The Attempted Murder of Rob Whedbee
For this case I watched an episode of American Monster. It’s season 6 episode 7, titled ‘Unmasked.’
This case has a more happy ending than most. However, a father of two was attacked in his Knoxville home.
Background
Rob Whedbee in a more recent photo
Robert ‘Rob’ Whedbee met his wife Lisa in 1979. They literally had a meet cute, when Lisa pulled up next to the car that Rob was in at a red light in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. They had a a double date that night, and were inseparable from that point on.
They got married in 1982, found a house to fix up and moved in. They then had their son Justin in 1986, and daughter Brittany in 1990.
Family Struggles
When Brittany was born, the doctors noticed that something was off with the way she responded to certain things. A pediatrician told Rob and Lisa that Brittany had down syndrome. They were shocked, but Rob said he wanted to do anything they could for their daughter.
They also found out that Brittany had a rare diagnosis. She had VDR, a hole in her heart. The doctors told them that she would need to have an operation, and Lisa was overwhelmed.
Taking care of Brittany took over a lot of time for the couple, and Rob’s parents helped out a lot with Justin. Justin stayed at their home a lot, and they said they took him everywhere they went.
Brittany was able to pull through after her surgery, and she even learned to walk. However, another heartbreak came when she was diagnosed with a condition that could lead to having a stroke and possible death. Brittany had to have a life or death surgery, but she survived.
A Broken Relationship
Rob and Lisa’s relationship was very strained at this point. Lisa started spending more time at church, she joined the choir, and became friends with a couple named Tracy and Michael Frazier. Michael was a newspaper journalist, and the church organist. He also became the new choir director.
Lisa shared her feelings about her home life with Michael, especially everything that happened with Brittany. Michael said he wanted to write an article about her in the Oak Ridger, the newspaper he wrote for. Lisa agreed, and was very excited.
While Lisa was excited, Rob was suspicious, and so was the church community. Lisa would go to choir practice around 5 or 6pm, and wouldn’t come home most nights until 12am or later. Rob asked Lisa about it, and she brushed it off saying she was out for dinner and drinks with friends. Rob would also hear rumors that Lisa and Michael would go out to lunch, and appear very flirty. Lisa assured Rob that there was nothing going on. She even told him that she wanted to work on their relationship, and Rob was excited.
The Attack
On June 7, 1994, Justin was sleeping over at his grandparent’s house and Brittany had just been put down to sleep in her room. Rob said he arrived home from a softball game, and that Lisa had fried chicken waiting for him. He said after dinner Lisa was very affectionate with him, and they went to bed.
Around 1am, Rob said he woke up to the smell of cigarette smoke, which was odd because they didn’t smoke. He said he noticed that the blinds were open, and he knew that he had closed them before he went to bed. He then noticed a figure standing in the room with something in his hand.
Rob said he felt pressure in his leg, and realized he was being attacked. Rob said he couldn’t see the man, his face was covered by a Nylon mask, but he wore a black Phantom of the Opera t-shirt. He tried to grab the knife out the attacker’s hand, but his thumb was cut down to the bone when the attacker fought back.
Lisa appeared in the room with a baseball bat, and Rob yelled at her to help him. Lisa was frozen, and Rob was forced to fend for himself. However, he did remember Lisa yelling at Michael to “do it now.” He was able to throw the attacker across the room, run to the garage and run to a neighbor’s house. The neighbors called the Knox County Sheriff’s office.
A Revelation
When the police arrived, an agitated Rob was outside. Rob said that his wife and daughter were both safe, and that the attacker ran out the garage door and into the wooded area. Rob also told the police that he knew who the attacker was, it was Michael Frazier, Lisa’s friend. He was able to see him when he opened the garage door. He then knew that Lisa was in on it.
The police searched the home. The bedroom was a mess, there had been an obvious struggle. The bedding was bloody, and thrown across the room.
Detective Dan Stewart needed to talk to Lisa. He had her interviewed in his car, and recorded the conversation. He asked Lisa what happened. She said she heard the struggle, and went to the garage to get a baseball bat. Lisa said she came back, and tried to get Rob to leave with her. She said she noticed that he was all bloody, and that when they left the house he went to wake up a neighbor.
Det. Stewart was suspicious, Lisa’s body language and emotions were off. He asked Lisa if she ever saw the attacker, and she said no. He then asked her about Michael Frazier, and Lisa said he was her friend from church. He asked her if she spoke or saw him that night, Lisa said no.
The questioning continued, this time Det. Stewart asked Lisa about the extend of her relationship with Michael. She said there was no relationship, and that she was friends with him and his wife. Lisa was asked if Rob was jealous of the relationship, and Lisa said that Rob was jealous of men in general.
Det. Stewart knew that Lisa was lying, and he asked her to tell Rob exactly what happened. Lisa’s story changed, and she said Michael came over around 8pm to “help her with something.” She said she had Michael downstairs, but that she didn’t know what his intentions were. Det. Stewart asked Lisa what Michael was there to help her with then, and she said he believed that Rob was going to hurt or kill her.
Rob then finished the conversation by asking Lisa what she and Michael did in their home, and said they had done everything.
Arrests and Convictions
Rob then knew that Lisa was in on it, and that they probably planned to kill him for his life insurance money. Rob said that he had about $1,000, and that Lisa had actually asked him about it a few weeks before. He found it odd because she didn’t have any expertise in the matter, but I don’t think his mind went to murder.
Lisa was arrested that day for attempted murder. Three hours later, around 5am, Michael was arrested at his home, where the police were surveilling it. He was still wearing the Phantom of the Opera shirt.
In September 1995, Michael went on trial. He admitted to attempting to kill Rob, but that Lisa had told him that Rob was abusing her. Michael said he was in the house, waiting until Lisa came to get him.
There was no evidence that Rob ever abused Lisa, even though she did file a protective order. The prosecution believed the two planned it to get Rob’s life insurance money.
Michael was found guilty of attempted voluntary manslaughter, and was sentenced to 4 years in prison.
In June 1996, Lisa was convicted of solicitation to commit second degree murder. She accepted an Alford plea, and was sentenced to 1 year in prison and 3 years of probation.
Michael Frazier and Lisa Whedbee
Rob Whedbee at trial
Other
Rob became a single dad, and at the time the American Monster episode came out, they didn’t have any type of communication with Lisa.
Rob wrote a book called Rude Awakening. It has very good reviews on Amazon, and I actually would really like to read the book.
FINAL THOUGHTS
While there was a happier ending in this case, I’m sure Rob still struggles everyday. He said that he just couldn’t believe that Lisa had no concerns for what it would do to the kids while she was planning this. He seems like an amazing dad, and I hope they are getting on with their lives.
I hope Lisa and Michael learned their lessons, and they got very lucky with the light sentences they both received. However, their actions could have led to something so much worse. They planned this for so long, and tried to ruin Rob’s reputation for money.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/where-is-robert-whedbee-now/
https://apnews.com/article/ef5c9e76b0ad20d86a90aee00f7fa5f2
https://robwhedbee.blogspot.com/2013/09/rob-whedbee-pictures-from-case.html
