James Robarge

I recently watched a television show called Bad Blood on the ID channel and came across this case. I was not very familiar with the series myself so if you have not seen it, it is a show that examines relationships of relatives in connection with crimes. They attempt to show both sides of things and then bring the parties together to see if they can work out their differences. In this particular episode the two daughters of James and Kelly Robarge were featured. The two girls, Gabrielle and Ciera are at odd as to the guilt of their father in the murder of their mother. However, it does appear that both girls testified for the prosecution at his trial.

James Robarge met his future wife Kelly when they were twelve years old. It makes you think of the line in the movie Sweet Home Alabama, “Nobody finds their soulmate when they're ten.” But, many thought that was the case with James and Kelly. I found it interesting however that unlike so many others who think they have found their soulmate and date at a young age, the couple did not get married until they were in their early twenties. By 2013 not only were their two daughters grown but they were grandparents to an eighteen month old grandson. By then though the cracks in the relationship that the couple had been able to hide except for those closest to them were beginning to become craters and noticeable to pretty much everyone and Kelly seemed to no longer keep her feelings in. In 2012 she told a healthcare worker that she was in an abusive marriage.

In early 2013 James had moved out of the couple's Charlestown New Hampshire home and was living with his stepfather in Saxton's River Vermont. Now, let me put some things into perspective for you. When distance and time are relevant I often do Google searches to understand just how far one place is from another. It appears that both of these towns were located on the border of their states and only about a twenty minute drive from each other. In case you do not know or cannot recall, Vermont is south of New Hampshire. This is also important. So, while on the surface they lived in different states they really only lived a short drive from each other.

On the morning of June 27, 2003 nineteen year old Ciera would have an early morning shift at work. She would later say she saw her mother laying in bed when she left for her 6:00 start time. A few hours later Gabrielle would drop her son off with her mother for her to babysit while she worked. It seems that Kelly had told people that she planned to go to the county courthouse and file for divorce from James on that day, but to be fair there were many, especially those close to her, that wondered if she would really do it. It appears that it was something that she had said before and never followed through with. On this day however, it would be true. Surveillance video would show Kelly at the courthouse with her grandson as she did indeed file for divorce.

A friend of Kelly's, Lori Laird would later tell the police and prosecutors that she received a text from Kelly after she had come home from the courthouse that said “he's here.” Lori asked Kelly if James knew that she had filed for divorce and Kelly responded with “Not yet. I'm gonna tell him.” Lori would later say that was the last text message she would receive from Kelly.

Ciera says that she received two text messages from her father that day. The first asked her what time she got off work and the second was asking if she knew where her mother was. Ciera got home around four that afternoon and found James on the porch with her nephew. Ciera thought it odd that while she did not see her mother, she did find her purse and car keys on the kitchen table. Along with that the switch plate by the front door, there was what looked to be bloody water in the toilet, and a chunk of stair railing was missing. It seems that Ciera called the police to report her mother missing and by the sounds of it James had left the home, possibly on the claim that he was going to go out and look for her now that someone was there to stay with his grandson.

Later that night James would be found walking along a road near the town of Unity which was about ten miles north of Kelly's Charlestown home. It was said that his car had become disable about a half a mile from where he was found. The oil pan had been busted and there was no oil in the engine. He had scratches all over his body and the back of his hands and he smelled of alcohol. By this time there had already been a BOLO released by law enforcement so they could find James and question him about Kelly's disappearance. James told the officer that he was out looking for his wife.

His car would apparently be taken in, and so it seems was he. A bloody blanket was found alongside James' car where it had broken down. Investigators would later say that there was blood in the trunk and the car had “numerous bloody items” both inside and outside. A witness would later come forward and say that he had seen James just a bit before the officer found him, near his car wearing latex gloves. It does not appear that the investigators had enough to keep James that night and he went back to his stepfather's home in Vermont.

Nine days later Kelly's body would be found near a rural logging road not two miles from where James' car had become disabled. It was also about ten miles north of Kelly's home and about a forty minute or so drive from James' temporary home in Vermont. The medical examiner would not be able to find an exact cause of death due to the decomposition that had occurred but did list the manner of death as “homicidal violence.” Just exactly when James was arrested was not completely clear, however, he was still in Vermont when that happened and he attempted to fight extradition to New Hampshire. Technically when he was first arrested it was not for the murder charge to begin with. He had made an appointment at a medical center “expressing violent emotions that had doctors worried that he would harm himself or others.” The staff at the center had alerted police. When they located him while he was driving James refused to pull over and led them on what was described as a “brief chase” that ended at the medical center.

James would go on trial for the murder of his wife in January of 2015. It was said he was looking at two counts... first degree murder and reckless second degree murder. Both of his daughters would testify against him. Ciera would testify that the blanket found next to his vehicle on the night of Kelly's disappearance was one that her mother kept on the back of the couch. Gabrielle would testify that she had often heard her father say that if he could not have Kelly, then no one could. Investigators would testify that near Kelly's body they had found what they called an “oil smeared rock” and that the metal fragments found there had been matched to the oil pan from James' car. Another officer would testify that cell phone records showed he was in close proximity to Kelly that day.

Prosecutors would say due to the blood spots they found in the home that James had beat Kelly to death there and then placed her in the trunk of his car. A neighbor would testify hearing a man and woman argue in the area of the Robarge home. Prosecutors would also say that the blood found in his car, as well as that found on his clothing and shoes, would match Kelly. The jury was shown pictures of James' body when he had been picked up after being found walking along the road. The idea was to show the scratches on his body. One picture that was shown to the jury showed a scratch across a tattoo that James' had across his torso. The tattoo was of a heart and it said “Love Kills Slowly.” This picture would come into play much later. Prosecutors provided witnesses that testified to previous fights and threats the couple had. It was said that a year, or maybe even two, before Kelly was murdered she had gotten her hair cut and James had thought it was too short and had even threatened to kill her over this. Now, while that seems petty and not relevant in the course of her murder the point was made to see how even something small could set him off. James would testify in his own defense at his trial and maintain his innocence. He could claim that he had entered the home to find his grandson on the couch alone, crying. Aside from that I found little that the defense had to offer.

On February 11, 2015 James Robarge, while found not guilty on the charge of first degree murder, was convicted on the charge of reckless second degree murder. The jury deliberated about twelve hours over the course of three days. One juror would later say that the evidence related to the metal fragments and the “oil smeared rock” found near Kelly's body was critical in their decision.

At his sentencing hearing in April of 2015 the defense argued that James suffered from bi-polar disorder and had never found the right mix of medication to treat it. Prosecutors would argue back that the defense never once mentioned this, or any issues James had with drugs or alcohol in the trial and only now seemed to be doing so to minimize his sentence. Before issuing his sentence, the judge in the case stated that he believed that James had taken the stand in his trial and lied under oath. He would sentence him to a term of thirty years to life and fine him $25,000 in restitution.

At this point, in 2018, there seems to have been two appeals filed in the case. In both the defense argued that the investigator that testified about the cell phone records was not an expert and that the formula used was not reliable. They have also argued that the picture that had included the tattoo James had on his torso was inflammatory to the jury and that it could have prejudiced them against him. They argued that the prosecutor could have digitally altered the picture to not show the tattoo. I find this latter argument interesting. I have never seen a defense argument that revolved around “altering” evidence in any way. In August of 2017 the New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled against giving James a new trial as he had asked and stated that even though they disagreed with the arguments that were made about the cell phone records and the picture of the tattoo, if they had found that they had been entered into the court in err that the other evidence against him was overwhelming to the point in which it would not have affected the verdict.

I found the episode of Bad Blood even more interesting after I did my research on this case. Ciera testified for the prosecution in this trial against her father. She testified about what she found in the home upon her return from work; she testified that the blanket found by his car, covered in blood, came from her mother's couch; she even testified that James severely wanted to move back into the home but Kelly would not allow it, causing more animosity between the couple. On the television show she spoke of how James had a drinking problem and that he became violent when he drank. There are pictures with Ciera speaking to the prosecutor in the case and there does not seem to be any issues between them, at least on the surface. She now states that she does not believe that he is guilty and that the evidence presented in the trial was not enough to convince her. Gabrielle on the other hand completely believes that her father murdered her mother and the evidence is overwhelming, as the courts have stated. I have to agree with Gabrielle and the state of New Hampshire for that matter. I think the evidence is clear. There was evidence shown that upon returning to her home James was there and that no one heard from her after that. To add to that there is all of the evidence surrounding where he was found that evening and in what condition. I have to wonder if when Ciera came home from work and found him with her nephew and found the evidence of Kelly missing if her mother was not just outside the home in the trunk of her fathers vehicle. He had either dumped Kelly's body earlier in the day or he had gone back out to the area again later... for what? Gabrielle had stated that her son, while not hurt, witnessed James harming Kelly and has stated so. Of course one could argue that it is a false memory of a very young child or that he had been “coached” in some way, or even very innocently has heard so much about it and knows that he was there that he picked it up. Someone could have said “I wonder what he saw” and he went with it. This does not mean that I think the child is lying in any way because I do not. I am simply saying it would be too easy to cast doubt on the memories of a child at that age.

No, I think this is a clear case of murder and the right person is behind bars. The only thing missing in this case was a video showing him actually committing it.