Roy Michael Roberts

Roy Michael "Hog" Roberts (December 18, 1952 – March 10, 1999) was an American murderer. He was executed in Missouri by lethal injection at the Potosi Correctional Center,[1] for assisting the murder of a correctional officer named Tom Jackson in Missouri's Moberly Correctional Center in July 1983.[2][3] Jackson and five other prison guards were attacked by a mob of 30 inmates during a prison riot. At the time of the murder, Roberts, who had six prior felony convictions was serving an 18-year sentence for two counts of first degree robbery and a theft conviction.[4] The robberies had involved the use of violence.[5]

Roberts was convicted of capital murder for having held Jackson and punching another guard who tried to intervene, thus allowing fellow inmates to murder him.[5] Two fellow inmates were also convicted for their role in Jackson's murder, Rodney Carr and Robert Driscoll. Both men were also convicted of capital murder. Carr was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 50 years and Driscoll, a member of the Aryan Brotherhood, was sentenced to death. In 2004, Driscoll was released from prison under time served after being convicted of voluntary manslaughter at a retrial.[6]

Robert's final statement was, "You're killing an innocent man and you all can kiss my ass."[7]

A 2005 investigation was opened to investigate the possibility of Roberts' innocence.[8] No physical evidence connected Roberts to the crime. Four eyewitnesses, including three corrections officers, testified that Roberts had participated in the murder, while nine witnesses, including another corrections officer, had testified that Roberts had been elsewhere at the moment of the stabbing.[9] Roberts himself admitted to participating in the riot and punching a prison guard, but denied any role in Jackson's murder.[5]

Ray Newberry, the chief investigator in the case, remained adamant that Roberts was guilty, saying he had a history of causing trouble in prison.[8] Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon also dismissed claims of Roberts's innocence, saying he had been the ringleader in Jackson's murder. Court records stated that prior to the attack on Jackson, Roberts and another inmate had shouted, "Let's rush them."[5][10]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Roberts executed". The Kansas City Star. March 11, 1999. p. 67. Retrieved April 3, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Alter, Jonathan. "How Sure Is Sure Enough? Missouri Executed Roy Roberts-But There Are Still Haunting Questions about His Guilt". Newsweek. March 22, 1999.
  3. ^ "A Reckoning on Death Row". Newsweek. July 2, 2000.
  4. ^ "STATE v. ROBERTS, 622 S.W.2d 226 | Mo. Ct. App., Judgment, Law, casemine.com". CaseMine. 1981-11-10. Retrieved 2025-12-25.
  5. ^ a b c d "State v. Roberts". Justia Law. 1986-05-07. Retrieved 2025-12-25.
  6. ^ Lear, Mike (2013-07-03). "Investigator recalls incident 30 years ago at Moberly prison (AUDIO) - Missourinet". Missourinet. Archived from the original on 2025-01-23. Retrieved 2026-02-01.
  7. ^ Nozicka, Luke; Moore, Katie (2024-09-25). "Missouri has executed 94 people. Here's what some of them said in their final statements". The Kansas City Star.
  8. ^ a b Missouri death sentence case gets another look. NBC News (2005-08-05). Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
  9. ^ Huff, C. Ronald. Wrongful Conviction: International Perspectives on Miscarriages of Justice. Temple University Press. p. 109.
  10. ^ "Article clipped from St. Louis Post-Dispatch". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 1999-03-08. p. 5. Retrieved 2026-02-01.

General references


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