The Emporia Gazette

May 27, 2012

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A fundraiser for a reward fund has become a celebration of sorts for the family of the late Robin Bell.

Bell, the stepmother of Erin Bell of Madison and Ashlie Marx-Bell of Emporia, was found beaten to death early in the morning of Nov. 11, 2005, inside the Bonner Springs Dollar General store she managed. She was 44.

Bonner Springs authorities announced during a press conference Wednesday afternoon that they have charged three people with her murder.

According to published reports, Wyandotte County District Attorney Jerome A. Gorman announced he has filed first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated robbery charges against John W. Backus, 20, of Bonner Springs.

Two others — Robert M. Haberlein, 19, of Kansas City, Kan., and Amber M. Russell, 17, of Lenexa — face the same charges in Wyandotte Juvenile Court. They were 17 and 15 years of age, respectively, when the incident happened.

“I left my phone at home all day,” Erin Bell said, speaking on behalf of the local family members early Wednesday evening. “I had a friend from Emporia come and find me around 3 o’clock ... and I just started bawling and called my dad. He just wants the people in the jail.”

The week that ended in Robin Bell’s murder was a difficult one for her and her husband, Don, who lived in Tonganoxie, Erin Bell said.

Don Bell’s mother, who lives in the Ozarks, broke her ankle, then had a heart attack, she said.

“And they came home on Thursday and then Robin went to work on Friday,” she said, recounting the events leading up to the robbery and murder. “She called home about 8:30 Friday night and said, ‘I’m going to stay late and clean up out back because the district manager’s coming.’ Dad woke up about 1 o’clock and she wasn’t home.”

The Kansas City Star reported that Bonner Springs police broke into the locked store after Don Bell called about 2 that morning, asking them to check on Robin Bell. Officers found her body in an area that was off-limits to customers.

Alan Hancock, Wyandotte County coroner, said then he was unable to determine the time of death, which was caused by blunt head trauma.

There were signs of a robbery and money was missing, the Star reported.

At the time of the murder, police reviewed tape from a security camera outside a nearby restaurant but were unable to make an arrest in the case.

“There were times that they got griped out by us because for us it was a long time” between the murder and the arrests, Erin Bell said.

The Star reported today that a break in the case came when Bonner Springs police were interviewing Haberlein about an unrelated crime.

Bell said she was glad she had come to know and appreciate her stepmother during the nine years Robin and Don Bell were married; initially, that had not been so.

“I had a hard time when Mom and Dad got divorced,” Erin Bell said. “I didn’t want to see Dad with any other woman. I wanted Mom and Dad together. I went through that stage...”

The relationship that was slow in coming grew strong over time.

“What I do know of her is like wonderful. ... She always tried her hardest to be a mom to me and not take my mom’s spot,” she said.

Erin Bell talked about vacations taken with Robin and Don Bell to the Ozarks, and other outings the extended family took together.

“Her and my dad would always take us to the race every weekend over at Lakeside Speedway,” Erin Bell said. “She was just the friendliest person. She’d do anything for somebody.”

Robin Bell was equally loving and generous to her stepgrandchildren and natural grandchildren, Erin Bell said, and on the Friday she died, she had seen the sonogram of a grandson who was one of two more grandchildren on the way.

Her stepmother wanted three things out of life, Erin Bell said: a Mustang, to be manager of the store and to be a grandmother.

“When my niece and nephew come down, they say, ‘I miss Grandma Robin. I wish they didn’t kill her,’” Erin Bell said. “We tell them, ‘Grandma Robin’s in heaven; she’s in a good place.’”

The murder brought the family closer, she said.

“We all call our dad all the time to check on him, tell him we love him,” Bell said.

The family now will be preparing to attend the trial together.

“We’re just not ready for the trial. We’re not ready to hear about it. Dad’s lawyer says it’s too gruesome,” Bell said. “We want to be prepared. We want to know about it ahead of time.”

Bell’s family organized fundraisers to raise money for a reward fund for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killers. Whether the arrests came as a result of tips is not yet known.

The Lawrence Journal-World had reported earlier that Dollar General had donated $10,000 to the fund, which Bell said now totals about $20,000. Another fundraising event was planned for Sunday in Tonganoxie Park.

“That one turned into a celebration because we don’t need to raise any more money. We’re just going to celebrate that these people are in jail and we found them,” Bell said. “... It was just a big relief, to know that Robin can rest in peace.”