IL - Krystal Tobias, 9, & Laura Hobbs, 8, found dead in Zion park, 8 May 2005 - #2

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-immemory0511,0,6653631.column?coll=all-aol-yahoo-nws-hed

I'd like you to take a look at the photos included on this page of Laura Hobbs, Krystal Tobias and Erica Michelle Marie Green for a moment. You've heard their stories in just the last week or so. I'd like to tell you about them again in a little different context, with a little different focus.

Laura Hobbs and Krystal Tobias were best friends. They were in the second grade together. Both were in the same Girl Scout troop. On Mother's Day, they were hanging out with a bunch of neighborhood kids going from barbecue to barbecue, enjoying the day. Like they did on many days, they shared one bike, one pedaling and the other riding on the handlebars.

Later, they rode to a place called Beulah Park. As they were gliding along the bike path, someone attacked them They were left to die in the bush nearby.
 
It's all too much. I read more and more today about this guy Hobbs and how for half his life he was in and out of trouble, and "had a rap sheet six inches thick." Why? Why ? Why?

Is the mother still defending him today? Or has her stupidity finally sunk in yet? :furious:
 
SauerKraut said:
It's all too much. I read more and more today about this guy Hobbs and how for half his life he was in and out of trouble, and "had a rap sheet six inches thick." Why? Why ? Why?

Is the mother still defending him today? Or has her stupidity finally sunk in yet? :furious:

She's made no statement to reporters that I know of since Hobbs was arrested.
 
SauerKraut said:
Is the mother still defending him today? Or has her stupidity finally sunk in yet? :furious:

I don't know of any statements, but apparently she had to leave the courtroom when hearing the details of what Hobbs did to little Laura. Hopefully that was what she needed to get her brain out of the "he is innocent" mode.

Are there any images of the mother posted anywhere? I have only seen the grandmother.
 
SauerKraut said:
It's all too much. I read more and more today about this guy Hobbs and how for half his life he was in and out of trouble, and "had a rap sheet six inches thick." Why? Why ? Why?

Is the mother still defending him today? Or has her stupidity finally sunk in yet? :furious:


I haven't seen anything on the news that included the mother's own words. However, let's keep in mind that the "media" sometimes isn't 100% accurate. I don't know what she supposedly said, but the media can turn something like "I can't believe he'd do something like that" (meaning I'm completely shocked, I knew he was an ahole, but I NEVER expected he'd go this far) to "There's no way he'd ever do something like this, I don't care what evidence you have." Know what I mean?
 
Cypros said:
I don't know of any statements, but apparently she had to leave the courtroom when hearing the details of what Hobbs did to little Laura. Hopefully that was what she needed to get her brain out of the "he is innocent" mode.

Are there any images of the mother posted anywhere? I have only seen the grandmother.

I think I saw her on t.v. hugging Krystal's mom. I think she looks a lot like the grandmother (or maybe it was the grandmother hugging) :confused:

The prosecutor addressed Shiela's reaction. He said that he had great sympathy for her and her family. He went on to say imagine the shock of not only losing your daughter of mother's day, but the father being arrested. Another reported asked him if he'd be surprised if Shiela continued to support Hobbs and he said "No."

He was also asked if the family was cooperative and he said that they were. Asked if someone in the family suspected Hobbs, he said YES.
 
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/top/w12hobbside.htm

Jerry Branton Hobbs III wasn't "Texas friendly."

The man accused of stabbing his 8-year-old daughter and her friend to death "just didn't seem happy," said Nancy Dickerson, a neighbor of Hobbs' mother in Wichita Falls, Texas. "You know how some people, they smile at you?" Dickerson said. "Here in Texas we nod our heads at each other. Jerry didn't nod his head."

.........
Also in 2001, Sheila Hollabaugh went to court to prove that Hobbs was the father of Laura and two other children so she could obtain child support from him, records show. He was determined to be their father.

Hobbs, who was born in Tampa, Fla., only has an eighth-grade education, according to a court report unsealed Wednesday at the request of the Sun-Times. Hobbs listed his job skills as cooking and tree trimming.

...............

Others don't remember him so kindly. When he got drunk, he got obnoxious and his mother, Joann Hobbs, did not want him around her home, Dickerson said.

Hobbs' mother moved into the neighborhood in Wichita Falls about 10 years ago after the death of Hobbs' father, who was a country-and-western musician, Dickerson said. Joann Hobbs works hard and always is tending to grandchildren, Dickerson said.

She's also a fugitive, records show. Hobbs, 53, violated the terms of her probation on a 1986 grand-theft conviction in Florida and is still wanted there, according to the Florida Department of Corrections Web site.
 
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/top/w12paxton.htm

Lake County Board member Brent Paxton came perilously close Sunday evening to stumbling across the Zion crime scene where two young girls were killed.

Paxton and his three children, exploring secluded trails in the Beulah Park Nature Area between roughly 6 and 6:30 p.m., noticed a blue-and-white bicycle lying on the ground that he said was later identified as the bike the girls rode into the area.
.........
The excursion began when Paxton and the children left for a walk to allow his wife to take a Mother's Day nap. The family lives across the street from the nature area, and Paxton said he and the kids were exploring trails when one of his children noticed the bike and began heading toward it.

He said at that point he told his children the owner would probably return for it, and that they then set off in another direction because the area was muddy.


The next day, after hearing of the murders, Paxton called Zion Police Chief Doug Malcolm and told him about seeing the bicycle, and then contacted and was interviewed by the Lake County Major Crime Task Force at the chief's recommendation.
 
golfmom said:
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/top/w12hobbside.htm

Hobbs, who was born in Tampa, Fla., only has an eighth-grade education, according to a court report unsealed Wednesday at the request of the Sun-Times. Hobbs listed his job skills as cooking and tree trimming.

My father only had an 8th-grade education, too, but he never stabbed any of his children. :doh: This guy is unfathomable. How can you have that much hate for your own little children? I'll never understand it, if I live to be 99.

Hobbs' mother moved into the neighborhood in Wichita Falls about 10 years ago after the death of Hobbs' father, who was a country-and-western musician, Dickerson said. Joann Hobbs works hard and always is tending to grandchildren, Dickerson said.

She's also a fugitive, records show. Hobbs, 53, violated the terms of her probation on a 1986 grand-theft conviction in Florida and is still wanted there, according to the Florida Department of Corrections Web site.

Another great mother passing her criminal genes down to a no-good son. :bang:
 
golfmom said:
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/top/w12hobbside.htm

Jerry Branton Hobbs III wasn't "Texas friendly."

The man accused of stabbing his 8-year-old daughter and her friend to death "just didn't seem happy," said Nancy Dickerson, a neighbor of Hobbs' mother in Wichita Falls, Texas. "You know how some people, they smile at you?" Dickerson said. "Here in Texas we nod our heads at each other. Jerry didn't nod his head."

.........
Also in 2001, Sheila Hollabaugh went to court to prove that Hobbs was the father of Laura and two other children so she could obtain child support from him, records show. He was determined to be their father.

Hobbs, who was born in Tampa, Fla., only has an eighth-grade education, according to a court report unsealed Wednesday at the request of the Sun-Times. Hobbs listed his job skills as cooking and tree trimming.

...............

Others don't remember him so kindly. When he got drunk, he got obnoxious and his mother, Joann Hobbs, did not want him around her home, Dickerson said.

Hobbs' mother moved into the neighborhood in Wichita Falls about 10 years ago after the death of Hobbs' father, who was a country-and-western musician, Dickerson said. Joann Hobbs works hard and always is tending to grandchildren, Dickerson said.

She's also a fugitive, records show. Hobbs, 53, violated the terms of her probation on a 1986 grand-theft conviction in Florida and is still wanted there, according to the Florida Department of Corrections Web site.

Not to offend anyone but this whole thing smells like not just white trash but rather: mentally disabled, hard life, bad upbringing, no death penalty (unfortunately.) This could have been prevented, this whole thing. It's what makes it all the harder to stomach.

I agree too that I think the mother will wake up from this nightmare and realize the pieces of the puzzle are all in place and she needs to stop defending him. Feeling sorry for him & his bad life is different than defending his actions. Hey, we've all had a "bad life" no? Did the mother need a man in her life that bad? I mean, obviously this guy wasn't a good father. I still think there was a lot of bad stuff going on in that home. I don't think he showed a shread of love for those kids.

Give him a lobotomy and lock him away.
 
• 1990, he stabbed a motorist for screeching his tires in front of Hobbs' home in Wichita Falls, drunk at the time Hobbs, was convicted of aggravated assault.

• 1996, convicted of domestic violence. Additionally, he intimidated another woman a day after Sheila, called the police in Greenacres, Fla. to report a man was "letting the air out of the tires." Hobbs is wanted in Florida on a warrant for violating his probation in the case.

• In 1997, he was convicted of assaulting Hollabaugh in Texas.

• In 2001, he threatened neighbors with a running chain saw and yelled he would kill Hollabaugh. He was sentenced to probation and ordered to attend a "rational behavior training class," an anger management class and undergo substance abuse counseling. Instead he served two years in prison for violating the terms of his probation.
 
SauerKraut said:
Did the mother need a man in her life that bad? I mean, obviously this guy wasn't a good father.

Give him a lobotomy and lock him away.

Especially considering she had to take him to court to prove that he was the father!
 
ThoughtFox said:
My father only had an 8th-grade education, too, but he never stabbed any of his children. :doh: This guy is unfathomable. How can you have that much hate for your own little children? I'll never understand it, if I live to be 99.



Another great mother passing her criminal genes down to a no-good son. :bang:

Exactly! Watch, he's going to have a bunch of good-for-nothing, stupid, government, paid-by-the-taxpayers lawyers feeling sorry for his "sad" life. "Be merciful, he's had a very hard life...." Sick sick sick but this is what will happen. I hope the Tobias family has a good lawyer. The first thing I'd look at as how the hell was he out in the first place???!!! :banghead:

This just fries my ham!!!! :furious: :furious: :furious:
 
SauerKraut said:
Exactly! Watch, he's going to have a bunch of good-for-nothing, stupid, government, paid-by-the-taxpayers lawyers feeling sorry for his "sad" life. "Be merciful, he's had a very hard life...." Sick sick sick but this is what will happen. I hope the Tobias family has a good lawyer. The first thing I'd look at as how the hell was he out in the first place???!!! :banghead:

This just fries my ham!!!! :furious: :furious: :furious:


He'll have the best lawyer that the public defender's office can give him. I don't get the impression that this family is sitting on an oil well or anything. :rolleyes:
 
Jeana (DP) said:
He'll have the best lawyer that the public defender's office can give him. I don't get the impression that this family is sitting on an oil well or anything. :rolleyes:

Public defender has already said that 2 death penalty qualified lawyers will be assigned as well, however, he looks like no matter who they get a DEAD MAN WALKING to me.

No one commented, but we have a solid witness to the bike between 6:00-6:30.
 
golfmom said:
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/top/w12hobbs.htm

.........
Hobbs told police he went home, cleaned off, and later joined others in searching for the girls that evening. The next morning, he went with his father-in-law back into the woods. "He veered off" by himself, Pavletic said, "and within a minute screamed that he had found Laura."
.........
What a complete jerk! Did he leave the girls to die the night before? Could he have "magically found them" the night previous? I hope they died as quickly as possible!
 
I believe the girls left Laura's home around 4:00
shortly after Hobbs leaves to go find Laura and bring her back home
between 6-6:30 witnesses saw the bike abandoned
sometime between 6-6:30 hobbs returns home and cleans himself up
7:00 laura's curfew
Unknown: Did family search between 7-8:40?
8:40 sheila calls the police
 
Now, though, after exchanging letters from prison, the couple had decided to make a fresh start in Zion, a small town north of Chicago on the edge of Lake Michigan. Hobbs moved in with Hollabaugh and her parents, along with their three children and her 13-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.

Hollabaugh said Hobbs had seemed committed to starting anew after his April 12 release from prison and showed that commitment by heading to Illinois and his family.


"He didn't go home in Texas," Hollabaugh said. "He took the bus straight here."

http://www.nbc5.com/news/4473943/detail.html

..i don't see how that showed 'committment' on hobb's part.........? all i see is his committment to free room and board.....
 

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