Thanks to a deposition he gave on his deathbed, he received justice years after an attacker set him on fire. His attacker was imprisoned, and the boy’s family received $150 million in a civil lawsuit. On his eighth birthday, another boy tied Robbie to a tree, poured gasoline on him and set him on fire in the woods. Despite the flames that ate away at his body, the young boy stumbled home, collapsing on the street in a ball of fire.
According to the Mirror, his mother found him close to death, with severe blisters covering his whole body and skin hanging off his ankles. The burns covered 99 percent of his body and left him without eyelids. Only the soles of his feet were unharmed. While hospital staff told the boy’s family that Robbie wouldn’t survive, he got stronger after countless skin grafts and more than 150 operations. The boy was severely traumatized and disfigured, but he quickly became known for his relentless optimism.
Per reports, Robbie named his attacker as then 13-year-old Don, but the court was unable to find a motive and acquitted the boy. At age 20, Robbies’ third degree burns turned into deadly skin cancer. Dying in a hospital bed, he sought justice and recorded a deposition, yet again naming Don as his attacker. In this video, Robbie also made clear Don’s motive: to keep him silent. According to Robbie, just 17 days before he was lit on fire, Don reportedly raped him.
“Don grabbed me by my shoulder and threw gas in my face, after that I don’t really remember anything,” Robbie reportedly said. When Robbie died, authorities ruled his death a homicide, since he died from the burns. His family was then awarded $150 million in damages. His family took his case to court. Ultimately, the jury sentenced Don to 40 years.
