Woman sentenced for cover-up

Moments before being sentenced in Flathead District Court Thursday, Karrolyn Robinson stood to address the family of Wesley Collins, a man whose murder she has admitted to covering up.

“I want you to know that Wesley haunts me,” Robinson said facing a row of a dozen family members. “I think about that night every day.”

District Judge Stewart Stadler then sentenced Robinson to eight years in Montana Women’s Prison. She had pleaded guilty in October to tampering with evidence and theft.

Her husband, Robert Allen Lake, 22, and Jeffrey Allen Nixon, 19, both of Kalispell, are accused of beating Collins with hammers on April 12, stealing his money and medical marijuana plants, then trying to cover up the crime.

Robinson, 19, was arrested by Kalispell police after orchestrating the deletion of text messages seen as evidence in the case. According to court documents, she brought Lake’s phone to police but only after sending Lake’s brother a text message asking him to delete all messages from the phone.

She also deleted messages from her own phone, according to court documents.

Robinson’s attorney Daniel Minnis called seven witnesses who testified that Robinson was a misled and mentally under-developed victim of Lake’s criminal tendencies.

Clinical Psychologist Theresa Reed described Robinson as more like a youth than an adult, a woman who was more susceptible to peer pressure than most and had an under-developed sense of consequences.

“She’s more similar to an adolescent socially, emotionally and behaviorally,” Reed said under questioning.

She said Robinson’s pregnancy at the time, her history of substance abuse, an unusual susceptibility to peer pressure and poor decision-making abilities contributed to her criminal conduct. She recommended a one- or two-year prison sentence that would allow Robinson to salvage her life and not be socialized into a hardened criminal while incarcerated.

Deputy County Attorney Alison Howard asked Reed how Robinson differs from others, taking issue with the insinuation that because Robinson was alienated from family and prone to acting out, she was somehow entitled to a lesser sentence.

“You probably just described 95 percent of the people that prosecutors deal with,” Howard said.

Minnis called Robinson’s mother, father, grandmother and friends to the stand to testify to Robinson’s character before and after she met Lake.

“She was great,” said friend Airiell Anton of Robinson. “Her heart was big, she was always caring about people.”

Roy Robinson, her father, said Robinson became withdrawn after meeting Lake. Her sister, Ashley Robinson, said the relationship with Lake created a rift among her family and friends and that he controlled Robinson publicly and privately.

“She just did everything he said,” said Ashley Robinson. “She was just different.”

Anna Johnson, Robinson’s mother who gave up custody when Robinson was an infant, blamed herself for the crimes.

“I was never there,” she said. “I was a total absentee parent.”

She, too, testified that Robinson’s relationship with Lake changed her, and said she feared that her grandchild — a girl born after Robinson’s arrest — would suffer the same hardships as Robinson if she was sentenced to a long prison term.

“(She) is going to have the same hole in her heart,” Johnson said.

Deputy County Attorney Howard leaned heavily on the content of the text messages between Lake and Robinson while arguing for the most serious sentence available under a plea bargain reached in October.

She quoted one message sent by Robinson while Lake was still at the murder scene that said “It doesn’t bother me at all, but I’m scared I’m going to lose you.”

Another indicated that Robinson became sexually aroused by the prospect of Lake committing a murder.

Howard also took issue with testimony that blamed Lake for Robinson’s actions.

“We’re not here to crucify Mr. Lake. ... We’re here because the defendant made some horrible decisions,” she said.

Collins’ sister, Kathleen Collins, asked to take the stand at the conclusion of testimony by those in favor of a lighter sentence for Robinson.

She said she has a 15-year-old grandson who wouldn’t do the things Robinson admitted to.

“He’s a wonderful kid,” she said. “It’s all about choices. Right from wrong.”

Another sister, Carol Davies, said she hoped Robinson’s daughter never experienced what her family has experienced, but doubted her sincerity.

“If she feels remorse, it’s only because she was caught,’ Davies said.

Stadler delivered the eight-year sentence at the conclusion of the hour-and-a-half hearing, saying that it was the only way to provide a sense of justice for Collins family. He noted the content of the text messages.

“They are very cold and very callous,” he said.

Prior to Stadler’s announcement of the sentence, Robinson asked for forgiveness.

“I know my apology means nothing to you, but I hope that one day it will,” she said.

Robinson’s sentencing comes before the first scheduled trial directly related to the alleged murder. Lake and Nixon are scheduled to go to trial in 2011, as are Cody Naldrett and Joshua Fritz.

Naldrett, 27, allegedly helped Lake and Nixon remove Collins’ body from his apartment and drag it into the woods.

Fritz, 21,is charged with burgling Collins’ home, evidence tampering, theft and obstructing a police officer.

Lake, Nixon, Naldrett and Fritz all are being held at the Flathead County Detention Center.