Bio

Robert W. White Jr. was born in 1957. He grew up in Virginia. Specific details about his childhood and family life are not widely available. As he grew older, he lived in different places, including Easton, Pennsylvania.

In 1978, at the age of 21, he was living in an apartment across from Virginia Morrell, a young woman who would later become one of his victims. Before his arrest in 2008, White had a history of criminal behavior. He was convicted for attempted rape in 1979 and for another rape and abduction less than a year later. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 1982 for those crimes but was released in 2006.

After his release, White moved back to Virginia. Despite his criminal past, he was able to live freely for two years before being arrested again in connection with Morrell's murder.

Murder Story

On November 1, 1978, the body of 21-year-old Virginia Morrell was discovered in her apartment in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. She was found lying face-down on the floor with her hands bound behind her back. Authorities determined that Morrell had died from asphyxiation, as her nose and mouth had been covered with masking tape.

For many years, the case remained unsolved. In March 2008, police in Easton, Pennsylvania, began investigating the cold case again. Detectives reviewed evidence from the original investigation and used modern DNA testing to analyze samples that had been collected at the time of the murder. One significant piece of evidence was a nightgown found under Morrell’s body, which contained DNA that matched Robert W. White Jr. This led authorities to look closely at White, who had a prior criminal history that included convictions for attempted rape.

On March 18, 2008, White was arrested in Roanoke, Virginia. He was charged with criminal homicide for Morrell’s murder. White was extradited to Pennsylvania to face charges. During the investigation, it was revealed that White had lived across the hall from Morrell at the time of her murder. Additionally, testimony during the trial indicated that three women had claimed White attacked them between 1978 and 1982.

After two and a half days of testimony in his trial, White pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. By pleading guilty, he avoided a death penalty sentence. On March 18, 2009, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.