150: Consensual Murder & Horror at Dollar General

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It was the mid-90’s and Sharon Lopatka was super into the brand spankin’ new world wide web. She launched a handful of online businesses. She chatted with newfound friends. She also explored her sexuality. The anonymity of the internet allowed Sharon to discuss some pretty kinky stuff. She went into chat rooms, looking for men to torture her to death. Some said yes, but backed away when the conversation shifted from fantasy to logistics. Then, Sharon found a guy who wasn’t scared. His name was Robert “Bobby” Glass.

Then Brandi tells us a horrifying tale that took place right across from her salon. Robin Bell was the manager of a Dollar General in Bonner Springs, Kansas. One night in November of 2005, she planned to work late. The district manager was coming the next day, and she wanted the store to look perfect. But when her husband, Don, woke up in the middle of the night and found that Robin wasn’t in bed with him, he knew something had to be wrong. He drove straight to the Dollar General, using the exact route Robin should have taken back home. But he didn’t find her car along the side of the road. He found it in the store’s parking lot.

And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Brandi copies and pastes from the best sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases.

In this episode, Kristin pulled from:
“A date with death,” by Rachael Bell for the Crime Library
“Killer of Carroll woman dies in N.C. prison,” by Sheridan Lyons for the Baltimore Sun
“Take my life -- please,” Raleigh News and Observer, November 3, 1996

In this episode, Brandi pulled from:
“A year later, family still wondering who killed Tonganoxie woman” by Jesse Truesdale, The Tonganoxie Mirror
“Bonner murder leaves lasting impression” by Nicole Kelley, The Basehor Sentinel
“Family attends hearing in murder case” by Bobbi Mlynar, The Emporia Gazette
“Jurors view grisly video of Dollar General crime scene” by Jesse Truesdale, The Basehor Sentinel
“Dollar General killers receive life in prison” by Nicole Kelley, The Chieftain
“Third defendant in 2005 Dollar General murder gets maximum juvenile sentence” by Nicole Kelley, The Lawrence Journal-World
“State v. Haberlein” caselaw.findlaw.com
“State v. Backus” caselaw.findlaw.com