Justice?

After surviving the attempt on his life, Rob Whedbee knew he had to carry on with life. There was no time for getting caught in the mire of the trauma he had suffered from the cunning manipulation of his wife and the attempt on his life. He had two children to care for and a living to make, and so he carried forward with determination, encouraged by the support of his family and friends. He believed his wife and her lover would be appropriately dealt with by the legal system and face a punishment fitting of their crimes. He was ill-prepared for what transpired in the halls of justice.

The defense presented lie after lie with no pretense of evidence. Suddenly, he was no longer the victim as he was defamed and vilified as some kind of mad monster. He beat his wife, he repeatedly raped her, he abused the children...The assassination of his character continued day after day as the jury hung on every word spewed by the defense. Rob learned that the scales of justice are not balanced, and facts and evidence are not enough. It seemed the truth didn't matter if you told a good lie. That fact would haunt him for years.

A Knife in the Night

Rob Whedbee testifies in the trial of Michael Frazier about waking up to see a black figure standing over him with a butcher knife poised to plunge into his throat. Had Whedbee awakened a few seconds later, the knife would have most likely struck a fatal blow; however, Whedbee was able to deflect the knife which cut his ear and scraped the side of his throat. Frazier continued trying to stab Rob, cutting and nicking his arms and chest, until Whedbee was able to roll out of bed onto the floor, pulling Frazier in front of him in a bear hug and grasping his wrists to ward off any serious blows.  During the struggle, the knife became slick with Whedbee's blood and he sustained a cut to the hand that severed an artery. Although his injuries were relatively minor, the trauma of the terrifying attack left a lasting impression on Mr. Whedbee. It would be years before he would ever sleep easy again. Throughout the struggle, Whedbee continued to call to his wife for assistance, and felt some relief when she appeared at the bedroom door grasping an aluminum bat. He quickly learned she was not there to help him when the figure in black shouted, "You've got to do it. Do it now." Rob knew then his only hope was to get out of that room and try to get some help.

Meet My Writing Partner

I thought it was time to introduce my partner in my endeavor to bring Rude Awakening to life, and finally share the story of what really happened related to the attempt by my ex-wife Lisa Whedbee and her lover, Michael Frazier, to murder me. The book chronicles the years preceding the attempt on my life, the traumatic event, and the legal fiasco that followed.

Sheree Ann Martines

Sheree Ann Martines has logged more than two decades as a successful marketing-communications professional with emphasis in the non-profit arena where her writing and speaking skills were honed and diversely employed across all media.

A writer since childhood and a contributor to National Public Radio, Sheree has been published in numerous magazines and newspapers. She has also won several awards for her poetry and essays. For more than six years she has maintained a blog on living with bipolar disorder. She is a passionate advocate for advancement in the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illness, and for animal adoption and rescue.

Fascinated by forensics and true crime, she was intrigued by Rob Whedbee’s story after viewing several crime shows that featured the attempt on his life. She knew there was so much more to the story, and believed it needed to be told. After numerous discussions with Mr. Whedbee and a trip to Knoxville in October to meet, they agreed to join forces to write this book.

 

In March, Sheree spent almost two weeks in Knoxville conducting research for the book, and interviewing law enforcement officials, the attorneys, family members, witnesses, jurors, and journalists involved in the story. She returned home with more than 2000 pages of legal documents from the case and four legal pads filled with notes from her interviews.

Ms. Martines is an avid outdoors woman, loving camping, white water rafting, and “digging in the dirt.” She calls the foothills of North Carolina home.