On the occasion of his eighth anniversary, he found himself tethered to a tree, immersed in gasoline, and subjected to the torment of flames.
The resulting conflagration bestowed upon Robbie Middleton third-degree burns covering an astounding 99 percent of his physique. His survival, a feat deemed implausible by many, unfolded as a narrative of extraordinary fortitude. Robbie weathered through a staggering 200 surgical procedures and unending therapeutic sessions to ameliorate the ravages of the burns.
Tragically, his life was to be truncated merely weeks prior to his 21st birthday, succumbing to a cancer attributed by medical practitioners to the initial injuries he endured. Amidst years of agonizing tribulations, Robbie's premature demise yielded an unexpected positive consequence.
In a poignant 17-minute video recorded shortly before his passing, he identified the individual he believed had ignited the inferno in Splendora, Texas, back in 1998. Moreover, he asserted that he had suffered a heinous violation by the same perpetrator, a 13-year-old neighbor named Don Collins, a fortnight preceding the incendiary act.
Robbie contended that this atrocious deed was a method employed to secure his silence. His accusations have paved the way for the prosecution of Collins, now a 27-year-old adjudicated sex offender, on charges of felony murder—a charge reserved for offenses committed concomitantly with another crime.
Montgomery County attorney David Walker is modifying the charges, seeking to prosecute Don Collins as an adult, notwithstanding the fact that the crime transpired when he was a juvenile. Mr. Walker also anticipates that the additional allegations of sexual assault will not only elucidate the motive behind the arson but also account for the prolonged delay in prosecuting Mr. Collins.
"It was orchestrated to prevent Middleton from divulging information," Walker conveyed to the Houston Chronicle. "It provides the justification for the delay, rather than citing inadequate staffing or other excuses."
Robert Ray ‘Robbie’ Middleton was commemorating his eighth birthday on April 29, 1998, when he encountered his neighbor Don Collins on a wooden pathway near their residences in Splendora, Montgomery County.
As per Robbie Middleton's statement preceding his demise, two weeks earlier, at the same location, the 13-year-old Mr. Collins had overpoweringly assaulted the young boy. Now, driven by a desire for silence, he enacted a horrific act.
"Don seized me by the shoulder and doused me with gasoline. After that, I scarcely recollect anything," Robbie Middleton articulated in the video statement.
During the trial, Colleen, his mother, recounted to the Schulenburg Sticker, "It was incredibly challenging to comprehend what my eyes beheld. All his hair was singed, and there was dangling skin around his ankles. Later, I walked to the tree where it occurred. There was an indelible outline of Robbie’s body scorched into the bark."
Surprisingly, Don Collins remained unprosecuted for this crime, although police records indicate his detention following statements only someone present at the scene could have made. In 2001, at the age of 16, Collins was incarcerated for sexually assaulting an eight-year-old boy.
Robbie Middleton's resultant third-degree burns on 99 percent of his body consigned the young lad to spend the majority of his life in a specialized unit at Shriners Burn Hospital in Galveston.
The grueling rehabilitation, entailing over 200 surgeries and skin grafts, was agonizing. However, his mother attested that he never succumbed to self-pity or anger. Colleen described how, during the initial months at Shriners, Robbie suffered nightmares, convinced he was undergoing burning again. His disturbed sleep posed a significant danger, risking the tearing of his newly-grafted skin with any movement.
"I mourned for an extended period, but eventually, Robert reverted to the same cheerful child, and life became worthwhile again," his mother shared with CNN in March of that year.
Regarding her son's decision to name Collins, she remarked, "He did it because he feared that Don might harm another child. That was Robert's motivation for providing that deposition."
Robert Middleton succumbed to skin cancer in April 2011, just before his 21st birthday. A medical examiner classified Mr. Middleton’s demise as a homicide, attributing the specific cancer to enduring skin grafts for severe burns.
His 27-minute long statement, delivered from his hospital bed, accused Don Collins of sexual assault. Robbie's scorched skin, blackened appearance, eyelids burned off, and his body resembling a charred mosaic left the jury visibly aghast.
They learned of the boy's routine endurance of skin grafts, subsequently excised to facilitate his bone's growth due to its inflexibility, before being stitched up again. After each of the 200 operations, Robbie was 'stretched' by braces to bestow some elasticity to his skin. Prolonged periods tethered to braces necessitated him to learn walking repeatedly.
In 2011, Colleen and her husband Bobby prevailed in a civil lawsuit against Don Collins, securing a monumental $150 billion, the most substantial settlement in U.S. history.
Attorney Craig Sico clarified that the punitive damage award is symbolic, with no expectations of the Middleton family receiving any payment. At the time of the lawsuit, Mrs. Middleton articulated to ABC, "We only sought justice. It tells me that they understood he was a precious human being who didn't deserve what happened to him."
Neither Collins nor any representative appeared for him during the civil trial. Following the filing of murder charges in September, Montgomery County attorney David Walker subsequently dismissed them, replacing them with a new charge of felony murder.
Colleen Middleton expressed support for dismissing the murder charge, asserting, "Our lawyers perceive this as a strategic move, one that is heading in the right direction."
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