In the quiet, rural community of Mars Hill, Alabama, a gruesome discovery shattered the winter calm on January 3, 1980. A concerned family member, Verlin Roberts, arrived at the modest farmhouse of her elderly siblings to find a scene of unimaginable horror. Inside, lay the bodies of three of her siblings: 79-year-old James Columbus “Lum” Roberts, 77-year-old Mae Bell Roberts, and 64-year-old Floy I. V. Roberts. All had been shot, and one of the sisters also showed signs of being struck on the head.
Her brother, 72-year-old Walter Mack Roberts, a male, was found clinging to life, having been shot five times. He was rushed to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries a few days later, unable to provide any information about the attack. The initial investigation pointed towards a robbery, as a trunk believed to contain a large sum of money was missing from the home. However, it was later rumored that the trunk contained only a small amount of cash, leaving the true motive shrouded in mystery.
The investigation into the quadruple homicide, which became known as the Mars Hill Murders, was extensive, involving multiple law enforcement agencies. Despite their efforts, no arrests were ever made directly for the murders, and the case officially remains unsolved. Over the years, a web of intrigue and violence surrounded the case, with several individuals believed to have knowledge of the crime meeting violent or mysterious ends.
Two men, Carlton Deas and Roy Harris, were considered by the sheriff to have intimate knowledge of the killings. Before he could be formally questioned, Deas took his own life, reportedly telling his wife he had done something terrible that he could not live with. Harris was later found murdered, shot in the head. A sawed-off shotgun and a. 38 revolver, believed to be the murder weapons, were eventually recovered. This led to indictments against several other individuals on charges of perjury and hindering prosecution, but no one was ever convicted for the murders of the Roberts family. The case continues to be a dark chapter in the history of Cleburne County, a chilling tale of a family senselessly slaughtered in their own home, with justice remaining elusive.
