In March 1978, the body of 16 year old Pauline “Robbin” Burgette was found in her bedroom. She had been sexually assaulted and stabbed to death.
In March 1978, the body of 16 year old Pauline “Robbin” Burgette was found in her bedroom. She had been sexually assaulted and stabbed to death.
On Sunday March 12, 1978, 16-year-old Pauline “Robbin” Burgette was found murdered in her bedroom inside her family’s duplex near East 26th Place and McDowell in Phoenix, Arizona. She had been stabbed to death and was sexually assaulted.
Her 11-year-old brother Chad discovered her body.
The front door was locked, but the backdoor was open ajar. Robbin’s bedroom was in disarray, but the rest of the home appeared undisturbed.
Her mother and Chad had left town together the previous Friday. Robbin did not want to go with them. She was supposed to stay with a friend instead but returned to the duplex on Saturday and invited a boyfriend over.
In the period leading up to her murder, Robbin had dropped out of school.
She was working as a babysitter and reported to her friends that some of the husbands had flirted with her. She was facing threats from some of their wives, despite being an underage girl.
The area of the duplex was, and remains, a rough lower income area of Phoenix.
Phoenix PD conducted forensic testing on Robbin and found DNA evidence from 2 different unknown male subjects on her body.
Her boyfriend (who was never named publicly) was cleared as a suspect in the case through DNA testing. This boyfriend has since passed away.
Robbin and Chad’s parents divorced, their father wasn’t in the picture, and their mother died a couple years after Robbin by natural causes.
Chad advocated to solve his sisters murder for many years. He passed away in 2023.
The case was featured in local news and on podcasts over the years. It is unknown if police have done any work on the case in recent years.
Sources
2016 12 News feature with Chad Burgette
