Jerry Hobbs

Background

Jerry Hobbs III was the father of Laura Hobbs, an 8-year-old girl. He was also accused of murdering Laura Hobbs’s best friend, Krystal Tobias, who was 9 years old.

Arthur Hollabaugh searched for his missing granddaughter and found her after locating something in bushes part way down a ravine. He identified the bodies as those of Laura Hobbs and her best friend, Krystal Tobias.

Hobbs had recently returned to the area about a month earlier to reunite with Laura’s mother after serving time in a Texas prison. Arthur Hollabaugh said Hobbs had just returned from prison for aggravated assault and that investigators were holding that against him.

The offence

Laura Hobbs, 8, and Krystal Tobias, 9, disappeared together on a Mother’s Day bike ride. Their bodies were found in Beulah Park in Zion, near their homes, off a wooded bike path near the park.

The girls were stabbed repeatedly and left a few yards off a wooded bike path near their homes. Police said no weapons were found and there was no evidence of sexual assault. Lake County Coroner Richard Keller said it appears the girls were killed where their bodies were found and that there was no evidence of sexual abuse.

A memorial of flowers and balloons marked the area where the bodies were found a day earlier. The memorial was at the entrance to Beulah Park, where more than a dozen young children stood quietly around it, and a sign read: “May your angels rest peacefully in heaven.”

Investigation

Police weren’t commenting on the case Tuesday morning, but Hollabaugh said investigators were questioning his son-in-law and had also talked to Laura’s siblings about Hobbs.

Donald Meadie, assistant commander of the Lake County Major Crime Task Force, confirmed late Monday that Jerry Hobbs had been questioned but said there were no suspects. Hobbs was questioned through the day about the deaths of Laura Hobbs and Krystal Tobias.

Police searched the family home. Hollabaugh said police took measurements of his shoe soles, went through their stuff, took clothes, and took the computer to see if the girl had been on any Internet chat rooms.

Lake County Coroner Richard Keller said it appears the girls were killed where their bodies were found. He also said they had been stabbed multiple times, and the girls’ bodies were found side-by-side and facing up, and that they did not appear to have been sexually assaulted.

Police said there was no evidence of sexual assault.

Arrest

Jerry Hobbs was arrested on murder charges Tuesday, May 10, 2005 in the Mother’s Day stabbings of his 8-year-old daughter and the little girl’s best friend. He had been recently released from prison.

Hobbs led police to the bodies just off a wooded bike path early Monday, claiming he spotted them while searching for his daughter. Hollabaugh claimed Hobbs made his discovery while searching.

Hobbs, 34, was questioned through the day about the deaths of Laura Hobbs, 8, and Krystal Tobias, 9.

Trial

Confession and evidentiary disputes

Hobbs indicated that he went to the park and was looking for Laura, who was his natural daughter. In a partial transcript of “On the Record,” May 11, 2005, Lake County State’s Attorney Chief Deputy Jeffrey Pavletic summarized Hobbs’s account:

“Mr. [Jerry] Hobbs , the defendant, indicated that he went to the park and he was looking for Laura [Hobbs], who is his natural daughter. He said that she had been a little bit of a discipline problem. She had been suspected of taking some money from her mother. She had recently been grounded. And she had been recently, as recently as this weekend, had been taken off being grounded. He thought that the girl was having too much latitude as to what she can and can't do. Between 4:30 and 7:00 o'clock on Sunday night, he said that he went out to the park. He said that he went out to the park, he was looking for Laura to bring her home. He said that he went out there. He was in the wooded area that's north of Beulah Park. He said that he saw her with Krystal. He said that he then confronted Laura and said, Come home. You're coming home with me. She said she didn't want to. An argument developed. He then said, in his own words, that he had punched her twice, at least twice, in the face. She went down to the ground. Krystal [Tobias] then came to Laura's rescue. The defendant then stated that he punched her to the ground, as well. He then stated that during this period of time, Krystal, who was coming to the aid of Laura, had pulled out what he described as a potato knife. He said that once that potato knife was pulled out, he said that is when he then struck Krystal. He then took the knife from her and then repeatedly began to stab both girls in the bodies.”

Michael Waller, Lake County State’s Attorney, said the statement was a confession and responded to discussion about untruths:

“No. I've been in this business a long time. I've been a prosecutor for 24 years and have prosecuted numerous murder cases and handled many as state's attorney. It's not unusual to have a defendant give untruths in a statement where he admits his guilt. It's something we deal with all the time. None of us believe that this little girl had a knife. I mean, he referred to it as a potato knife, and apparently, that's some term that's used in Texas, a knife with about a four or five-inch blade. And you know, it's inconceivable that Krystal had this knife.”

Waller also described suspicion about Hobbs after the bodies were discovered:

“One of the factors was that, you know, he didn't get within 20 feet of the bodies when they were discovered on early Monday morning, and yet he gave the police a detailed description as to how the bodies appeared. And from the point that he was at, he wouldn't have been able to see the bodies. And then the route that he took into this really isolated area where the bodies were found would not be a route that you would expect somebody who is just doing a general search to take. It was sort of, like, Well, I think I'll head over in this direction, where there doesn't seem to be anything, and then he found the bicycle and the girls' bodies. So there was some expression by family members — or at least one family member — of suspicion.”

David Brodsky, Hobbs’s attorney, said the defense would seek background and expert help:

“We're going to take, like in any case like this, a multi-pronged approach. We're not going to leave any stone unturned, and that really has to do with, first of all, the case itself, which at this point, we know nothing about, but also to find out about Mr. Hobbs. We need to get a complete background work-up on him, a social investigation, a psychological investigation.”

In November 2005, prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty against Hobbs, accused of beating and stabbing to death his daughter and her friend. A judge scheduled a case management conference.

In October 2006, a judge ruled Hobbs’s confession to the murder of the two little girls was legally obtained and could be used against him at trial.

Attempt to move venue

Hobbs’s attorneys argued for moving the case out of Lake County due to publicity. Assistant Public Defender Keith Grant argued that an impartial jury in Lake County would be impossible because much of the reporting would not be presented to a jury. He presented a poll showing 78.5 percent of county residents questioned had heard of the case and 69.1 percent of that group believed Hobbs is guilty. The poll was taken by McCulloch and Associates of Westmont and showed results from 400 respondents with a margin of error of 4.8 percent.

Grant said getting an impartial jury in Lake County would be impossible and argued that moving the case would ensure jury members had not made conclusions. Assistant State’s Attorney Matthew Chancey countered that it was too early to determine if an impartial panel of jurors could be selected, and urged waiting until the trial date and jury selection began.

Sentencing

Prosecutors sought the death penalty. In November 2005, prosecutors announced they would seek the death penalty against Hobbs, accused of beating and stabbing to death his daughter and her friend.

Appeals

No appeal outcomes were stated.

Outcome

On August 3, 2010, after spending five years in jail, Lake County prosecutors dropped all the charges against Jerry Hobbs III.

The charges were dropped after recently discovered DNA evidence linked another man, Jorge “George” Torrez, to the crime. Hobbs had been considered the main suspect until DNA evidence emerged linking Torrez. Torrez was described as in custody in Virginia on another charge.

Aftermath

After charges were dropped, Hobbs was immediately released and promptly left the state, heading for Texas where his mother lives.

JoAnn Hobbs said she saw her son after he was charged with killing his 8-year-old daughter and her young friend. She said he blurted out that he confessed, saying “Mama, they broke me,” and she believed him when he said he was forced to confess after 20 hours of interrogation in May 2005.

Keith Grant said he understood a mother’s frustration and said the goal was to see Jerry released. Hobbs had remained in jail with a murder trial scheduled Oct. 6 when prosecutors sought death.

Hobbs had been isolated from other prisoners for more than four years, spending most of his time drawing pictures and reading.

Police and school officials escorted children directly onto buses at the end of the school day after the killings. School superintendent Constance Collins said grief counselors were being brought to Beulah Park Elementary, where the girls were best friends in the same second grade class. She said the pupils had just read “Charlotte's Web” and “A Taste of Blackberries,” both of which deal with loss, and she said:

“I think that those stories will serve as an excellent backdrop for what we're going to have to deal with today,”

A teacher, Julie Dobnikar, said the girls were “very sweet girls” and that the girls’ teacher was “very distraught right now.”

Unrein said the area was well known as a place to avoid and said:

“There have been incidents of kids beating up people and taking their wallets and park rangers have had to shoo people out of there for hunting illegally,”

She also said:

“Our children are told not to be down in that area,”

and:

“My husband and I don't go down there anymore because you hear the stories.”

A resident and other parents expressed concern for children’s safety, including Cynthia Taylor, who said:

“I'm concerned for their safety,”

and also said:

“It's bad and scary that people could be so cruel to innocent kids.”

Krystal’s 15-year-old brother, Alberto Segura, said:

“If it was him, then good thing they brought him down,”

and:

“We never thought a father would do that to a daughter. They were just babies. They didn't do anything wrong.”

Other details

Zion was described as a small city near the Wisconsin line on the edge of both the Chicago and Milwaukee metropolitan areas, with about 22,000 residents, and it was founded in 1901 by a religious faith healer as a utopian community.

Lake County Coroner Richard Keller said the girls’ bodies were found side-by-side and facing up and did not appear to have been sexually assaulted. He also said the girls appeared to have been killed near where they were found.

The parents of one of the girls reported her missing about 8:50 p.m. Sunday, about two hours after she was expected home, according to Police Chief Doug Malcolm. The parents of the other girl called shortly afterward, and authorities with rescue dogs began searching. A resident walking through the park discovered the bodies at dawn.

In Texas, Hobbs’s prior history included an assault involving an argument with Laura’s mother, Sheila Hollabaugh, during which he grabbed a chain saw and chased neighbors through the trailer park where they lived. Rick Mahler, assistant district attorney for Wichita County, Texas, said no one was hurt in the 2001 incident, and someone subdued Hobbs by hitting him in the back with a shovel. Hobbs was sentenced to 10 years probation, failed to appear for required meetings, and probation was revoked in 2003, and he was imprisoned until last month.

Hobbs’s criminal history was described as extensive dating to 1990 in Texas, including arrests for assault and resisting arrest, according to records kept by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Sgt. Cindy Walker said Hobbs had been arrested 29 times for drug violations, assaults and other infractions.

An order of protection lodged against Hobbs in 2001 described Hobbs as an alcoholic and said he physically abused Sheila Hollabaugh. Hollabaugh wrote in requesting the order:

“I'm scared he might try to come after me. I left him to get away from this,”

The Chicago Tribune described Hobbs as having arguments involving his ex-girlfriend’s household and domestic abuse, including him being chased bystanders with a gas-powered chain saw after he started it at a trailer park in 2001. It also described that Hobbs failed to make $300 monthly child-support payments ordered by the local court, spent a month in county jail in 2002 after piling up more than $2,000 in failed payments, and had been in Texas prison where he corresponded with Hollabaugh.

A newspaper description included quotes from neighbors and family. Linda Balser described Hobbs as “something of a mechanic” and said he described himself that way. Larry Balser said Hobbs was going to fix a junked car but he never did. Lewis Dickerson said:

“[Joann Hobbs] took care of them; it looks like they do that a lot,”

and added:

“She was very proud of her grandchildren.”

Lewis Dickerson also said another neighbor arrangement where Hobbs was taken in by his mother and stepfather lasted only a few months before Hobbs’ drug use and temper got him kicked out.

Don Coffee declined to comment.

Carlos Sadovi’s report also described Hobbs’s encounter with Stacey Townsend in 1990, stating that Hobbs pulled a knife from a sheath on his belt and stabbed Townsend in the gut, and that the case was pleaded down to a misdemeanor and Hobbs served a 60-day sentence in the county jail.

In the televised discussion, the defense attorney said the court appointed them and that the defense would take a multi-pronged approach including background work-up and expert consultations. He also said they had talked to some family members. He said the family was “extremely confused” and “distraught” and that they did not know what to think, using these words:

“Yes. You know, they don't know what to think right now. They're extremely confused, and they're distraught,”

and:

“But with or without their cooperation — we hope with their cooperation — you know, we'll build a case here to represent Mr. Hobbs.”

When asked about scheduling, Brodsky said he had not seen police reports and any timetable would depend on multiple factors.