Posted on 10/22/2011 9:26:01 AM PDT by ConservativeStatement
EARLY, Iowa (AP) Something shocking happened one cold night a decade ago in this quiet country town of 500 people, but even now, just one fact about it all is undisputed:
Tracey Roberts, at home with her three children, fired 9 shots from two guns into her 20-year-old neighbor, leaving him dead on the floor of her bedroom.
Tall and thin with curly brown hair and blue eyes, she was 35 at the time. It wasn't long before her image appeared in newspaper coverage of the shooting and even on a national TV talk show, where she was celebrated as a heroic mother who acted in self-defense to protect herself and her young children from men who broke into her home and assaulted her.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
The motive doesn’t make sense. Why did she want to kill the kid?
I was just about to ask that same question. I reread the article and still failed to find a motive for the reopening of the case.
I meant why did she do it?
Reopening the case? It was never closed. Murders don’t have a statute of limitations.
You mean her side of the story? Probably to protect her kids against an intruder. Why did she otherwise “want” to kill him? I’m not sure.
I have a different question.
What was this "kid"? (he was 20 yrs old) doing in her bedroom?
The lady sounds completely crazy. I wouldn’t doubt for a second her guilt.
She was trying to frame her first Ex. The diary was an effort to claim her ex hired the kid to kill her.
You apparently do not have a 20 year old son. They are just dumb clucks at that age. She probably came on to him. Hubbie was out of town. Did he turn her down? She had asked him to come over to do some “copy” work....
That's why many states will bring a case before a grand jury so they can "no bill" the case by voting not to indict to protect against future malicious prosecution. A reopening of the case would require new evidence.
so the kid was dispensable, frame her first ex why?
Just to be clear, what I read is that the case was not reopened, it was never closed.
I don’t get what you are saying. “Future malicious prosecution?” You mean like a defendant suing because he got prosecuted but found not guilty?????????? No such animal.
I can’t figure out what you are getting at.
” The motive doesnt make sense. Why did she want to kill the kid? “
It appears she wanted to frame her ex-husband of hiring the neighbor teen boy of murdering (attempting to murder since she killed the boy in self defense ) her and their son.
If the prosecution is correct, she wanted to kill the teenager, and during the investigation have the “diary” found which would implicate the first husband.
She was afraid of losing custody of the son she had with him...she also claimed the ex abused the kid...did you read the entire article? They had a history of contentious litigation.


Image courtesy of www.rexxfield.com © Rexxfield, LLC
She wanted to kill the kid to set up her ex-husband Pittman. There was a journal found in Wehde’s handwriting saying that Pittman had hired Wehde as a hitman - the theory is that Tracey Roberts tricked Wehde into writing it and then killed him.
Her visit to the newspaper editors’ house three days later and her appearance on Montel Williams’ show suggest she is a drama queen. Something very wrong with her history - armchair diagnosis says she has borderline personality disorder - everyone is against her and she is justified in doing whatever she needs to do to survive.
If the article said anything about the custody of her children I missed it but I hope they’re with their fathers.
She’s made a lot of accusations against different people that couldn’t be substantiated. Far fetched accusations.
The article said this boy that she shot was special needs. This story doesn’t make any sense. She’s changed the story several times, too.
These kind of wackos who just want attention, need to be avoided at all costs.
I had read it, but the pieces didn’t make sense to me. thanks for explaining.
Sounds like YOU may have or had a 20 yr old son who fits your description.
My FOUR sons, at age 20 were already in management jobs or in the Marines. My grandson, by age 20, was serving in the AIRBORNE - They all grew up responsible young men. (Sorry yours doesn't seem to have.)
I find your assumption laughable. And if you have/had a son that fits your description - well, that says a lot about you - "apparently. "
There’s an old saying that’s applicable here ~ just because you are paranoic doesn’t mean people aren’t out to kill you.
Now that is a drama queen. Poor kids, poor husbands and poor young dead man.
I am happy for you. and don’t take credit for it it is from God.
My kids had all the right stuff, desks, lamps, own rooms, pencils, Scouts, church stay at home mom. One led a charmed life and one had a very hard time. I am not yet a grandparent. I am still trying to shepherd the one.
Don’t fret about maniac. My observation is that 1 out of three kids from a good family is common sense challenged and struggles in their own clueless-ness for years.
Thanks, I can’t tell you how challenging it has been.
With him dead, he could not refute the journal contents implicating her ex as having hired a 'hit man'.
evil evil
And your despicable statement says MUCH more about you.
The poster was making a general comment about 20 year old males, akin to 'all men are pigs'.
Ask any male on this forum, if they were 20, got a 'come-hither' from a good-looking woman would they walk away? Trust me, not even your sainted sons, raised by you to be paragons of virtue are gonna do that.
And YOU, from your pious holier-than-thou pedestal, cast aspersions at a FReeper who knows your sons better than you.
Don't believe me, ask your hubby (although I fear he may be fearful of telling you the truth).
Your children and grand children will be just fine.
I think maniac’s proudness of his children got
a little clouded with my kids are better than yours mentality.
20 years old is hardly a kid.
The day I turned seventeen 55 years ago I enlisted in the US Army, I did not consider myself a kid even at that age.
Apparently, whomever divorces her goes through hell. She accuses them of all sorts of things to try and screw up their lives. It appears that she is a good hater.
What an arrogant, stupid comment you made in assuming anything about yldstrk or his progeny.
Some future DA trying to make a name for himself might try to prosecute just because technically there is no statute of limitations for murder. The "no bill" gives quite a bit of protection against future prosecution of someone who kill in self-defense.
I’m agreeing with you. I don’t understand what her motive was. And the detectives seem very vague about what they think happened.
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