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Whispel Gives Family An Emotional Apology

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By SARAH HUNTLEY of The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 21, 2000

TAMPA — Jon Whispel tells Vicki Robinson's family that he wishes he would have put a stop to her slaying.

On a day that dragged past with no sign of a verdict, there was nonetheless a glimmer of resolution.

As they awaited word from the deliberating jury, Vicki Robinson's family met privately Thursday with one of the two men who helped to kill her.

The session took place in the state attorney's office around midmorning, and was initiated by Jon Whispel, prosecutors said. Whispel, 21, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and is serving 25 years in prison for his involvement in Robinson's death.

After making a plea deal and giving key testimony against his co-defendants — Adam Davis and Robinson's 17-year-old daughter Valessa — Whispel had one more thing to say.

"He wanted to apologize to us family members in person," said Robinson's brother Kirt Klug. "That took courage on his part."

Klug characterized the meeting as emotional and said Whispel seemed genuinely remorseful about the June 27, 1998, slaying.

"Throughout my life, I've heard people apologize, and this was as sincere as it gets," Klug said. "He shed some tears, and he said if he could do it all over again, he would have tried to stop it."

Whispel spoke briefly about Vicki Robinson, Klug said.

"He described my sister to a T. He said she was a wonderful lady and that she didn't deserve to die. He was just shaking his head," he said.

The meeting gave Robinson's parents, devastated by the double loss of their daughter and the granddaughter accused of killing her, a long-awaited chance to ask questions.

"My mom really wanted to know if he told the jurors the truth," Klug said. "That was important to her."

Whispel told her he had.

"I felt good about the answers I got," said Jim Englert, who was dating Vicki Robinson when she died.

Englert said Whispel asked for forgiveness.

When asked if he can give him that, Englert took a deep breath. "I'm working on it," he said.

One of Vicki Robinson's close friends said she was very glad that Jon Whispel made the gesture.

"Maybe this will give him a release and help him move on," said Deborah Englert, who is Jim Englert's sister-in-law. "I think it was real refreshing for the family."

Whispel wasn't the only one reaching out.

On Wednesday night, Deborah Englert said, Jim Englert read the Klug family a letter he recently received from Davis.

Davis, 21, has been sentenced to die for killing Robinson and had asked a television reporter to deliver the note.

"It was touching. We'd like to hope it was truthful," Deborah Englert said. She declined to share the contents of the letter but acknowledged that Davis said Valessa Robinson was involved in her mother's death.

"I don't think that came as a surprise to any of us," she said. "We've always felt that Valessa was a primary participant. ... It just basically confirmed what a lot of us feel.

"We're all hurting because Vicki is no longer in our lives. But this is a sign that the guys are realizing, "We really did something wrong.' "

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