Wednesday, April 10, 2013

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.

Monday, April 8, 2013

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.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Grand Jury Returns Indictment

Mug shot of Lisa Outlaw Whedbee taken June 8, 1994.

On June 8, 1994, a warrant was served on Lisa Whedbee charging her with conspiracy to commit first degree murder. The warrant alleged that on June 8, 1994, the defendant conspired with Michael Frazier to commit the offense of first degree murder of her husband, John Robert Whedbee.

On August 10, 1994, the Knox County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Lisa Whedbee with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit first degree murder.

The agreed order stated that Lisa O. Whedbee did unlawfully and intentionally, by means of oral communication, command and request Michael D. Frazier to commit the offense of the knowing killing of Robert Whedbee.

Rather than go to trial, Lisa Whedbee pleaded guilty to solicitation to commit 2nd degree murder, a class C felony. Unbelievably, she was sentenced to one year in jail and three years probation.

Friday, February 22, 2013

"Mother of the Year"

EXCERPT

Rob began to sift through the papers, photographs, and documents that chronicled the trauma that had almost cost him his life and had torn him and his family apart. There it was…a copy of the fairy tale Michael Frazier and Lisa has been so proud of: A Mother’s Nightmare, A Mother’s Dream, a human interest story, featured in The Oak Ridger, a small daily paper where Michael worked. Rob never claimed to know much about writing, but he did know journalists were supposed to tell the “who, what, when, where, why, and how,”, and adhere to the facts when they wrote their stories…This article was largely shreds of distorted truth designed to make Lisa seem like “Mother of the Year.” It conveniently skipped over the ugly parts. Not only did Frazier’s farcical account of Lisa’s “nightmare” fail to mention some of the prime examples of Lisa’s neglect and rejection of Brittany, neatly sweeping those facts under some magical rug, the article also painted the picture that “poor” Lisa, was the savior and heroine, dealing with her “nightmare” on her own. The truth was that Rob and the grandparents were doing the lion’s share of caring for those kids, as Lisa spent less and less time at home, eager for any opportunity to leave the kids in someone else’s care. As had always been the case with Lisa, how things appeared was the important thing, no matter how far from the truth appearances were.

He began to read it again, choking back the gag reflex it always made him feel. OK, maybe there were some fragments of the truth. In the article, Lisa actually admitted, “It sounds bad, I know, but I was rejecting Brittany. I didn’t want to hold her. When people would say ‘She’s so cute,” I would think, ‘she’s not cute. She’s different.” Lisa’s own words, verbatim, convicted her.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Follow "Rude Awakening Rob Whedbee " on Facebook

You can access additional information about Rob and the book on Facebook, as well as discuss aspects with other followers. Input is welcome and greatly appreciated.

Facebook name: "Rude Awakening Rob Whedbee"

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

The Attempted Murder of Rob Whedbee: Why I Am Writing This Book...

For years I debated over whether anyone would be interested in reading my story…more specifically what really happened. The TV segments continue to run, and every time one runs on TV, I get emails from all over the country and even from Europe. I also began to really feel the need to get my story out there for numerous reasons.

I want to set the record straight and maybe achieve some degree of vindication…In other words, tell my side of the story, or shall I say, what really happened. I feel that the facts were grossly distorted by much of the media and the spin created by the defense, and of course, I was falsely vilified during the first trial.
I want to attempt to inspire others who have been victims of violent crimes at the hands of their spouse and others, and who have seen their families torn apart. I want to encourage those individuals to pick themselves up and move forward with rebuilding their lives. I want those who have experienced the ultimate betrayal by their spouses to know that it is possible to live again, and maybe even trust again.
I want to explain to some degree how the criminal judicial system operates. I don’t think that most people know that the scales of justice are not always equal. I trusted the system and it failed me.
Finally, I want to recognize my parents who gave up their retirement years to help me raise my children since their mother abandoned them. I also want to recognize those whose support has helped me through some difficult years.