# Re John Edward Robinson why is this modern American serial killer not more widely known? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 17, 2016, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-john-edward-robinson-why-is-this-modern-american-serial-killer-not-more-widely-known/757649 "2016-06-17T23:21:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-john-edward-robinson-why-is-this-modern-american-serial-killer-not-more-widely-known/757649/1 "2016-06-17T23:21:08Z")
There was a web ad for some TV crime show featuring him coming up but I had never heard of him so I googled his name … and holy shit! This bio is just … my God! - He should be burned alive. That he got away with it for so long is just mind boggling. > **[John Edward Robinson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Edward_Robinson)** > > John Edward Robinson (born December 27, 1943) is an American serial killer, con man, embezzler, kidnapper, and forger who was found guilty in 2003 for three murders committed in and around Kansas City, receiving the death penalty for two of them. In 2005, he admitted responsibility for five homicides in Missouri as part of a plea bargain to receive multiple life sentences without possibility of parole and avoid more death sentences. Investigators suspect that more victims remain undiscovered. Jo... ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2016, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-john-edward-robinson-why-is-this-modern-american-serial-killer-not-more-widely-known/757649/2 "2016-06-18T15:44:18Z")
I have a vague connection through a relative of his married to a relative of mine. He’s one of those super-charming types who can kind of make it so you hand-wave away any suspicions you might have in the back of your mind. We heard later that the officers who had him under surveillance said it was like watching two different people. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2016, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-john-edward-robinson-why-is-this-modern-american-serial-killer-not-more-widely-known/757649/3 "2016-06-18T17:23:57Z")
I have nothing to add about the serial killer, but I did a double take when I saw the thread title. I never would have suspected him of killing anybody. Took me a little while to realize the thread isn’t about [John _Elder_ Robison](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Elder_Robison). ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-john-edward-robinson-why-is-this-modern-american-serial-killer-not-more-widely-known/757649/4 "2016-06-19T00:26:12Z")
I believe it’s a good thing when a ruthless killer is brought to justice and then falls into obscurity. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-john-edward-robinson-why-is-this-modern-american-serial-killer-not-more-widely-known/757649/5 "2016-06-19T00:35:56Z")
No fame for people like this, please. Yes, we should be aware that they exist. No, we should not make celebrities of them. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-john-edward-robinson-why-is-this-modern-american-serial-killer-not-more-widely-known/757649/6 "2016-06-19T00:40:53Z")
Robinson simply blurs into a list of hundreds of serial killers, and is barely average among them. > **[List of serial killers in the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_serial_killers_in_the_United_States)** > > A serial killer is typically a person who kills three or more people, with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defines serial murder as "a series of two or more murders, committed as separate events, usually, but not always, by one offender acting alone". > Sentenced to life imprisonment (Anthony) > Executed 1804 (Wiley)