newspaperguy
Well-known
FWIW - This was posted on the Rollei user's site:
(To Sanders) Have you any update you care to share?
Still thinking of Bob now and then, wondering how he's surviving...
Best, keith whaley
sandersnyc wrote:
> Austin, Darlene is Bob's wife. Darlene has stuck with Bob (at least as a friend, I do not
> know how their marriage has survived all of this) and visits him regularly and provides a
> liaison between him and the rest of the world. I've not reported my exchanges with her or
> Bob to the list because I know there are some here who had problems with Bob before the
> verdict, and who hard-set against him after it. But Darlene has been at work since the
> verdict to try and see Bob through this mess. Since you and Pablo ask, here is what I
> know.
>
> Regarding the appeal:
>
> The wheels of justice grind slowly in Virginia. The trial transcripts were not available until
> this month. (Which is somewhat of a shock, to me, as a lawyer.) It will probably take a
> year from this point for the attorneys to prepare the appellate briefs, argue them to the
> court of appeals, and receive a decision.
>
> Whether he has a chance of a reversal, I do not know -- I've not seen the transcripts and
> they will count for a lot in the appeal. I do know that Bob has a good chance of having
> the sentence reduced. The prosecution, which had lived with the case for three years and
> knew it well, had recommended a maximum sentence of three years on an involuntary
> manslaughter conviction. The judge sentenced him to 32 years and told Bob to "Take it up
> on appeal."
>
> A word about the verdict: "Involuntary manslaughter" is the legal term for a death
> somebody causes through their own negligence. It is a crime that does not require what
> the law calls "mens rea," or criminal intent. For example: You're driving down the road
> talking on your cell phone; a child follows his ball into the street; you don't notice and kill
> him. That's involuntary manslaughter. It is a criminal act, to be sure, but 32 years is a
> very long sentence for the crime -- much longer than most murders committed with
> intent to kill.
>
> Regarding Bob:
>
> Darlene ended her first string of October post-conviction emails to me with this note:
>
> "He may be one of the bravest people I know. After the sentencing he called from the
> inmate phones at the jail to try to cheer ME up. The only hope that he won't die in prison
> at this point will hinge on the success of an appeal. Even at that, he has a long stretch and
> his health is not good. Jail medicine being what it is, I don't have much faith that he'll get
> the treatment he needs."
>
> At the Dublin jail, his location until last month, Bob did not have regular access to
> medicines or food. Darlene reports that Bob lost 47 pounds and was quite ill when they
> moved him to Bland. Since then, Darlene says, Bob has had regular meals and received his
> prescriptions and is doing better. Her note to me from Friday reported, " When I saw him
> last weekend he looked tired and very thin, but his skin is a lot less gray and he says he
> feels much better and is improving every day."
>
> That's all I know, really. There's a lot of misinformation floating around out there --
> people who claim to have read the (nonexistent until a fortnight ago) trial transcripts,
> made-up quotes from Darlene, and so on. Bob has become a Rohrschach blot of sort for
> people to vent their own feelings, in both directions. I've stopped sharing with others
> about Bob because of this. But I know Bob had friends here, so I wanted to pass this
> along to them for what it's worth.
>
> Sanders
>
> --- In rolleiusers@yahoogroups.com, "Austin Franklin"<austin.franklin@...> wrote:
>>
>> Hi Sanders,
>>
>> Who is Darlene?
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Austin
>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: rolleiusers@yahoogroups.com [mailto:rolleiusers@yahoogroups.com]On
>>> Behalf Of sandersnyc
>>> Sent: Sunday, April 06, 2008 11:33 PM
>>> To: rolleiusers@yahoogroups.com
>>> Subject: [rolleiusers] Bob Shell -- new address.
>>>
>>>
>>> Right after posting Bob's address, I received word today from
>>> Darlene that Bob's been moved
>>> again, this time to the facility where he will likely stay until
>>> his appeal is heard and decided.
>>> Here is the new address:
>>>
>>> Robert Shell
>>> 379855
>>> Keene Mountain Correctional Center
>>> State Route 629
>>> P. O. Box 860
>>> Oakwood, VA 24631
>>> (276) 498-7411
>>>
>>> Sanders
(To Sanders) Have you any update you care to share?
Still thinking of Bob now and then, wondering how he's surviving...
Best, keith whaley
sandersnyc wrote:
> Austin, Darlene is Bob's wife. Darlene has stuck with Bob (at least as a friend, I do not
> know how their marriage has survived all of this) and visits him regularly and provides a
> liaison between him and the rest of the world. I've not reported my exchanges with her or
> Bob to the list because I know there are some here who had problems with Bob before the
> verdict, and who hard-set against him after it. But Darlene has been at work since the
> verdict to try and see Bob through this mess. Since you and Pablo ask, here is what I
> know.
>
> Regarding the appeal:
>
> The wheels of justice grind slowly in Virginia. The trial transcripts were not available until
> this month. (Which is somewhat of a shock, to me, as a lawyer.) It will probably take a
> year from this point for the attorneys to prepare the appellate briefs, argue them to the
> court of appeals, and receive a decision.
>
> Whether he has a chance of a reversal, I do not know -- I've not seen the transcripts and
> they will count for a lot in the appeal. I do know that Bob has a good chance of having
> the sentence reduced. The prosecution, which had lived with the case for three years and
> knew it well, had recommended a maximum sentence of three years on an involuntary
> manslaughter conviction. The judge sentenced him to 32 years and told Bob to "Take it up
> on appeal."
>
> A word about the verdict: "Involuntary manslaughter" is the legal term for a death
> somebody causes through their own negligence. It is a crime that does not require what
> the law calls "mens rea," or criminal intent. For example: You're driving down the road
> talking on your cell phone; a child follows his ball into the street; you don't notice and kill
> him. That's involuntary manslaughter. It is a criminal act, to be sure, but 32 years is a
> very long sentence for the crime -- much longer than most murders committed with
> intent to kill.
>
> Regarding Bob:
>
> Darlene ended her first string of October post-conviction emails to me with this note:
>
> "He may be one of the bravest people I know. After the sentencing he called from the
> inmate phones at the jail to try to cheer ME up. The only hope that he won't die in prison
> at this point will hinge on the success of an appeal. Even at that, he has a long stretch and
> his health is not good. Jail medicine being what it is, I don't have much faith that he'll get
> the treatment he needs."
>
> At the Dublin jail, his location until last month, Bob did not have regular access to
> medicines or food. Darlene reports that Bob lost 47 pounds and was quite ill when they
> moved him to Bland. Since then, Darlene says, Bob has had regular meals and received his
> prescriptions and is doing better. Her note to me from Friday reported, " When I saw him
> last weekend he looked tired and very thin, but his skin is a lot less gray and he says he
> feels much better and is improving every day."
>
> That's all I know, really. There's a lot of misinformation floating around out there --
> people who claim to have read the (nonexistent until a fortnight ago) trial transcripts,
> made-up quotes from Darlene, and so on. Bob has become a Rohrschach blot of sort for
> people to vent their own feelings, in both directions. I've stopped sharing with others
> about Bob because of this. But I know Bob had friends here, so I wanted to pass this
> along to them for what it's worth.
>
> Sanders
>
> --- In rolleiusers@yahoogroups.com, "Austin Franklin"<austin.franklin@...> wrote:
>>
>> Hi Sanders,
>>
>> Who is Darlene?
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Austin
>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: rolleiusers@yahoogroups.com [mailto:rolleiusers@yahoogroups.com]On
>>> Behalf Of sandersnyc
>>> Sent: Sunday, April 06, 2008 11:33 PM
>>> To: rolleiusers@yahoogroups.com
>>> Subject: [rolleiusers] Bob Shell -- new address.
>>>
>>>
>>> Right after posting Bob's address, I received word today from
>>> Darlene that Bob's been moved
>>> again, this time to the facility where he will likely stay until
>>> his appeal is heard and decided.
>>> Here is the new address:
>>>
>>> Robert Shell
>>> 379855
>>> Keene Mountain Correctional Center
>>> State Route 629
>>> P. O. Box 860
>>> Oakwood, VA 24631
>>> (276) 498-7411
>>>
>>> Sanders
RayPA
Ignore It (It'll go away)
I remember this story; although, the first I had heard about the guy was when the story was buzzing on RFF several years ago. I had no idea that he got 32 years. I was wondering about it recently. Thanks for the update.
/
/
cosmonaut
Well-known
I had to google it. I hadn't heard the story. It's all so sad. 32 years does sound like a lot considering the case. He will probably never get out. Judges don't play now a days. The times we live in.
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
I didn't know he was married. He had described the model who died as his 'girlfriend' during the trial! More surprising that his wife stayed with him after that.
xayraa33
rangefinder user and fancier
I just saw this dude on some French ufo tv program from the 1990s.
He was the photo expert debunking the laughable alien autopsy film by Ray Santilli.
He was the photo expert debunking the laughable alien autopsy film by Ray Santilli.
Last edited:
BillBingham2
Registered User
23 years is a long time. I would have to say that is a long time for the transcript to be held up. Sounds like the prison has issues with basic health care, sad any way you look, just sad.
B2
B2