MURDERED: Robin Benedict
A discovery in a rest stop trash can leads police to suspect a young artist and sex worker has been brutally murdered by someone close to her. But without a body, will she ever get the justice she deserves?
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The rest stop where the bloodied clothes were found.
Photo courtesy of the Norfolk DA’s Office.
Robin Benedict.
Photo courtesy of the Norfolk DA’s Office.
The original news story on Robin’s disappearance.
Photo courtesy of the Norfolk DA’s Office.
One of Bill’s letters to Robin.
Photo courtesy of the Norfolk DA’s Office.
Bill and Nancy’s neighborhood in Sharon, Massachusetts.
Photo courtesy of the Norfolk DA’s Office.
The parking garage where Robin’s car was found.
Photo courtesy of the Norfolk DA’s Office.
Timeline:
3pm
Robin leaves home to buy a birthday gift for JR’s son.
7:45pm
Robin stops at a bar in the Combat Zone.
8:40pm
Robin meets a client in Boston, but is gone by 9:45pm.
10:07pm
Robin’s answering service gets a call from “Joe” inviting her to a party.
11pm
Robin visits Bill and Nancy’s house in Sharon, MA.
11:42pm
Robin’s answering service shows “Robin” calling and leaving JR a message saying that she was going to Joe’s party.
9am
A trashbag full of bloodied clothes and a sledgehammer is found at a rest stop.
The mother of JR’s son reports Robin missing.
JR reports Robin missing.
Robin’s parents report her missing.
Robin’s car is located by police in New York City.
Dr. Bill Douglas goes on trial for first-degree murder. He pleads guilty to manslaughter.
Dr. Bill Douglas is released from prison after serving less than 9 years.
Mansfield, MA
Where the bloodied clothes and sledgehammer were found at a rest stop.
Sharon, MA
Where Bill & Nancy live with their children.
Boston, MA
Robin often spent time in the “Combat Zone” of Boston, which is associated with adult entertainment and sex work.
Please contact the authorities if you have any information about the disappearance of Robin Benedict:
If you have any information on the disappearance of Robin Benedict in 1983 in Massachusetts, please contact the Massachusetts State Police at 508-820-2300.
Stalking & stalking awareness information:
For victims:
If you or someone you know is a victim of stalking, you can reach out to the VictimConnect Resource Center by phone or text at 1-855-484-2846, or you can chat online at victimconnect.org. You can also contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or RAINN’s National Sexual Abuse Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
Resources and information:
For more resources and information about stalking & stalking awareness, especially for those not directly impacted by stalking, please visit the Stalking Prevention, Awareness, & Resource Center (SPARC) website.
We’d love to speak with you and see how we can support.
If you’re a law enforcement agency or family member of one of the people we mentioned in this episode, or if you’re looking for more coverage on a case, please reach out. You can email us at:
Episode Source Material
- Boston Tabloid: The Killing of Robin Benedict by Don Stradley. Published November 1, 2022.
- Missing Beauty by Teresa Carpenter. Published 1988
- The Professor and the Prostitute: And Other True Tales of Murder and Madness by Linda Wolfe. Published 1986
- Interview: Richard Benedict (Robin Benedict’s brother)
- The Boston Globe: Tufts Professor resigns after university probe. Published June 24, 1983. Accessed August 20, 2024 via Newspapers.com
- The Boston Globe: Grand jury to hear missing woman case by Michael K. Frisby. Published June 28, 1983. Accessed August 20, 2024 via Newspapers.com
- The Boston Globe: Fund probe at Tufts centers on ex-professor by Michael K. Frisby. Published June 29, 1983. Accessed August 20, 2024 via Newspapers.com
- The Boston Globe: Missing woman sought in N.Y. by Michael K. Frisby. Published June 30, 1983. Accessed August 20, 2024 via Newspapers.com
- The Boston Globe: Benedict’s car found in NYC by Michael K. Frisby. Published July 18, 1983. Accessed August 20, 2024 via Newspapers.com
- The Boston Globe: Murder indictment is brought against ex-Tufts professor by Stephanie Chavez. Published October 29, 1983. Accessed August 21, 2024 via Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/image/437511540/?match=1&terms=robin%20benedict
- The Miami Herald: Call girl’s death puts a respected ex-prof on trial by Joe Starita. Published December 4, 1983. Accessed August 22, 2024 via Newspapers.com
- The Philadelphia Inquirer: 2 unlikely characters trapped in tale of love in Boston’s underside by Carol Horner. Published December 27, 1983. Accessed August 22, 2024 via Newspapers.com
- The Boston Globe: How Robin Benedict was killed by Jerry Taylor. Published May 3, 1984. Accessed August 21, 2024 via Newspapers.com
- The Boston Globe: Douglas gets 18-20-year term for bludgeoning prostitute by Jerry Taylor and Philip Bennett. Published May 8, 1984. Accessed August 22, 2024 via Newspapers.com
- The Boston Globe: A Letter Douglas Did Not Mail. Published May 8, 1984. Accessed August 22, 2024 via Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/image/437400400/?match=1&terms=%22robin%20benedict%22
- The Boston Globe: Excerpts of William Douglas interrogation. Published May 8, 1984. Accessed August 22, 2024 via Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/image/437400496/?match=1&terms=%22robin%20benedict%22
- The Philadelphia Inquirer: Former professor gets 18 to 20 years for killing lover by Carol Horner. Published May 8, 1984. Accessed August 22, 2024 via Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/image/174532901/?match=1&terms=robin%20benedict
- The Boston Globe: Prosecutor announces end to Benedict search by Jerry Taylor. Published May 11, 1984. Accessed August 22, 2024 via Newspapers.com
- Benedict’s killer sentenced for embezzling Tufts funds by Robert B. Carr. Published July 8, 1984. Accessed August 22, 2024 via Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/image/437427563/?match=1&terms=%22robin%20benedict%22
- The Boston Globe: The Big Grab by John Brady. Published May 5, 1985. Accessed August 22, 2024 via Newspapers.com
- The Boston Globe: Ex-Tufts professor to leave prison by Judy Rakowsky. Published June 3, 1993. Accessed August 22, 2024 via Newspapers.com
- The Boston Globe: Settlement seen in Douglas case by Tom Coakley and John H. Kennedy. Published July 9, 1993. Accessed August 22, 2024 via Newspapers.com
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