Piper Rountree

Background

Piper Rountree was convicted of first-degree murder for the shooting death of her ex-husband, Fredric Jablin. The record described Jablin as a University of Richmond professor and the father of her three children.

Rountree and Jablin married in 1983 and had three children: Callyn (10), Paxton (13), and Jocelyn (15). They divorced in 2002, and Jablin was awarded full custody. After Fred Jablin’s death, Henrico courts awarded custody of the three children to Jablin’s only sibling, Michael Jablin. The children lived with Michael, his wife, and their children in Northern Virginia.

The record stated that Rountree owed child support arrears and was also behind on alimony payments. It described her motivations as custody-related and tied to Jablin’s assets, including a $200,000 life-insurance policy for which she was the sole beneficiary.

The record also provided personal history details. It described Rountree as having worked in Houston as an attorney and as having had employment and career changes earlier in life. It stated that she experienced mental health issues and had a relationship that prosecutors characterized in the context of the divorce and custody battle. It also described her as having been found in contempt of court in Virginia for not paying child support.

The offence

Fredric Jablin was shot twice while he retrieved the Saturday morning newspaper from outside his house. The record described the shooting as occurring around 6:39 a.m. on Oct. 30, 2004, which was the day before Halloween.

Jablin was shot in the arm and in the back. Neighbors heard three gunshots; one report quoted a neighbor’s impression of “bang, bang, bang,” and another neighbor stated it was “because of the three precise shots.”

Jablin’s body was found about an hour later by a neighbor. The record stated that the couple’s three children were asleep upstairs and were not harmed.

Investigation

The record described investigators as linking Rountree to the killing through circumstantial evidence, including cellphone records, debit card records, travel records, and purchases used to disguise herself.

Investigators found that Rountree traveled from Houston to the Richmond area in connection with the murder. Prosecutors stated that she traveled from Houston to the Richmond area wearing a disguise and pretending to be her sister. The record stated that she stayed in an Innsbrook-area hotel one night and then drove early the next morning to the house she once shared with Jablin.

Cellphone records were described as placing her in the Richmond area before Jablin’s death and then after. The record stated that her cell phone signal was in the Richmond area the day before the murder up until around the time of Jablin’s death, and that the signal returned to Houston on Saturday, Oct. 30.

The record described purchases and supporting materials including wigs and a cable lock purchase for checking in a firearm. It also described a debit card in the name of Jerry Walters that Rountree used, including purchases of wigs and other items. It stated that Rountree gave police a number for an alleged alibi witness.

It described that no DNA, fingerprints, or other physical evidence were found at the scene of Jablin’s murder.

Arrest

The record stated that Rountree was arrested on Nov. 8, 2004 for the murder of her ex-husband and the felony use of a firearm. It also stated that Tina Rountree was arrested on suspicion of tampering with evidence.

Trial

Rountree’s trial began on Feb. 22, 2005 in Henrico County, Virginia. The record stated that opening statements occurred after jury selection, and that witness testimony ran until Feb. 26.

A seven-man, seven-woman jury was selected. The jury convicted Rountree of first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

The record included specific witness-related assertions:

• A witness testified that cell-phone records placed Rountree in the Norfolk and Richmond, Virginia area between October 28 and 30 and earlier in October.
• An ex-boyfriend, Jerry Walters, testified about a line of credit he set up for her and about contact after Jablin’s death.
• A witness identified as Mac McClennahan testified that on the evening of Oct. 26, 2004 he and Piper Rountree went to a Houston shooting range and practiced firing rented guns, and that he gave her a .38-caliber revolver in 2002.
• Other witnesses testified about travel, hotel registration under the name of Tina Rountree, and observations at airport and shooting-range locations.

The record described the defence account as asserting that Rountree was in Texas at the time of the murder and that she was often mistaken for her sister “both in voice and in physical appearance.” It described Rountree’s testimony as including an assertion that she never owned a gun and never had Tina Rountree’s driver’s license.

After deliberating for less than an hour, the jury found her guilty of first-degree murder in February. The jury recommended a sentence of life in prison without parole.

A quotation attributed to Michael Jablin, the victim’s brother, was included in the record after the verdict:

“Nobody wins in this. My brother's children are all losers in this.”

Sentencing

Sentencing occurred on May 6, 2005. The record stated that Henrico County Circuit Judge L.A. Harris Jr. sentenced Rountree, 45, to life in prison for the shooting death of Fredric Jablin and imposed an additional three-year firearm sentence.

The judge’s statements included:

“If someone out there would have asked me several months ago, I would have said my children needed a father, regardless of the things between us,” she said, sobbing. “I still maintain that. They also need a mother.” and: “In this particular case, the evidence certainly shows that it was willful, deliberate and premeditated,” Harris said, speaking to Rountree.
“You had a detailed plan to carry out the end result.” He also admonished her for showing “absolutely no remorse”: “There's no way that these children will ever totally recover from that,” Harris said. During sentencing, the record also included: “At any point in time, she could have turned back and we wouldn't be here right now,” he said.
“She has shown absolutely no remorse whatsoever for this murder. She makes herself out to be the victim -- that she was a loving mother, and [that] this is everybody else's fault but hers.” and: “I think when you look at everything, the jury did the right thing.” Rountree was led away from the courtroom and held in Henrico’s Jail East for the next three months, until space became available at a Department of Corrections facility.

A quotation attributed to Michael Jablin appeared immediately after sentencing:

“Having this over us was like a storm cloud. But we know where Piper will be, hopefully for the rest of her life. I thought possibly she might show some remorse, but obviously, she has no remorse for this, and that's sad.”

Appeals

The record stated that after sentencing Rountree planned to appeal her conviction and that her defence attorney, Murray Janus, said he would not represent her. Janus asked that a public defender be assigned to her case.

Rountree later described her position as involving an appeal and described herself as claiming she was a victim of a “mob mentality” and “corrupt police officers and overzealous prosecutors.” It included a quotation from her jailhouse interview with The Associated Press:

“I'm a victim, and luckily I see myself as a victim with a voice,” said Rountree, 45, who was sentenced this month to life in prison.
“I believe that there's something much bigger than just me going on... I'm just an indication of what's happened, of where an abused and victimized wo- man ends up further victimized by a system.” When asked if she murdered Jablin, the record included: “No, I didn't. The question is, is who did. And obviously I'm gonna have to find out sometime.”

The record also included quoted denial and allegations regarding Michael Jablin:

“Fred did not like Michael... I know that he [Michael Jablin] certainly hated me, he hated my sister, and he still hates my family,” Rountree said.
“If you look at money, if you look at position, if you look at opportunity, you know, the normal type of motives, Michael Jablin inherited ... $2 million or so ... from Fred's death. He was the one who stood to gain the most.” and the prosecutor’s rebuttal: “Absolutely false.” It stated that Michael Jablin was never a suspect and had not personally inherited any money.

Outcome

Rountree was sentenced to life in prison plus three years for using a firearm in the crime on May 6, 2005. The record stated she was transferred in July 2005 to Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women in Troy, Virginia.

The record stated she would be technically eligible for release when she turned 60. It also described parole rules in Virginia as discussed by her attorney’s comments in the record, stating the board did not have to grant parole and that Rountree’s attorney said he did not think she would be granted release. The record further described that she would be eligible for release after she turns 60 and referenced 2020 as the expected year.

The record stated that after sentencing Rountree was held in Henrico’s Jail East for the next three months, and later incarcerated for the remainder of her sentence.

Aftermath

The record described the courtroom appearance and statements from community members who testified about Rountree’s character. It included a quotation from longtime friend Lavon Guerrero:

“Piper is a beautiful, gentle spirit,” said longtime friend Lavon Guerrero, who traveled from Austin, Texas, for the sentencing.
She also described Rountree as a "tremendous homemaker" who was "100 percent there for her kids at all times."
“She connects to plants and animals,” Guerrero added. It included a quotation attributed to Rountree’s mother, Betty Rountree: “Piper Rountree” was described by her mother as a “delight to raise” and a great mother. and: “She had the ability to go down to their level, as opposed to being an adult and staying up there,” Betty Rountree said.
“You cannot take your children away from a mother and come out with the same person,” Betty Rountree said.
“It's almost like God gave children to a mother, and the father comes second.” The record described Rountree as missing her children and quoted her feelings during jail interviews: “I miss being able to hold my kids,” she said tearfully.
“I miss reading to them, I miss playing with them.” It also quoted her statement about her faith: “God works in different ways and I know God is on my side he just has different plans than I had ever envisioned for me,” Rountree said.
“I've always asked to be put in a place where I can be of most use to him. I didn't ever imagine it to be here.” The record stated Rountree was incarcerated and had no contact with Paxton or Callyn since she was incarcerated, and that Jocelyn visited her once in January.

Other details

Rountree was described as 45 years old at sentencing and included as 45 in the record of the jailhouse interview; the record also referred to the victim as 52 and Jablin’s ex-wife relationships in connection with the divorce.

The record mentioned the address 1515 Hearthglow Lane and that Jablin was found next to his Ford Explorer. It also mentioned Tuckahoe Village as the suburb of Richmond, Virginia.

The record described details about the airport check-in:

• A Southwest Airlines customer service employee at Houston Hobby Airport, Kathy Molley, remembered a woman buying a ticket on Oct. 28, 2004 and described telling the woman she had a “cute name” Tina Rountree. The record described a requirement to use a cable lock for a checked weapon and stated that the woman passed requirements and that “a TSA officer had to double-check the woman's identity.”

The record described airport and police actions:

• By Saturday night, Virginia police were trying to find the ex-wife of murder victim Fredric Jablin.
• Police called Houston police, posted officers at the airport with pictures of Tina and Piper Rountree, hoping to catch one returning to Texas.

The record described alibi-related testimony involving Kevin O’Keefe at the Under the Volcano bar and described a notary-related attempt to obtain a notarized statement.

The record included a quote in the narrative about O’Keefe from the record:

“didn't know which way was up,” Bowes quoted him as saying.

The record stated that police seized multiple items from Jablin’s house including “two cell phones, information from a Caller ID, photos, a pair of glasses and a 1999 Ford Explorer.” It also stated that other items confiscated from Rountree back in Houston included “a wig, a computer and her cell phone records, among other things.”