Friends honor slain mother with new Web site

Vicki Robinson's loved ones say they want to link parents of troubled teens to helpful information.

By MICHAEL SANDLER

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 27, 2000

TAMPA -- Friends of the late Vicki Robinson have put together a Web site to commemorate her untimely death and help prevent similar tragedies.

The Vicki Lyn Robinson Foundation unveiled http://vickirobinson.net at a news conference Monday at the Remax Realty office where Robinson once worked.

The announcement came a day before the second anniversary of the Carrollwood woman's murder. In April a jury convicted Robinson's daughter Valessa Robinson in the crime. The trial proved a volatile relationship existed between the mother and daughter leading up to the murder.

"It has been our prayer to turn this evil into something good," said Ed Philips, a friend and board member of the foundation. He was joined by Jim Englert, Robinson's boyfriend at the time of the murder, and Gibbs Wilson.

The Web site will provide links to steer parents with troubled teens toward help.

"Our objective is to provide as much information as we can," said Philips. "That was one of the problems Vicki had; she did not have enough information at the right time to help Valessa. We want to bridge that gap."

Philips said the foundation also hopes to raise money to help needy families afford services and sponsor legislation to prevent further domestic violence.

The site was still under construction Monday and featured only the home page and mission statement.

"We should have it finished in two weeks," said Raymond Smith, general manager for Internet Marketing Solutions, which produced the site at no cost for the foundation. "We wanted to get the flavor out today."

Robinson, a 49-year-old real estate agent and divorced mother of two, disappeared on June 27, 1998. Valessa Robinson -- then 15 years old -- her boyfriend Adam Davis and their friend Jon Whispel were charged after they were found fleeing police in Texas in her mother's minivan.

In April a jury found Valessa Robinson guilty of third-degree murder. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Adam Davis, Valessa's boyfriend, was found guilty of murder in the first degree and sentenced to death. Jon Whispel, who testified against his friends, pleaded guilty to murder in the second degree and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

"I'm going to put this somewhere and move on," said Englert. "The trials were important. Now I'm going to use the second anniversary to make some changes."

- Michael Sandler can be reached at (813) 226-3472 or sandler@sptimes.com.

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