Strange Moments From the Trial of Michael Frazier

During cross-examination by prosecutor, Bill Crabtree, Michael Frazier admits buying rubber gloves after work on June 7th, in preparation for "helping" Lisa Whedbee that night.

He stated that when he returned to his car, he opened the package and put on the gloves, and wore them until after his struggle with Mr. Whedbee, some eight hours later. The discarded gloves were found in the woods behind the Whedbee house the next day.

(I don't know about you, but rubber gloves always make my hands really sweaty.)

Glimpses From the Family Album

I really appreciate the kind notes I frequently receive from people who have learned about my story. I am often asked how the kids are doing, so I thought you might enjoy some pictures from our family album. Although. Brittany requires constant care because of damage done by the Moya-moya disease and her profound Down Syndrome, she is a happy child who loves her Dad, her Moms and Pops, and her brother, Justin, and still loves to watch Barney. Justin is a grown man who has followed his dad into the insurance business and is doing very well. I am proud of both my children.

All grown up!

Me and the kids in 1992. 

 

 

Brit loves Dad.

 

 

Justin with my parents, Joyce and Lloyd.

Justin and Miss Brit.

Stay tuned for more family photos!

Rude Awakening-Story Overview

 

Rude Awakening
Story Overview

The reporters said it was “a sexy story.” Church, sex, greed, adultery, blood, a defenseless child with Down Syndrome, a geeky journalist and church organist, a manipulative and narcissistic woman, and a well-known and well-liked Knoxville businessman who didn't see it coming...all the elements that garnered column inches and ratings, spurring readership and attracting viewers.

In the early morning hours of June 8, 1994, a flyspeck of a man, dressed in black, covetous and possessed by passion, clutched a knife in his gloved hands and stood above another man who slept quietly in his own bed. In those critical seconds as the knife descended towards its target, the sleeping man suddenly awoke and somehow deflected the blade away from his throat. The cold metal sliced through his earlobe and grazed the side of his neck.

Wide awake and distinctly aware his life was on the line, Rob Whedbee engaged the black figure in a struggle for control of the weapon, and called to his wife for help. He worried, “Was she already dead, and what about his little girl sleeping down the hall?” As the battle ensued, the two rolled to the floor, and Rob, the larger man, was able to maneuver behind his attacker and clutch him by the wrists. Still the man in black continued to swing the knife, cutting and nicking the man he had planned to kill.

When Rob's wife Lisa finally appeared in the doorway to their bedroom, wielding an aluminum softball bat, he felt a moment of relief. He called to her again for help, yet she stood there, silent and ghostly in the dim light of the hallway. His brief sense of relief quickly dissipated as the man he held shouted to her, “You've got to do it. Do it now!” Stunned by disbelief, he clearly understood the betrayal at hand. He was on his own. He also knew that voice and the black figure was no longer a stranger to him.

The morning light revealed the truth of the odd tale. Lisa Outlaw Whedbee and her lover had carefully planned the demise of her husband, Rob. The case was immediately dubbed “The Tennessee Love Triangle,” and the minute it hit the AP wire, the media descended upon the peaceful, Tennessee city of Knoxville. CNN, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and People magazine were just a few of the news outlets vying for interviews with almost anyone who might have a connection to the story.

Even when the O.J. Simpson case hit the news five days later, media interest in the attempted murder of a respected Knoxville business man remained high. Tabloid news shows saw a good story and before long the cameras were rolling for segments on A Current Affair, Hard Copy, Dateline, City Confidential, and Snapped, AND for the first time in Tennessee legal history, the doors of justice swung open for Court TV, and legal pundits were summoned to provide commentary about the convoluted proceedings.

The provocative trial was a fiasco, as a sharp defense attorney vilified the victim and wooed the jury, hoping the lies that were served up would be accepted as the truth. The prosecutor was “old school” and hammered out the facts and evidence over and over. The seven men and five women, called upon to mete out justice, were confused, and after their decision they faced the truth: Maybe they had gotten it wrong. The outcome of the case still has people across the country shaking their heads in disbelief.

It's been 19 years since that night, but native Knoxvillians remember the story. The episodes on City Confidential and Oxygen's Snapped are still broadcast frequently, and the showings always elicit a flurry of emails from across the country, and even some from Europe, all expressing empathy for the man who almost lost his life that night and for the innocent children who were forever abandoned by a cunning woman who did not deserve to be called a mother.

Rude Awakening explores the events leading up to the crime, the bizarre account of the attempted murder, and an in-depth post-mortem of the legal fiasco that followed.

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.

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.