“Since the reintroduction of the death penalty in the US in 1976, more than 8,000 people have been sentenced to death.” ~Netflix, I am a Killer series.
I Am a Killer Episode 8 – Hunted
- Death Row Inmate #990101
- Robert Shafer
In 1990, 19-year-old Robert Shafer was arrested for his part in the fatal shootings of Jerry Parks and Denny Young.
Shafer came from a large Catholic family, there were 11 children in all. Shafer was the youngest boy. His father passed away in 1977, causing the dynamics of the family to shift. Shafer began using drugs and alcohol at the age of nine. His criminal behavior began after his father’s death, most of it being petty offenses. Shafer was abused as a child. At one point went to live with his sister after he decided he didn’t want to go back to Salina. Shafer’s mother was very cold, and unloving, often calling Shafer a f****t. Shafer’s brother, Phillip, claims that Shafer was molested by a man who lived on the same street as them. Shafer’s childhood friend was also molested by this man. The man would pay them for their silence.
One day he agreed to participate in a robbery with his co-defendant. They had made up a story to put the victims at ease with how late it was. Shafer had a gun on him and after a scuffle with the victims, Shafer used the gun as a threat. Shafer loaded the gun after they had gotten in the car again. When he ordered the victims to let them out another fight broke out. Shafer fired one shot that missed, then another that hit the first victim. He walked back to his partner and fired three shots at the second victim. They worked out a story to tell the police when they turned themselves in. Initially, they were both charged with the murders and facing potential life sentences. The initial statement was not believed due to the way the victims were shot.
Shafer is described as a one-upper, he always must one-up a person. He is also described as someone who is manipulative just to be manipulative. He also has a history of domestic violence towards his girlfriends. Three years after his arrest he was found guilty of both murders. Most people believed he only killed one victim, which he promoted until 2014. Shafer made a full confession to Jerry’s nephew and owned up to his part in all of it.
Shafer had confessed to both murders in 1992 to police. The full confession was made on July 24, 1992. After confessing to police, Shafer waived his right to an attorney, pled guilty, and requested the death penalty. By doing that the full details of the crimes were never revealed in court. He was sentenced to death in two hours. The prosecutor believes that Shafer targeted gay men because he had an issue with gay men. Shafer appealed his death penalty and it was commuted to life in prison.
David Steinmeyer served eleven years for his part in the crime. Shafer seems remorseful now about the crime. He also accepts full responsibility for his part in the crime.
After reading the confession that is available through the CaseLaw link below, I feel that Schafer either had an issue with gay men or targeted them because of the treatment from his mother. From all the research I have done on killers, that there is a connection between childhood abuse and the victims they choose to kill. The aspects in which they pick their victims may be different, but it always ends up leading back to a trauma they experienced as a child.
I take issue with the fact that he pleaded guilty to hiding his confession and campaigned that he only killed one of the victims for over a decade. He willfully dragged another man’s name through the mud as a killer when he is guilty of not preventing the murders and not reporting them right away. I might have advocated for mental health treatment and eventual release if he had not denied everything he did for so long. He knew the truth, he admitted it to the police, and he pleaded guilty to keep it from the public. He knew better and did it anyway, so in my opinion, he is right where he belongs. There is no excuse for his actions, from the planning of the crime to after his sentencing.