Charles Carl Roberts

Background

Charles Carl Roberts IV was an American milk truck driver who was involved in the Amish school shooting.

Charles Carl Roberts IV was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. His father was retired from the local police force. In 2004, his father applied to the state for a special license to provide paratransit service to the Amish. Charles earned a diploma through a home-school association, and neither he nor his family were Amish.

In 1990, Roberts worked as a dishwasher at Good 'N Plenty Restaurant in Smoketown, PA. Two co-workers, Lawrence Yunkin and Lisa Michelle Lambert, were convicted in the December 20, 1991 murder of 16-year old Laurie Show in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Roberts was a commercial milk tank driver, employed by North West Foods.

The offence

On October 2, 2006, Roberts entered the one-room West Nickel Mines School at approximately 9:51 a.m. with a 9 mm handgun, 12 gauge shotgun, .30-06 bolt-action rifle, about 600 rounds of ammunition, cans of black powder, a stun gun, two knives, a change of clothes, an apparent truss board and a box containing a hammer, hacksaw, pliers, wire, screws, bolts and tape.

He used 2×6 and 2×4 boards with eye bolts and flex ties to barricade the school doors before binding the arms and legs of the hostages. He ordered the hostages to line up against the chalkboard and released the 15 male students present, along with a pregnant woman and three parents with infants. The remaining ten female students were kept inside the schoolhouse.

The school teacher contacted the police upon escaping at approximately 10:36 a.m.

The gunman apparently killed himself along with five school girls.

Reports stated that the girls were shot execution style in the head. Roberts fired at least 13 rounds from his 9 mm semi-automatic pistol. Police had to break in through the windows when shots were heard.

Roberts had a change of clothes and provisions for an extended overnight stay, such as candles and toilet tissue, found at the scene. A length of two-by-six wooden board with ten pairs of metal eyehooks was found, presumably to secure the ten hostages. Police found other items at the scene including a tube of KY Jelly, and later discovered two tubes of sexual lubricant. Investigators surmised he might have intended to use KY Jelly as a sexual lubricant.

Roberts ordered the boys, teachers, parents and Emma Fisher wondered what was going on inside, and he told the dispatcher that if state police were not off the property in two seconds, he would kill the children. A few moments later, shots rang out.

The nine-year-old Emma Fisher escaped because she did not understand the gunman's orders. Marian Fisher appealed to Roberts to shoot her first, in an effort to spare the younger girls, according to her younger sister who survived. Following her plea, Barbie Fisher, who survived with injuries, was commissioned to be shot second. Barbie Fisher received 9mm bullet wounds in the hand, leg, and shoulder.

Investigation

The first police officers arrived about nine minutes after the teacher escaped and attempted unsuccessfully to communicate with Roberts using PA broadcasters in their cruisers.

Police broke in through the windows when shots were heard.

On October 4, 2006, two relatives whom Roberts said he molested 20 years ago told police that no such abuse had ever happened, throwing a new layer of mystery over the gunman's motive and mental state during the shooting. Miller said there was no evidence any of the Amish children had been molested.

Authorities found that victims were shot execution-style in the back of the head, with reports also stating differences in the accounts of wounds. Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Colonel Jeffrey B. Miller said Roberts shot his victims in the head at close range, with 17 or 18 shots fired in all, including the one he used to take his own life as police stormed into the school through the windows. Deputy coroner in Lancaster County, Pa., Janice Ballenger told The Washington Post in an interview that she counted at least two dozen bullet wounds in one child alone before asking a colleague to continue for her, and said: "there was not one desk, not one chair, in the whole schoolroom that was not splattered with either blood or glass. There were bullet holes everywhere, everywhere." A state police spokeswoman said she could not immediately explain the discrepancy.

Miller said Roberts had prepared for a siege and that police planned that he was “extremely organized.” Miller said there was no evidence that the girls held hostage were sexually assaulted.

Investigators said Roberts had carried boxes of tools, hardware and lumber with him, and barricaded the front door with a piece of wood, bolted it and piled desks in front of it. A side door was barricaded with a foosball table, a 2-by-4 piece of wood and plastic ties.

The 911 transcripts were released on October 10, 2006. The tapes were transcribed by Lancaster County District Attorney Don Totaro. In some cases where the transcript indicated the line went dead, it was because the call was transferred to state police and was not recorded by Lancaster County, the prosecutor’s office said.

The 911 calls included callers Amos Smoker (first reported presence of a gunman), Roberts, and Roberts’ wife, Marie. In the calls, Roberts stated that he had ten girls hostage and demanded that police leave the property within two seconds or the children would be dead.

911 transcript excerpts

911 Dispatcher: Lancaster County 911, do you need police, fire or ambulance?

Mr. Smoker: Yes, this is Amos Smoker.

911 Dispatcher: OK. Mr. Smoker: There’s a, there’s a guy in the school with a gun.

911 Dispatcher: OK, what, what, what school, where at?

Mr. Smoker: White Oak Road.

911 Dispatcher: What city, township or borough is that in?

Mr. Smoker: How’s that?

Mr. Smoker: Bart Township.

911 Dispatcher: OK, stay on the line, it’s state police.

Mr. Smoker: OK. (Call being transferred to State Police)

State Police PCO: State Police Dispatch Center.

Mr. (Line goes dead)

10:41:35

911 Dispatcher: Lancaster County 911.

Caller: Did someone call in for police at a school?

911 Dispatcher: What school, what school was it?

Caller: West Nickel Mines School.

911 Dispatcher: Nickel Mines School, somebody with a gun?

Caller: Yes.

911 Dispatcher: Hold on one second, did you call before? We transferred to State Police.

Caller: OK, someone’s coming out.

911 Dispatcher: Well, I don’t know, I’m going to transfer you, OK, I don’t dispatch them here, hold on, does anybody need an ambulance do you know?

Caller: I don’t know.

911 Dispatcher: OK, hold on.

911 Dispatcher: Is this Amish school?

Caller: Yes it is.

911 Dispatcher: In Bart Township?

Caller: Yes.

Pennsylvania State Police PCO: Pennsylvania State Police, PCO Campbell, hello..

911 Dispatcher: Go ahead sir.

PCO Campbell: Sir, go ahead, State Police. (Line goes dead)

10:55:38

Hello.. Your cell phone is cutting in and out. Do you have an emergency?

Mr. Roberts : Yes.

911 Dispatcher: OK, what’s the address of the emergency?

Mr. Roberts : It’s on White Oak Road. I just took, uh, ten girls hostage and I want everybody off the property or, or else.

911 Dispatcher: OK, alright.

Mr. Roberts: Now.

911 Dispatcher: Hold on a second.

911 Dispatcher: Hello.

Mr. Roberts : Yeah.

911 Dispatcher: OK, what’s the problem there?

Mr. Roberts: Don’t try to talk me out of it, get em all off the property now.

911 Dispatcher: Sir, I want you to stay on the phone with me, OK? I’m going to let the State Police down there, I need to let you talk to them, OK, can I transfer you to them.

Mr. Roberts: No, you tell them and that’s it. Right now or they’re dead, in two seconds.

911 Dispatcher: (To unidentified person at County-Wide Communications): He won’t let me transfer. (To Mr. Roberts): Hang on a minute, we’re trying to tell them, OK.

Mr. Roberts: Two seconds that’s it.

911 Dispatcher: Sir, listen to me. Listen... (Line goes dead)

10:58:39

Ms. Roberts: Yes, my name is Marie Roberts, my husband just called me on his cell phone and told me that he wasn’t going to be coming home and that the police were there and not to worry about it. And I have no idea what he is talking about, but I am really scared. And I wondered if, how I find out what’s going on?

911 Dispatcher: OK, where are you calling me from?

Ms. Roberts: I’m calling from my home.

911 Dispatcher: And what’s that address?

Ms. Roberts: 1084 Georgetown Road.

911 Dispatcher: What township, city or borough is that?

Ms. Roberts: Bart Township.

911 Dispatcher: OK, and your husband didn’t tell you where he was?

Ms. Roberts: No, he didn’t.

911 Dispatcher: He called you on his cell phone?

Ms. Roberts: Yes he did.

911 Dispatcher: OK, and, and all he said to you was that...

Ms. Roberts: I’m not coming home, um, he was upset about something that had happened twenty years ago, and he said he was getting revenge for it, I don’t think he was getting revenge on another person, I’m worried that maybe he was trying to commit suicide.

911 Dispatcher: OK, hang on the line, I’m going to transfer you to the State Police, OK?

Ms. Roberts: Thank you.

911 Dispatcher: Hang on a second..

PCO Bowerman: State Police Dispatch PCO Bowerman

Ms. Roberts: My name is Marie Roberts, my husband just called me and said that he wasn’t coming home and that the police were there and that he left notes for myself and my children and I’m worried that he tried to commit suicide somewhere. And...

PCO Bowerman : What’s his name?

Ms. Roberts: Charlie Roberts.

PCO Bowerman: OK, what’s, let me ask you a question, hold on for one second please.

Ms. Roberts: Yeah.

PCO Bowerman: You said your name again was?

Ms. Roberts: Marie Roberts.

PCO Bowerman: Marie Roberts, thank you.

PCO Bowerman: Ma’am, let me ask you a question, what kind of vehicle does your husband drive?

Ms. Roberts: He was using my grandpa’s pick-up, it’s a GMC.

PCO Bowerman: Color.

Ms. Roberts: Blue.

PCO Bowerman: Blue GMC.

Ms. Roberts: Yeah.

PCO Bowerman: One second. OK. ma’am, what’s your husbands name?

Ms. Roberts: Charlie Roberts.

PCO Bowerman: Charlie Roberts. And what does he look like?

Ms. Roberts: He is six foot two, short brown, you know like buzzed brown hair, um, he is thirty-two years old, wears glasses, I guess he’s like maybe 195 pounds.

PCO Bowerman: OK, you say he left notes?

Ms. Roberts: Yes.

PCO Bowerman: What did the notes say?

Ms. Roberts: Like, the thought of not my children, not seeing them grow up, like, let’s see, uh, I’m not even sure, here it is, my daughter Abigail I want you to know that I love you and I’m sorry I couldn’t be here to watch you grow up, that’s how the notes start.

PCO Bowerman: OK, hold on one moment. (Line goes dead)

Arrest

Roberts was not arrested because he killed himself in the school during the incident.

Trial

No trial information was provided.

Sentencing

No sentencing information was provided.

Outcome

On October 2, 2006, Roberts died by suicide by shooting himself.

Victims

Fatalities:

• Naomi Rose Ebersol, aged 7, died at the scene October 2, 2006.
• Marian Stoltzfus Fisher, aged 13, died at the scene October 2, 2006.
• Anna Mae Stoltzfus, aged 12, was declared dead on arrival at Lancaster General Hospital, Lancaster, Pennsylvania October 2, 2006.
• Lena Zook Miller, aged 7, died at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania on October 3, 2006.
• Mary Liz Miller, aged 8, died at Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware on October 3, 2006.

Injured: All of the hurt Amish schoolgirls were hospitalized. The record listed injured girls:

• Rosanna King, 6 (removed from life support at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and sent home at the request of her family on October 4, 2006; some reports claim signs of recovery and return to the hospital; later described as remaining in a semicomatose state although appearing to be improving).
• Rachel Ann Stoltzfus, 8.
• Barbara Stoltzfus “Barbie” Fisher, 10.
• Sarah Ann Stoltzfus, 12.
• Esther King, 13.

The record stated that Rachel Ann Stoltzfus, Esther King and Barbara Stoltzfus “Barbie” Fisher returned to school in the fall of 2006, with some missing class time due to rehabilitation or surgeries. Sarah Ann Stoltzfus returned to school just before Christmas and despite a serious head wound, was doing well in school.

Victims’ plea

After the shootings it was uncovered that Marian Fisher, age 13, stepped forward and asked Roberts to, "shoot me first," in an apparent effort to bide time for the other younger girls being held captive. Following her plea, her younger sister Barbie who survived, with injuries, was also commissioned to be shot second.

Aftermath

The school was torn down eleven days after the tragedy. The school was demolished on October 12, 2006 and a new school, the New Hope School, was built near the original site, opening on April 2, 2007, precisely six months after the shooting. The Amish planned to leave a quiet pasture where the schoolhouse once stood.

Amish response to the crime and funeral

The Amish community grieved and was shocked about the tragedy, and also believed it was right to forgive.

The Rev. Schenck reports a grandfather of one of the murdered Amish girls said of the killer on the day of the murder: " We must not think evil of this man ."

Jack Meyer, a member of the Brethren community living near the Amish in Lancaster County, explained to CNN: " I do not think there's anybody here that wants to do anything but forgive and not only reach out to those who have suffered a loss in that way but to reach out to the family of the man who committed these acts."

Dwight Lefever, a Roberts family spokesman, said an Amish neighbor comforted the Roberts family hours after the shooting and extended forgiveness to them.

Dozens of Amish neighbors attended Charles Roberts' funeral on October 7, 2006. He was buried in an unmarked grave in his wife's family plot behind Georgetown United Methodist church, a few miles from the one-room West Nickel Mines schoolhouse. One mourner stated that Roberts' wife was touched by the outward gesture of forgiveness by the Amish community.

The National Post reported that the Amish set up a charitable fund for the family of the shooter. The Amish do not normally accept charity, but due to the extreme nature of the tragedy, donations were being accepted. Richie Lauer, director of the Anabaptist Foundation, said the Amish community, whose religious beliefs prohibit them from having health insurance, would likely use the donations to help pay the medical costs of the hospitalized children.

The record stated that fathers of the Amish girls who had been shot went to the killer's parents and asked what they could do to help them.

Relief groups and donations

Two local relief groups, the Mennonite Disaster Service and the Mennonite Central Committee, were accepting financial donations to assist the community impacted by the shootings. Contributions to the Amish School Recovery Fund were said to help affected families with medical care, transportation, supportive care and other needs.

Tax-deductible donations were described as being available by calling the Mennonite Central Committee at (717) 859-1151, or the Mennonite Disaster Service at (717) 859-2210. The record also stated that donations could be made online at mds.mennonite.net or mcc.org.

Additional personal details from communications

Roberts was last seen by his wife at 8:45 a.m. when they walked their children to the bus stop in Bart Township. When his wife returned home at 11:00 a.m., she discovered four notes he left to her and their children. The record also stated Roberts contacted his wife while still in the schoolhouse and stated that he had molested two young female relatives (between the ages of three and five) twenty years ago (when he would have been 12), and that he had been daydreaming about molesting again. Both relatives denied these claims.

His suicide notes stated he was still angry at God for the death of a premature infant daughter nine years prior.

The record included a statement from Marie Roberts describing her husband as "an exceptional father" who took his children to soccer practice, played ball in the backyard and took his seven-year-old daughter shopping. She pleaded for people to pray for the families of the slain, as well as her own.

In a statement released to the media, Marie Roberts, described as 28 and the gunman's widow, said: "The man who did this today is not the Charlie that I've been married to for almost 10 years," and "My husband is loving, supportive, thoughtful, all the things you'd always want and more."

Investigators’ statements about planning and motives

Miller said: "Clearly, he wanted to attack young female victims." He said Roberts was angry with life and was angry at God and that there "There may have been a loss of a child at some point in his life," while declining to elaborate.

Miller said: "It is clear to us that he did a great deal of planning." Miller said: "It is very possible he intended to victimize these children in many ways prior to executing them," and that Roberts "planned to dig in for the long siege." Miller added: "He was angry with life and was angry at God … There may have been a loss of a child at some point in his life," Mr Miller said, declining to elaborate.

Miller said police found: "It would be a miracle if we were somehow able to have no further loss of life."

Miller said: "We believe this had nothing to do with the Amish," and "The school was a target of opportunity. It was close by his home. He felt comfortable."