Early Adulthood
After dropping out of high school, Robert tried the military. He joined at seventeen, but again experienced trauma to his head on at least two separate occasions. He intentionally slammed his head against a brick wall to scare others in his unit so as to avoid a fight; he also fell from bed, which caused a severe head injury requiring treatment at the military hospital.
After his unsuccessful attempt to adapt to military life, Robert struggled with menial jobs back in Palestine. But he also struggled with addiction. To cope with the constant feelings of inadequacy, Robert had turned to alcohol and drugs at an early age. His use of drugs began with alcohol at age twelve and, gradually, grew more severe. By the time he was seventeen, Robert was using crack cocaine.
At age twenty, he fell in love with a young woman who was also heavily dependent on drugs. The couple moved to Alabama, where she was from, to try to start a new life away from the Roberson family compound. In 1987, his daughter Victoria was born. And a year later, his son, Robert IV, was born. But neither parent proved capable of caring for two special-needs children, and Robert’s parents obtained custody.
Robert’s untreated drug addiction and inability to hold down a job led him to commit a series of property crimes—burglary and writing fraudulent checks. He was soon sent to prison. In prison, he experienced some semblance of stability for the first time. He began to do better, obtained a GED, and took Bible-study courses. He was rewarded for his good behavior with a position as a prison trustee.
When Robert was released from prison, he met a young woman named Michelle. Not long thereafter, their daughter Nikki was born.
Justice for Robert Roberson ©2020
Justice for Roberson 