Brenda Robinson
On the evening of Sept. 19, 1995 Brenda and her son had gone to bed around 11:00 p.m., to be awakened by someone banging on the back door. She got up to see who it was at that time of night. There was a man at the back door stating that his vehicle was broke down and he needed to use the phone. She would not let him in but made a call for him. The man on the other end of the line did not know who this person was.
When he finally left the back door she called the police and requested that they come and check this out. They had stated that they would. Feeling confident that this would be taken care of she returned to bed. About an hour later she was awakened again by the front door slamming. She got up and went to see what the noise was. She was confronted by the same man that had been at her door earlier in the evening. This time he was in her kitchen holding a butcher knife.
After being in the home for approximately 3 hours torturing the victim, he then tied her up attempted to rape her and then stabbed her in excess of 40 times in the back, and then cut her throat in numerous places. She believed that he was trying to decapitate her. When he left he thought she was dead. Both her lungs were collapsed so he was unable to see her breathing.
Police soon arrested a suspect, Douglas Leo DeSilva. He was back at Robinson's home, when the police stopped him he told them he had been burning a candle and praying for her. He was later arrested and held in the Sussex County Correctional Institute pending trial.
Two days before the trial date Robinson was called in and told that they would be releasing him and it would not be going to court. It seems that all of the sudden there was not enough evidence.
The
Sexual Homicide Exchange
1730 New Brighton Blvd #325
Minneapolis, MN 55413
651-653-4099
fax 443-342-1277
Email information@sheprofilers.com
