Robert Hawkins And His Dialogues with A Judge
Sarpy County Judge Robert O’Neal released a 200 page report of his courtroom encounters with Robert Hawkins in his courtroom in March of 2006, two months before Robert Hawkins turned 18.
This was three months after Robert Hawkins had attempted to commit suicide by taking 30 Tylenol, which costs about $2.50 on e-Bay.
According to a Nebraska Health and Human Services report, Robert Hawkins said he “wanted to die,” but knew it was a bad idea after he’d taken the drugs.
Robert Hawkins’ medical records, which were also revealed to the general public, showed a diagnosis of “major depressive disorder” and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Hawkins also went into treatment at Addiction and Behavioral Service Inc. in 2006, being released on the 18th of July, 2006. According to the treatment center’s records, Robert Hawkins’ reaction to treatment was “poor”, and he was “grossly negative about treatment.”
The appearance in March of 2006 was to end the Robert’s status as a ward of the state of Nebraska. Apparently, from the documents released, the judge wasn’t happy with Robert Hawkins and his lack of effort towards bettering himself.
Judge O’Neal, in fact, told Robert Hawkins that he’d be put into a house-arrest program unless he got his GED, passed some drug tests and found a job within 30 days.
Here are some excerpts from their dialogue:
Judge:
This isn’t acceptable. I mean, I don’t know why you got the idea that we ought to be terminating jurisdiction when you’re testing positive for marijuana and it’s your own admission that you’re smoking every day and you’re not in school and you’re not employed. What should that tell you, Robby?
Robert Hawkins:
I don’t know.
Judge:
Does it tell you your life is going well?
Robert Hawkins:
Not really.
Judge:
Not really, exactly. There have been some significant improvements but they’re going to go all down the tubes if you don’t make some changes now, Robby. You need to get some motivation. I will tell you, smoking weed all day and getting the munchies ain’t gonna cut it
Robert Hawkins:
I don’t know. I guess the reason I don’t really have motivation is because I do this all the time.
Judge:
Do what all the time?
Robert Hawkins:
Go to court like this all the time.
Judge:
Well, you know you haven’t been to court since December.
Robert Hawkins:
I just get sick of being on probation sometimes.
Judge:
You can’t blame that on us.
Robert Hawkins:
I’m not blaming anything on anybody.
Judge:
If you were just off of the court’s jurisdiction, your life would be grand. You’d be graduating from high school, have a job and an education plan, are you telling me that?
Robert Hawkins:
I would, yeah.
Judge:
It’s baloney. You know it and I know it. So prove to me over — the quicker you get these things done, the quicker you’re out of the court’s jurisdiction.
According to the documents that Judge O’Neal released, a month after that meeting, Robert Hawkins had failed to get into a GED program or get a job. As a result of his inactivity, Robert Hawkins was put into a house-arrest program, which he rebelled against, losing privileges on a regular basis and being forced to keep an electronic monitor on.
Ron Hawkins, Robert Hawkins’ father, met with the judge in May of 2006, telling the judge, “I’ve been doing this since he was 4 years old, and when all the professionals don’t have answers, I certainly don’t, sir. I don’t have any answers now.”
Judge O’Neal replied, “You know, there was a time when – we went a few months where things were going fairly well.”
According to the released report, Robert Hawkins’ father wrote Judge O’Neal an e-mail that stated he couldn’t fix his son’s problems for him, that Robert Hawkins would have to go his own way and learn things on his own.
I am way past sad that I can not reach him or get him to take actions that would improve his situation. Robbie is 18 years old. He wants the benefits and privileges of that age but the responsibilities and behaviors of a child. I told him I felt bad that he seems to insist on learning every life lesson the hardest way possible instead of listening to or believing anything I or anyone else tell him. I truly believe – and told him exactly this – that he has the capacity to do well. All of the things he has gone through will allow him to help others in similar circumstances.
He began arguing more that everyone tries to prevent him from succeeding, that everyone else lies to him about wanting to help him, and that all we do is wait until he gets close and pull it away. He refused to admit that it was his actions that caused these things.
It is beyond my ability and I have to release him to God praying that He will make sure that nothing happens to him that cannot be undone.
Robert Hawkins looked like he was turning his life around by August of 2007. He had gotten his GED and was applying for jobs at places like McDonald’s.
Then, as we all know, he lost his job, lost his girl, and went to Von Maur to throw a violent temper tantrum.
10 Comments »
a pschyopath through and through. There is no cure for that
Precisely Kdogg. Unfortunately it is best for the public at large for some folks to be institutionalized indefinitely. Perhaps in this case, and a few others that spring to mind, some lives could have been saved. Psycopaths and Sociopaths can’t be treated. There is a connection that is simply not made in their brain and we don’t have a way to correct that at this time. How much clearer must it be that this kid was not getting better and had no intention of getting better? Honestly, did no one see this coming? I find that pretty hard to believe.
While I believe that any parent who abuses their child is pretty much handing them a ‘get out of life as a miserable person’ card, I am very aware that good parents can turn out psychopath children.
This case is a good example of parents being clear about their doubt about their children’s direction in life.
And, I find it VERY ironic that in cases where the parents/family/friends actually TRIED, and made it clear they were concerned about their POS, they don’t end up here biotching and moaning and claiming that nobody should judge them, blah blah blah.
They did their best, and actually have some class, and probably some guilt/shame/disapproval/judgement about how their POS ended up where they did.
Those people I have respect for. And feel very sorry for.
c
I feel bad for the dad really. When you see the one person you brought into this world deterorating (spelled it wrong maybe?) in front of you it’s hard. Hell when I see myself start to deterorate it’s hard not to through my hands up and say fuck it.
Really if the father had that kind of relationship with the judge, he most likely was trying everything that he could to help his son but it truly looked like his hands were tied.
Obviously the judge and dad tried all they could and it was just a matter of time before he snapped.
Robbie was surrounded by people who cared a lot about him. His step mom Candace was an exception to this, threatening to divorce Ron if Robert moved back. Not sure which came first, but he moved in, she divorced. His mother, Mirabelle, was affectionate, but also an inconsistent, pot-smoking, sometimes drunken mess. Its hard to face adolescence as a ward of the state and an inpatient. However, he had enough support from all that he should have let reason reach him. No one deserves hell, he just had psychological problems beyond anyone’s or any pill’s repair.
can i respectfully request his name be changed from his real name to “the Omaha killer”? having his name mentioned that often on the internet is way too much, his actions should be remembered, but this POS needs to be forgotten ASAP.
ummm…someone needs to look deeper at this young man everyone talks so ill of…robert was a creation of his father and his evil stepmother…this had nothing to do with drugs for depression…it’s like robert said in these court papers…he was tired of being in court…and that is because that is where his father kept him since he was little and using him to hurt my sister…yes..i am Rober Hawkins aunt and i am telling america right now…that was not my nephew that this…it was the person his father and stepmother created…i mean he was running from them and not to them…they don’t talk about who was helping him when he got the jeep he had nor did they talk about the person that tried to help robert after fighting years of the state telling her she could not…my sister was the one behind him when he look like he was getting it together…what really did the Kovac family do for my nephew to help him??give him a roof over his head??ok…but her being a nurse she should of known that this more serious then the common people would understand but all she did was let him walk away even though her motherly intuition was telling her something differeent…u people are not god so the judging your doing right now is empty because ur are not our heavenly father
Elaine, if you don’t like it then don’t read the posts. PLAIN AND SIMPLE!
Hi. I feel bad for the victims AND Robert. This wasn’t like the columbine. he hadn’t been planning this as far as we know. he was in the wrong situation and he snapped. we all have bad moments but he went through complete hell. i hope god forgave him and i hope others do, too. elaine, i’m glad you’re commenting. i hope you heal from this
I think his indifference towards getting better and his refusal to participate shows that he’s not a saint and not as innocent as defenders of his would have us believe. Had he dug down and found the strength to survive and overcome, he would have my eternal respect.
But no, he withdrew and made little to no effort to change, instead trying to blame his situation on being in court all the time which, like the judge said, is only his fault.
Had he tried, really TRIED, to make things better, he wouldn’t be on this site.