Bio

Larry Keith Robison was born on August 12, 1957. He grew up in a large family, being the third child and the first son of Lois Epp and her first husband, Lloyd Epp, who passed away from brain cancer when Larry was just two years old. After Lois remarried Ken Robison, the family expanded to eight children. Larry was described as a good child who performed well in school and was involved in activities such as the Boy Scouts and church youth groups.

As a young boy, Larry was charming and bright. However, at around the age of 12, signs of trouble began to emerge. He became withdrawn, his academic performance declined, and he started experiencing episodes of fear and anxiety. During his teenage years, he also began to experiment with drugs, leading to a significant change in his behavior.

Larry's parents sought help for him as he showed increasing signs of mental illness. By the time he was a teenager, he had undergone several evaluations but was often discharged from hospitals because he was not deemed violent. This pattern continued into his early adult years, despite having been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

When Larry turned 17, he enlisted in the Air Force but struggled with hallucinations and was discharged after a year. He attempted to settle into various jobs but found himself increasingly isolated and troubled, often feeling that people were after him or that he had special powers. Larry’s behavior became more erratic as he aged, leading to more instances where he would be hospitalized but not treated for long-term mental health needs.

In the years before the murders, Robison's life was marked by struggles with severe mental health issues and a lack of adequate medical care. His family tried to take care of him, but the system was not equipped to provide the necessary support. By August 1982, when he was 24 years old, Larry was living with Ricky Lee Bryant, a friend, in Fort Worth, Texas. Unfortunately, this living situation set the stage for tragic events that would greatly affect many lives.

Murder Story

On August 10, 1982, Larry Keith Robison committed a brutal series of murders in Tarrant County, Texas. He killed five people in total, including his roommate Ricky Lee Bryant. Robison began by shooting Bryant in the head, decapitating him, and then mutilating his body. The details of this murder were particularly gruesome, as Bryant's severed head was later found placed in a disturbing position.

After killing Bryant, Robison went next door, where he murdered four more people. He killed Georgia Ann Reed and her son, Scott Willard Reed, as well as Georgia's mother, Earline Barker, and her boyfriend, Bruce Gardner. The killings involved both shooting and stabbing, leading to multiple wounds for each victim.

The day following the murders, Robison was apprehended in Wichita, Kansas, while driving Bruce Gardner's car. He was found with items belonging to the victims, including wallets and rings, and a .22 caliber handgun, which was confirmed to be the murder weapon. He had been in possession of various weapons and ammunition which matched those used in the killings.

Robison was charged with capital murder soon after his arrest. He claimed insanity as part of his defense, citing a history of mental illness. Despite this defense, the jury found him guilty and sentenced him to death. After one conviction was overturned due to an error, he was retried and again sentenced to death. Robison's execution was carried out on January 21, 2000, when he was given a lethal injection.