The Murder of Robert Schwartz
For this case I watched an episode of The Perfect Murder. It’s season 4 episode 6, titled ‘The Devil Made Me Do It.’
A wealthy scientist is murdered in his home.
Background
Robert Schwartz was a father of three, Catherine Michele, Jesse and Clara. He had lost his wife a few years earlier to cancer. After she died, he devoted his life to his work as a renowned scientist of biometrics and DNA research.
Robert Schwartz
The Crime Scene
On December 10, 2001, a neighbor called 911 after discovering Robert dead in his home.
The Leesburg, Virginia police arrived. Robert had died from 32 stab wounds, and had an ‘X’ carved into his neck. Some of the stab wounds were so deep, that there were marks on the floor where Robert died.
There was also no sign of forced entry, and nothing appeared to have been missing. The police also didn’t find the murder weapon in the home or on the property.
The autopsy revealed that Robert had died on December 8, two days before he was discovered.
The Theories
The first theory was that Robert’s death was related to several other murders of renowned scientists. There were other deaths in Miami, Memphis and even in the U.K. However, Robert’s co-workers said that he was well-liked and very good at his job. This theory was ruled out.
Another theory related to Robert’s job, was that maybe he was killed because he had testified for various trials involving DNA. There was one man that came to mind, who had yelled at Robert in court because he had testified against his brother. The man had been at work on December 8, and was ruled out.
The final theory came after the police hired an FBI profiler. The FBI suggested that this was a ritualistic killing. The police searched other cases in the area that were related, but it was another dead end. However, the ritualistic killing ended up being the closest to what actually happened to Robert.
A Possible Lead
A few days later, the police went back to the neighborhood where Robert lived. A neighbor told them that he had seen a tow truck near the home on December 8.
The police went to speak to every tow truck company in the area. One company said that he had responded to that call, and that the car was full of kids. The car had gotten stuck in the mud, and he helped them out. The man also said that the driver and his girlfriend had no money, even though they told him that they did. The car came back registered to Michael Pfohl, a 21 year old.
Michael lived with his girlfriend Katherine Inglis about 50 miles away, in a basement apartment in an area known for poverty. Michael and Katherine were broke and goth, that’s how the police described them. Michael and Katherine were brought in for questioning.
A Third Suspect
Michael and Katherine were questioned, and both told the police that they were just driving around listening to music. The police didn’t believe them, and asked them why they were near the home of a man who ended up dead. Katherine then said that another person was with them, a man named Kyle Hulbert.
Kyle was 18 years old, and had lived a troubled life. He had been in and out of foster care, and had severe mental health issues. He had bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Michael and Katherine had met Kyle at a Renaissance fair, and they became inseparable.
Katherine said they had picked Kyle up on December 8, and he said he had a job to do. She said they drove him to Robert’s, and that he was in the home for about 30 minutes. They then asked Kyle to go back up to the house to borrow a phone to call for a tow truck, and Kyle said no one was home. They didn’t believe him because he had been gone so long.
The police didn’t 100% believe their stories, and the three had no connection to Robert. However, Kyle was about to break this case wide open.
A Family Connection
The police were worried that Kyle was either going to be violent towards them, or just not a good witness. They ended up being wrong, and Kyle told them that their connection to Robert was his daughter Clara.
Clara was a sophomore at James Madison University, and was the fourth member of this group. Clara had also met the others at the same Renaissance fair where they met Kyle. They would spend hours playing a role playing game called Underworld, that Clara had invented.
According to Kyle, Clara had confessed that Robert had been abusing her, and trying to kill her. Clara had invited Kyle over for Thanksgiving, and Kyle became uncomfortable around Robert, and left before dinner started. He then retuned to confront Robert on December 8. Kyle said that Robert had smirked at him, and that’s when he knew that Clara was telling the truth about being abused. He then stabbed him 32 times with a sword, and carved an ‘X’ into his neck.
Kyle, Michael and Katherine all wrote full confessions. The police went to speak to Clara at her dorm room. They confronted her with her friend’s stories, and Clara denied it.
The police obtained a warrant for Clara’s phone and computer. There was a long string of messages between Clara and Kyle, often using code names. The police also asked Clara’s siblings about her abuse allegations, and they denied it. They did say that Robert was going to cut Clara off because of her grades. Clara blew off school, and spent all day playing her role playing games with her friends.
The police also discovered that this wasn’t the first time or person that Clara had tried to use to kill her dad. Clara’s ex-boyfriend broke up with her because she had asked him to kill her dad.
Arrests and Convictions
Clara was arrested, and went on trial in October 2002.
The prosecution said that Clara had manipulated Kyle, who had severe mental health issues. Clara was about to be cut off, so she lied to Kyle about her dad abusing her and trying to kill her.
Clara’s defense was to blame Kyle. According to them, Kyle took everything too seriously, and that Clara never wanted her dad to be killed.
On October 16, 2002, Clara was convicted of first degree murder. She was sentenced to 48 years in prison.
Kyle Hulbert pleaded guilty to first degree murder. He was sentenced to life without parole. He is the only one who had shown remorse for what he did.
Michael Pfohl pleaded guilty to second degree murder. He was sentenced to 18 years.
Katherine Inglis pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder. She served one year in prison.
Clara Schwartz
Kyle Hulbert
Katherine Inglis
Michael Pfohl
FINAL THOUGHTS
Clara should have also been convicted of life in prison, however, 48 years is still a hefty sentence. She was somehow able to manipulate Kyle, and probably Michael and Katherine too, into thinking that her dad was a horrible person. The only horrible person was her. She took the life of someone who loved and cared about her and her siblings. She ruined her life as well, and will probably never get out of prison.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Robert_Schwartz
https://aboutserialkillers.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-case-of-clara-schwartz-bizarre.html
https://wikigb.com/en/Murder_of_Robert_Schwartz-8648680208
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-oct-16-na-sword16-story.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/arrests-in-biophysicists-death/
