The trial

On Friday, November 13, 1992, five (5) members of Bob's family were brutally murdered in Houston, Texas. Murdered were his: father (Otis Coulson); mother (Mary Coulson); older sister (Robin Coulson Wentworth); brother-in-law (Rick Wentworth); and younger sister (Sarah Coulson). The youngest was Sarah who was 21 years old.
 

TRIAL TESTIMONY SHOWED THE FOLLOWING....

The murders occurred between 4:00pm and 6:15pm. Bob's family members were found in three (3) different rooms in his parents house. Bob's mother and father were found in a garage bedroom. Sarah was found in a guest bedroom. Robin and Rick were found in his parents master bedroom. Bob's family members were bound and gagged (with duct tape and plastic flex cuffs similar to those used by police) and suffocated with plastic bags. After Bob's family was murdered gas was poured on their bodies and the house was set on fire.

Bob was arrested on Tuesday, November 17, 1992, after his roommate, Jared Althaus, gave police four (4) different statements and then FAILED a polygraph test on his fourth story, the story used against Bob at the trial. In Jared's final story he CLAIMED that: he helped Bob plan the murders; he dropped Bob off in his parents neighborhood prior to the murders; he picked Bob up in his parents neighborhood after the murders. Jared told police that Bob had committed the murders by himself. Jared agreed to a twenty (20) year plea bargain (that ended up being reduced to ten [10]) to testify against Bob.
 

TRIAL TESTIMONY SHOWED THE FOLLOWING.

When Bob spoke to the police the day after his family was murdered he was wearing shorts and a tank top t-shirt and had NO marks, cuts, scratches, bruises, etc. that you would expect to find on someone IF they had been in a fight or struggle the day before. He did NOT have any burns or singed hair (on his head arms, legs, eyebrows, etc.) that one would expect someone to have IF they had poured and lit three (3) separate gasoline fires in an enclosed area the day before. There was NO eyewitness testimony placing Bob at the scene of the murders, or even in the neighbourhood. There was NO forensics evidence (fingerprints, blood, hair, fibers, skin etc.) linking Bob to the murders. There was NO forensics evidence linking items Jared claimed were used in the murders to the murders themselves, or to Bob. Bob pled NOT-guilty and testified in his own defense for two and a half (2 1/2) days. Bob DENIED killing his family! He was convicted and sentenced to death.

On June 25, 2002 Bob was executed for a crime somebody else commited.