Malcolm Joseph Robbins

Serial Killer

Malcolm Joseph Robbins Jr.: Interstate Serial Killer

Overview

Malcolm Joseph Robbins Jr. was an American serial killer and repeat sexual offender who murdered at least four boys and teenagers while traveling across the United States between December 1979 and November 1980. His confirmed crimes occurred in Texas, Maine, California, and New Jersey. The victims ranged from six to seventeen years old. Robbins frequently approached young people in public places, gained their confidence or offered them transportation, and then isolated them before committing sexual assaults and murder. Robbins was born on July 7, 1960, in Rockland, Maine. Long before the murders, he had accumulated a disturbing history of sexual misconduct involving children. He spent portions of his youth in institutions and underwent psychiatric treatment, but he continued to offend after his release. As a young adult, he moved between states, stayed with acquaintances, and traveled in automobiles or on motorcycles. His mobility allowed him to encounter vulnerable victims in widely separated communities and initially prevented investigators from recognizing that several murders were connected.

Confirmed Victims

• Stephen Craig Little, age 7: Murdered on December 27, 1979, in Dallas, Texas. Stephen was reportedly playing near a playground when Robbins persuaded him to enter a vehicle. Robbins later admitted sexually assaulting and strangling the child. Stephen's body was placed in a garbage container and set on fire. His burned remains were discovered the following morning. Robbins later attempted to withdraw his confession, but investigators believed it contained details that had not been publicly released, and witnesses placed him in the Dallas area during the relevant period.
• William Bryan "Brian" Lepko, age 17: Disappeared and was presumed murdered on January 29, 1980, after leaving his home in Wheeling, West Virginia. Lepko had arranged to attend a party with a man who was supposedly interested in buying his blue Chevrolet Nova. Robbins later said that the two traveled to Maine and became involved in a confrontation after Lepko rejected his sexual advances. Robbins admitted stabbing the teenager and leaving his body outdoors near Durham, Maine, after frozen ground prevented him from digging a grave. Lepko's automobile was registered in Robbins's name on February 4, 1980. After Robbins identified the location, Lepko's remains were recovered in Maine in February 1981.
• Christopher Michael Finney, age 6: Murdered on June 15, 1980, after disappearing in Isla Vista, California. Christopher was walking home from his father's store when witnesses saw him riding away on a red motorcycle operated by a blond young man. His skeletal remains were found approximately three months later near the lagoon on the University of California, Santa Barbara campus. Medical evidence showed that his neck had been violently broken. Robbins admitted taking Christopher to an isolated area, sexually assaulting him, and killing him. Investigators also recovered Christopher's T-shirt from an apartment where Robbins had lived.
• Evan Bailey, age 9: Abducted and murdered on November 17, 1980, in the Vineland area of New Jersey. Robbins sexually assaulted, beat, and repeatedly stabbed the child in the neck before concealing his body. After Robbins was taken into custody, he confessed and directed investigators to the place where Evan had been left. The discovery of this murder led authorities to question Robbins about unsolved child killings in other states and ultimately exposed the broader series of crimes.

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Confirmed Victims: (4)

Steven Craig Little Age: (7), Date of Death: 1979-12-27

Malcolm Robbins - Wikipedia