Bio

Bobby Allen Raleigh was born on July 22, 1974. He was raised by his mother, who was only 15 years old when he was born. To this day, Raleigh does not know who his biological father is. At one point, he believed that his father might have been his mother's brother, but his mother denies this claim.

As a child, Raleigh moved around a lot. He spent some time living with his grandfather. While there, his mother faced hardships, including being sexually abused by her father, which influenced their family situation. Tragically, Raleigh himself was also sexually abused, with evidence showing that he was molested by the age of four.

Raleigh struggled in school. He failed the seventh grade and had to repeat it. He later dropped out of high school in the tenth grade but eventually earned his G.E.D. At the age of 18, Raleigh attempted suicide by taking pills and pesticides. After this attempt, he was evaluated by a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist noticed that Raleigh had an adjustment disorder with a depressed mood and difficulties relating to others. He displayed poor judgment and lacked impulse control. Despite the recommendation for treatment, Raleigh's mother decided against it.

Later in his life, while in jail, Raleigh was evaluated by a clinical neuropsychologist. This evaluation revealed that he had problems with judgment and often acted based on emotions. The neuropsychologist described him as being depressed and insecure, with issues differentiating between fantasy and reality. Raleigh was also noted to have low self-esteem and a history of drug and alcohol abuse.

Murder Story

On June 5, 1994, Bobby Allen Raleigh and his friend Domingo Figueroa went to Club Europe in DeLand, Florida. They planned to confront Douglas Cox about an incident involving Raleigh's mother. After a brief argument in the parking lot, Raleigh and Cox shook hands, and Raleigh took his mother to his car.

Later, Raleigh returned home, where he gathered guns. He and Figueroa then drove to Cox's trailer. When they arrived, a friend of Cox’s named Ronald Baker answered the door and told them Cox was sleeping. Raleigh and Figueroa then parked down the road for a while before returning to the trailer.

Raleigh went to the back of the trailer and shot Cox three times in the head at close range. Figueroa and Raleigh then shot Timothy Eberlin, Cox's roommate. When Eberlin was still making noise, Raleigh struck him with his gun until he was silent.

After the murders, Raleigh and Figueroa returned to Raleigh’s home. They burned their clothes, disposed of bullets in a neighbor’s yard, and hid their guns in a compartment in Raleigh's Subaru. Later that evening, police arrived at Raleigh's house. He initially denied involvement but eventually confessed to killing both Cox and Eberlin after hearing that Figueroa had implicated him. His confession was recorded.

Raleigh was arrested on the same day as the murders. He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder. By February 16, 1996, he was sentenced to death for both murders.