you kill my mom? Did you kill our mom? And she said no. And she looked me right in the eye. And only a sister knows that look. To influence the jury, the defense presents a made-over Valesa for court. I want her to look like the young, sweet, charming, engaging teenager that she is.

Deanne Aethon hopes to prove that Valesa was in another room, drugged on LSD when Adam Davis and John Whistple killed her mother. The evidence will show that Adam Davis murdered her mother, sexed her, and dragged her halfway across the country. If the jury believes her, Velesa could be acquitted and walk free. Ladies and gentlemen, it's real simple. These men, these men murdered her mother, and she is not guilty. But if they believe that Valesa did participate in the murder of Vicky Robinson in any way, 17-year-old Valesa could spend the rest of her life behind bars.

That's my life. My life is going to be in their hands. We have no doubt you will convict Velessa Robinson of this murder. There is no physical evidence against Valesa. No fingerprints, no DNA. I'm taking tape statement from Valessa Robinson. So the prosecution builds its case on Valesce's confession. I staggered in her throat.

And the eyewitness account of their star witness, John Wispel. What was it like to see Valesa again? Harder? I couldn't look at her. Wispel opens with a bomb show. All of a sudden, she gets happy, smiles, jumps up and down and says, let's kill my mom. Me and Adam, we're shot. We're like, what?

She's like, let's kill my mom. Wispel tells the courtroom, Valesa not only wanted her mother dead, she also helped kill her. And what was Valesca doing? She was sitting on her mom's legs, like, you know, straddled. Straddle. I'm going to ask you, are you asked you, are you asking? absolutely certain that you saw Velesa holding her own mother down. Yes, I did.

And did you ever see her striking her mom? After Adam got the needle in, took it out or whatever, about a minute after she was, you know, hitting her mom's stomach. Wispal's testimony is overwhelming. Your attorneys were able to get you a deal, right? You are not facing the death penalty, right? Right. Valesa doesn't take the stand, so Dian Athen builds her defense by attacking Wispal's credibility.

Do you want this jury to believe that Adam Davis called for this little girl, this little thing here, to sit on her mother and he didn't call you? That's right. You've looked at your transcript of your statement, right? That's right. Deanne reminds Wispel that his story has changed since he first confessed to police. He didn't tell the officers that Valesce was jumping up and down and saying, let's kill my mom. Did you? No.

And you didn't tell him that she sat on her mom's legs, did you? No. In fact, you didn't tell him that she was doing anything, did you? No. How would you describe John Whistple's testimony? I think it's a pack of lies. I don't know why he's saying what he's saying. Valessa says you're a bold-faced liar.

Well, if I'm a bold-faced liar, then I swear a leg guy strike me down now, you know, because everything I said was all the truth. Velesa, did you suggest to Adam Davis and John Wispel, let's kill my mom? No, I didn't. Did you hold down your mother's body? Mm-mm. I didn't want my mom to be gone. I didn't want to lose my mom. Who is to be believed? John Whispel? John Whispel is a liar and not to be believed.

Or Valessa Robinson. It was no one's idea but hers, and she could have stopped it at any time. When we come back... Now we just wait and wait and wait and see what happens. The surprise verdict. Juries deliberate and they're trying to find a verdict. Getting really intense, scary. With her fate in the hands of a jury,

Valessa Robinson can only wait. Please, Lord, just let that jury come back with a not guilty. Please, Lord. She's a kid, she's scared to death. I'm a big kid, I'm scared to death. panel of six men and six women will decide if the 17-year-old is guilty or not guilty. It's an agonizing wait for her father, her sister, and her attorney. Oh boy. I hope for Velesa that she gets out and that we can give her the help that she needs.

But as the hours turn to days, they prepare for the worst. After deliberating for almost 18 hours over three days, the jury finally reaches a verdict. State of Florida versus Valesa Lynn Robinson. With a jury, found as follows as to count one of the indictment. The defendant is guilty of murder in the third degree. If she had been convicted of first-degree murder, 17-year-old Valessa Robinson would have been sentenced to life, but instead she gets 20 years.

I want her servant every bit of it. Everyone is here. Get out on parole. She's got to pay for her sin. In the end, jurors weren't convinced that Valesa planned or participated in the murder of her mother. Honestly, you couldn't ask for anything better. I mean, other than acquittal.

A mother murdered, her daughter behind bars. Are there any lessons to be learned from a tragedy that makes so little sense? What do you wish your mother had done differently in raising you? I wish that she had disciplined me more. I wish she had laid down the rules, told me, you know, this is what you can do, this is what you can't do. I needed that discipline. It's kind of like assurance. I think Vicki just got tired of disciplining her because she was very willful.

And Vicky just said, you know, I give up, do what you want to do. And basically, Valesa did whatever she wanted to do. Do you feel as though you let Valesa down? I think had that divorce not happened. Vicky would still be alive, the Lessa wouldn't be in jail. And Adam Davis wouldn't be anywhere near my family. What if someone has a team that is doing drugs

and may even have a boyfriend like Adam? What should they do? What should their parents do? They need to be there for them, see that there's something wrong going on. And if it's possible, get them away from the crowd that they're around. That, of course, was Vicki Robinson's intention. But it was too much. little too late. Just 10 days before Valesa was to enter a program that may have saved her, Vicki Robinson was murder.

I wish to God that I could just bring her back. Away from drugs, away from Adam Davis, would Valesa's story have had a different ending? In this whole tragic case where three teenagers retreated into their own destructive, murderous world, one thing is clear. The courts may satisfy our need for justice, but they're not designed to solve a family's problems. Vicki Robinson, a mother going it alone, aware she had lost control. Valesa, a daughter with more and more control, but ill-equipped to handle it. Both were desperate, both in need of help. In the end, everyone lost. The family and

friends of the victim, Vicki Robinson, have set up a foundation in her memory, to help parents who are struggling with troubled children to find residential treatment programs, counseling, and parental support groups. Justice has been served in this case, but for all of us there is so much more to do. In 2013, Belisa Robinson was released from prison after serving 13 years of her 20-year sentence.

John Whistple was released from prison in 2019. In 2021, Adam Davis' death sentence was reduced to life in prison.