A daughter whose mother was murdered is convinced her father is innocent | 48 Hours | Forensic Files

Deborah Atro was 30 years old. She was a young mother. I didn't get to have my mom growing up.
>> My old pumpkin. >> It was this mystery that has never been solved. >> Rihanna.
>> My name is Rihanna and I am referred to in the story as the baby, >> the eight-month old baby who lost her
mom. >> Yeah. >> Hi, love. So, you believe on November 29th, 1988, this was the last known location where
she probably came. >> Mhm. We believe that she drove alone on this very rural road. And that was the
last drive that she took alive. The car is found on December 1st. I knew she was strangled and she was
found in her trunk. There was just so much unknown. Who did this? Why did this happen?
>> We focused pretty early on on Robert >> handsome >> like me. >> Bob Atrops was married to Debbie Atrops.
They've been married for a year or so and they were struggling um having issues in their relationship which
caused them to separate. We continued to conduct additional interviews, follow up on various leads
and then it went dead. It was a tragedy. There were times when I wondered if we would ever make an
arrest. Finally getting answers nearly 35 years later as prosecutors say now 68-year-old
Robert Elmer Atrops is the person responsible for the November 1988 murder of his aranged wife Deborah Lee Atrops.
>> I was just in shock. I couldn't believe it. They 1,000% got it wrong. >> The motive evidence is very, very
strong. Debbie Atrops had a new romantic relationship with a man named John Pearson. They worked together. She was
excited about it, but she was very concerned about Robert Atrops finding out about her relationship with John
Pearson. >> The husband is often the obvious suspect. However, Debbie Atrops had a
complicated life and kept a lot of secrets. >> We view this as a case of actual innocence. There is more evidence that
suggests John Pearson was involved in Deborah Atrops's murder than there is Bob Atrops. They thoroughly interviewed
John Pearson. Things were good between him and Debbie Atrops. He had no motive to commit this crime. John Pearson did
have motive to kill Debbie Atrops. He said that in hindsight, he thinks that Debbie Atrops was only with him because
she was looking for somebody to pay the bills for her. That's plenty motive. >> Hello, Rihanna Lyn.
My dad did not do this. I know my dad. I know his heart. And I know that he'd never be able to live with himself doing
that. It was Thursday, December 1st, 1988, when Deborah Atrops, known as Debbie,
was found murdered in her car next to a construction site here in Beaverton, Oregon.
Debbie had been reported missing two days earlier by her estranged husband Bob Atrops who lived about 5 miles away
on this rural road. So where are we in relation to the Atrops case? Right here is Southwest Consulman Road in Sherwood.
And this is where Bob Atrops was living at the time of Debbie's murder. On the night she went missing, Bob says Debbie,
who was then 30 years old, never arrived to pick up their baby, Rihanna, as expected.
>> I think that it's important for everyone to know that just because a case goes
unsolved doesn't mean that it's forgotten. >> Allison Brown is a senior deputy district attorney in Washington County,
Oregon. >> Here's our exhibit list. who along with attorney Chris Lumen joined a team of
investigators working on Debbie's unsolved murder. Brown says they hope talking to the original detectives,
witnesses, >> we've got videos, this is from the scene, >> and looking at the evidence again,
>> phone calls from 1988, >> might give the old investigation new momentum. >> There were opportunities for forensic
analysis that were not available uh in 1988. Debbie Atrops was last seen alive on Tuesday, November 29th, 1988. Bob
Atrops called the Tyiggard, Oregon police that night at 9:40 p.m. >> Who's the Tiger Police? Can I help you?
>> My wife uh was running about 3 hours overdue from a appointment. I was getting a little concerned live in
Sherwood. >> Okay. What's her name? Deborah. Hops. >> Okay. And what kind of vehicle would you
been driving? It'd >> be a black Honda. Bob told the dispatcher Debbie hadn't shown up after an appointment in
Tyiggard about 8 miles from his house at a hair salon called Rasmataz. >> It would probably be easier for you to
make a run down her path to you know how she would go than it would be for us. >> Bob says he drove the route and saw no
sign of Debbie. He called Tyiggard police back at 10:25 p.m. >> Well, we give it about another hour and
if you haven't heard anything to be called back >> Bob did call back a third time at 11:29
p.m. >> Bobby Arops again. Have you heard anything? >> No. And the guys have gone out. It's
real foggy out, but they have checked around the area. >> Did you go to rest and see if her car
was there at all? But there's no car that was >> there was no friends or anything. She
might have gone on to >> check everyone think of >> But the one call Bob did not make that
night was to Debbie. >> Okay, sir. Um, we have checked around the uh Sherwood area and we can't find
her car at all. >> The dispatcher suggested Bob call the Washington County Sheriff, which he did
at 11:34 p.m. and they opened a missing person's case the next morning. But Debbie Atrops would not be a missing
person for long. >> Even though I've been retired for years, it still kind of hung over me.
>> Washington County Sheriff's Detective Michael O'Connell remembers responding to the scene when Debbiey's car was
found. The license plates had been taken off, the window was open, and the keys were inside. Okonnell's partner called
Bob Atrops. >> You being the husband, >> we need permission. We'd like to search
the car. >> Okay. >> And like know if that'd be all right with you. >> Sure. >> A few minutes later, police found
Debbie's body face down in the trunk. >> She was nicely dressed, still had her coat on, looked like she'd been placed
somewhat carefully in the trunk. Police say Debbie had been strangled, and there were no signs of sexual
assault. There was mud on her coat and shoes, the front passenger tire, and the steering wheel of the car. Law
enforcement scoured her vehicle for evidence. >> It looked like someone may have tried to
wipe down the hood. There were like broad clothing swipes, like someone maybe was trying to destroy
fingerprints. >> Okonnell and his partner went to Bob's house to tell him they had found his
wife's body. A witness who saw Bob later that day told the cold case team he was
very calm, much more calm than I would expect. >> It wasn't consistent with a grieving,
aranged husband. Debbiey's stepfather, Ed Holland, says her mother, Gloria, who was close to Debbie, was overwhelmed
with grief. >> She broke down and I held her. That's all I could do. She just laid there
sobbing. >> Police searched outside Bob's home for any further clues. The driveway was a mix of mud, dirt, and
gravel, and it looked like her car may have driven through some of the mud. Bob had said Debbie was last there about a
week before her murder. Police took photos at the tire tracks outside his house and collected soil from his
driveway and lawn, >> just to make sure we weren't missing anything. >> Police never found any tire tracks that
match Debbie's car on Bob's property. Yet, Bob Atrops was an obvious suspect. But he wasn't the only man in Debbie's
life. Since she had moved out 5 months before, Debbie had been dating, and those relationships were complicated.
>> Debbie had very good taste and was a good judge of people, but a terrible judge of men. Every man that she seemed
to hook up with was a problem. So, you're always sort of by his side, right? >> Always.
>> It was great growing up with my dad. He was an amazing dad. >> From your little girl, did you get this?
>> Do you have memories of him being hands-on? Yeah, my dad was very hands-on. I knew that I was his number
one. >> Thank you for being the nicest daddy there could ever be. >> I remember being at my grandpa's house
with my cousin, going through old photo albums and finding a picture of this woman and I was like, "Who's that?" And
she just kind of was like, "That's your mom." From that point on, I always remember knowing the story.
Debbie Atrop's daughter, Rihanna Stevens, says she learned about her mother's murder when she was 6 or 7
years old. She says growing up, her dad only shared fond memories of her mom. >> I didn't know that they had separated.
Anything that I had ever heard about her was always good from him. >> But things were not always good in Bob
and Debbie's marriage. Debbiey's stepfather, Ed Holland, remembers meeting Bob, a construction product
salesman. and talking to Debbie's mother about how quickly Bob and Debbie walked
down the aisle. >> They were still in a courtship when they got married. I said to Gloria, I said,
"This is way too fast." She says, "Well, if they're in love, why not?" >> Debbie's friend, Darlene Lufkin, says
like Ed, she was not confident the relationship had a strong foundation. How long did they know each other?
>> Just a few months, it seems like. It takes time to get to know someone and I don't think she really knew Bob yet.
>> Bob and Debbie got married in June 1987 and adopted Rihanna the following March.
>> Hello Rihanna. >> Because of conflicts in their marriage just a few months after bringing Rihanna
home. Debbie moved into her own apartment in Salem 30 miles away from Bob. Investigators say Debbie had soon
reconnected with an old boyfriend, Jeff Reeberg. >> You said he was the one for her. Perhaps
>> that's the one she kept wanting to go back to. She really, really liked him, and I don't think he was just ready for
that kind of relationship yet. >> By September 1988, Debbie had a new boyfriend, a man she met at work named
John Pearson. John was separated from his wife and had two young boys. But I remember she was on the phone at my
house once with him. She handed me the phone and he said how much she was looking forward to meeting me and the
girls. When Debbie was uh seeing people, for some reason, she wanted them to meet
me and my girls. Darlene says she and Debbie had grown close in their 20s when Darlene was a single mom.
>> She's really the only friend I had that enjoyed spending time with my daughters
and I treasured that. In that autumn of 1988, although Debbie was dating John, she stayed in touch with Jeff Freeberg
and he loaned Debbie $8,000. He had lent her money to buy a car. Could there have been motive in that?
>> He was wealthy. Um, so I think he was happy to help Debbie. >> Back in 1988, detectives had asked
Freeberg for his alibi on the night Debbie was last seen alive. And he said he was home, except for going out
briefly to get some dinner. He seemed very straightforward, didn't hesitate to answer our questions,
didn't seem to be hiding anything. >> Police had also questioned John Pearson, who said he was with his children and
his aranged wife that night. Pearson knew about Debbie's hair appointment and gave detectives a detailed description
of many items inside her car. John Pearson told police back then that there was a Burger King bag as well as a box
with cranberries and a child car seat. Seems like a lot of details about the car.
>> Pearson also said there wasn't enough room in the trunk for a body and that stuff would have to be taken out. But
Detective Okonnell says Pearson had seemed truthful back in 1988. >> It was mostly accessible. didn't appear
to um be trying to throw us off or anything. >> And prosecutors Chris Luman and Allison
Brown say there is an innocent reason John Pearson knew so much about Debbie's car.
>> They were seeing each other every day. I mean, something to look into for for
sure, which is why they did multiple interviews of John Pearson and a polygraph in 1988. Um,
>> and did he pass the polygraph? >> He did. And he was willing to do it and basically do everything that they asked
him to do. Bob Atrops hired a lawyer a week after Debbie's body was found and declined to
take a polygraph. Detective Okonnell says Bob did not seem very worried about finding out who killed his wife.
>> He was kind of removed, just kind of distant. >> Okonnell and his partner looked into the
calls Bob said he made the night Debbie went missing. There was no friends or anything she might have gone to check
to think of. >> Bob told detectives he called the babysitter, Debbie's boss, and her
parents while he was home waiting for her. They all confirmed he did call them that night, but there was a hitch. Those
three calls were long distance and should have shown up on his phone bill. >> That was a problem. Those phone calls
were not there. By now, detectives suspected Bob had killed Debbie. They thought there was no
record of those three phone calls because Bob was out of the house that evening disposing of Debbiey's car and
her body. Police began looking for evidence Bob made those calls from somewhere else.
>> It involved checking payones. We looked at every angle. We struck out. They did
not find proof that Bob was lying or evidence connecting him to Debbie's murder.
>> I didn't like the thought of it just remaining unsolved. >> Okonnell and his partner had a final
meeting with Bob in 1990, asking him to account for those missing calls or to admit he had killed his
wife. But Bob maintained his innocence >> and then it kind of went went dead. >> When the Cold Case team next interviewed
Bob in 2022, they asked again about those phone calls and heard a very different story.
>> I'll be honest with you, uh, Bob, your story that you're telling us today is significantly different than what you
told investigators back in the day. And so my question is what really did happen.
>> We spent a lot of time together. We took the girls to the beach. >> Kick chick.
>> Went to music in the park with picnic dinners. >> It's been more than 30 years since
Darlene Lufkin last saw her friend Debbie Atrops, but she says she still feels the loss.
>> It sounds like you have really fond memories of Debbie. >> I miss her every day still.
>> Darlene, like many in Debbie's life, longed for answers. And in 2022, she got
one step closer when the cold case team sent Debbie's coat and those soil samples for testing.
>> The soil was sent to the FBI lab. The DNA was sent. >> While they waited, the cold case team
continued to examine Bob's behavior back in 1988, which prosecutors say was suspicious from that first call. He
calls law enforcement within, you know, probably 20 minutes of calling the friends and family. And to us that
seemed a a little quick. So, we believe he was attempting to get his story out there um and to portray himself as a
concerned husband and try to develop that narrative that he wanted to early on. >> Detective Okonnell says he had the same
feeling. Remember, Bob had called police four times that night. What's the Shakespeare quote? He protests too much.
It was interesting to us that he was calling so frequently and so soon. It didn't seem normal.
>> The Cold Case team also turned their attention to the road where Debbie's car
was found next to that construction site. Bob's former boss at Allied Building Products told them he believed
Bob had a connection there. he was selling roofing products. We knew I knew that he was selling products in that
area. >> In 2022, the results from those DNA tests came back. The lab said they found
a mixture of DNA on the collar and shoulder of Debbie's coat. >> They swapped that area of her coat
because if you're strangled, that would be the area you'd have contact with. >> The lab compared that sample from
Debbie's coat to her boyfriend at the time, John Pearson. is not present. >> And neither was her ex-boyfriend Jeff
Reeberg. >> Jeff Reeberg not present. >> But the lab said Bob Atrops could not be
excluded as a contributor to that DNA mixture. >> We can't say it's a match. It's just
it's moderate support that it's more likely Mr. Atrops than an unknown individual. Prosecutors admit while the
DNA from Debbie's coat excludes Freeberg and Pearson, it does not make a complete
case against Bob at Trops. >> I think it's another piece. There are many, many different pieces. It was very
fact intensive case. >> Another one of those pieces they say is the mud. >> This murder was connected to mud. Her
body was covered in mud. There was mud on the outside of the car, on the inside of the car. The FBI lab, which examined
this evidence, concluded that the mud on Debbie's car tire did not match the mud
where her car was found. However, that mud on the tire, they said, was indistinguishable from the mud from
Bob's lawn in color, composition, and texture. This is evidence prosecutors say that Bob was lying when he said
Debbie did not come to his house the night she went missing. According to the defendant's interview, she had not been
to his house for about 10 days. >> Bob Atrops hadn't spoken to police about the case since that final conversation
with detectives in 1990. But in 2022, he agreed to talk to the cold case team. >> It is October 19th, 2022. They were
thrown Bob a drops. Investigators asked Bob about those calls to friends and family that didn't appear on his phone
bill back in 1988. >> You made those phone calls from your house? >> Yes. >> Using your home phone with an MCI card?
>> No. >> Yes. >> No. >> Bob now said he had used an MCI calling card to make those missing long-d
distanceance calls from home. >> MCI card from Allied Building Products. That is not what you told investigators.
You said, "I made those calls from my home phone using my home long distance." >> But you dial in and you punch in the
code and then you can complete and you long distance. >> Prosecutors say Bob didn't have that MCI
calling card in 1988. And what's more, prosecutor Chris Lumen says this story doesn't make sense. In 1988, to make a
calling card, you had to input about a 16-digit calling card number and then another 6 or 8digit code. And if you're
frantically looking for your wife, why take the time to do that and enter all those numbers?
>> In 2023, prosecutors brought the case to a grand jury who voted to indict. I got a phone call on March 2nd of 2023
at 5:00 in the morning that my dad had just been arrested. I was just in shock. >> Rihanna says Bob is a loving dad and
doing grandfather to her three children. >> What was it like seeing your dad front
page story? >> It was awful to see the news making him out to be this terrible person that he just isn't. He
didn't do this. >> Cold case detectives spoke to Bob Atrops again after his arrest.
My opinion is you've told yourself a story for the last 34 years and you've told yourself the story over and over
and over again to the point that it's become the truth for you. It doesn't make it true, but it makes it easier for
you to tell that story. >> I don't believe that, but okay. >> What part don't you believe? Um, a story
that I created. I guess >> you don't believe that you created a story? >> No. >> Okay. You're just
are not in a position to acknowledge that you played a role in her death. >> No, I did not.
>> Bob Arops pleaded not guilty to Debbiey's murder. Attorney April Yates argues it's more likely Debbiey's killer
was her boyfriend at the time, John Pearson, than Bob. John Pearson not only had motive, he had opportunity.
He knew where Debbie Atrops was going to be. He knew about her hair appointment.
And also, he knew an incredible amount of detail about her car. >> But prosecutors say Pearson had nothing
to do with Debbie's murder. Back in 1988, he told police that about a week before the murder, Bob confronted Debbie
because he was suspicious she was in a new relationship. Pearson said Debbie was afraid if Bob found out it was true,
he would kill her. The prosecution planned to call Pearson as a witness in Bob atrop's upcoming trial.
>> We wanted to have him testify because we we found him credible, >> but that would never happen.
Pearson, who had been ill and had an outstanding warrant for a DUI in Oregon, stopped responding to detectives. When
authorities located him in Arizona, 5 days before opening arguments were to begin, John Pearson killed himself.
>> John Pearson fled the state. He was on the run. >> Attorney Janice Puracel was part of the
defense team. Police find him in a trailer in the desert in Arizona when police surround that trailer.
He ends his life rather than coming back to Oregon to answer questions about Debbie Atrop's murder. Those are the
facts. Prosecution can spin it all they want, but those are the facts. I'm trying to be strong for my dad.
In spring 2025, Robert Atrop's murder trial began here at the Washington County Courthouse. Prosecutors worried
the jury might get stuck on details they could not explain. In a case where we need to prove it
beyond a reasonable doubt, we're not going to be able to answer every single detail of what happened that night.
>> Remember, the appointment is supposed to end around 7:15. By 9:40 p.m., he's calling 911
>> at the trial, which allowed audio, but not video recording of witnesses. Attorney Allison Brown argues that Bobs
intentionally misled the police, starting with those four calls he made to them the night Debbie was last seen
alive. He didn't tell the law enforcement officials that they were separated, that they lived separately.
So, he didn't actually give them the information that they would need to find her. Bob didn't tell police Debbie lived
in Salem until the next day. Even more incriminating, prosecutors say, is the fact that Bob Atrops did not call Debbie
the night she went missing or ever. >> He never called her apartment. That would have been the first phone call,
right? Someone hasn't showed up. You're expecting them. You call them. Not only was that not the first phone call, but
he never made that phone call at all. >> When they asked about his >> at trial, prosecutors played Bob's
interview with investigators in 2022, where he explained why he didn't ever make that call.
>> Did you ever call Debbiey's place, >> her house? No, I didn't even consider that as an option. So, let me rephrase
and correct me if I'm right. You never considered calling the place she lives. >> Not when she was supposed to be in our
vicinity. No. >> Prosecutors also want the jury to hear more about the troubles in Bob and
Debbie's marriage. Debbie's friend Christy Knapp testified to an encounter with Bob at his house soon after Debbie
moved out. >> We went there to get some serving dishes. We walked into the entry and he just
started freaking out and screaming. He seemed really, really tall and really scary. It was terrifying.
>> Another friend, Tammy Nelson, told police in 1988 Debbie had confided in her that Bob Atrops had choked her in a
violent confrontation shortly before she moved out. Tammy told the jury Debbie was still worried about Bob after their
separation. >> What did she say she was concerned about? >> Well, she was concerned that he'd kill
her. I thought she was teasing to begin with. You know, she was being dramatic. >> And so, I turned around and I looked at
her and I saw that she was genuinely scared. Tammy had also told police in 1988 that a few months before her
murder, Debbie was worried about Bob finding out about her relationship with John Pearson. Tammy later told the cold
case team Debbie had said, "If anything happens to me, Bob did it." >> Debbie is predicting her own murder. She
is telling friends and family, um, if he finds out about this, he will kill me. >> And she was right.
But in their cross-examinations, the defense suggests these stories Debbie told are not reliable. And they say
Debbie had a history of making up false tales. >> She had told different stories to
different people, and these things were verifiably not true. >> Some of Debbie's friends say she did
tell questionable stories, often about her health. Darlene says she thought Debbie might have done it for attention.
One time she uh said that she went to work out, her stomach flipped or something and she had to go get
emergency help with it. It didn't seem real to me. And there's a very simple >> Attorney April Yates says there is a
simple explanation for why Bob's didn't call Debbie that night. He had spoken to
her stepfather, Ed Holland. >> Ed told Bob that he had been by Debbie's apartment and she wasn't home. There was
no reason for Bob to call. And the next morning, Debbiey's parents went to her apartment again, as did law enforcement.
So, there was no reason for Bob to call or go there. The fact that the state is trying to make something out of that,
it's a red herring. During trial, the babysitter and Debbie's stepfather testified that Bob had called them the
night Debbie went missing, which supports Bob's story. Attorney Stephanie Poland says the best explanation for why
those so-called missing calls weren't on his phone bill is that the billing equipment was faulty. We found the
engineer and he testified that this equipment failed all the time. But the cold case team believes Bob made those
calls while he was out of the house getting rid of evidence to help him create a false alibi. and they say it
was impossible to check every pay phone in the area back in 1988. >> What was significant is he's not where
he said he was. He's not at home. Why would he lie about where he was that night?
>> While the state emphasized the link between the mud on Debbie's tire and the soil from Bob atrop's front yard, the
defense says that this soil is everywhere in the region and is as common as dirt.
>> This soil is everywhere. my yard, her yard, the DA's yard. It doesn't make us
suspects in a murder. >> Back in 1988, police didn't collect mud from Jeff Freeberg's property or John
Pearson's. They only took samples from where Debbie's car was found and from Bob Atrop's driveway and lawn. Then
there is the matter of the DNA from Debbie's coat. >> The DNA in this case doesn't tell the
jury anything about who killed Debbie Atrops. Attorney Yates points out that the amount of DNA on Debbie's coat that
the lab had said could be consistent with Bob at Trops was minuscule. The equivalent of about six skin cells.
>> And this very low level of DNA is consistent with something called transfer DNA. People who have babies in
shared custody transfer DNA all the time. >> So in your opinion, this DNA was not
strong evidence. This DNA was not only not strong evidence, it doesn't mean anything.
>> The defense argues there is a much more important DNA result from Debbie's autopsy.
>> One of the very first items that the lab tested for DNA were vaginal swabs taken
from the autopsy. >> Attorney Janice Puracell specializes in evidence that can lead to wrongful
convictions. She says the DNA from Debbie's autopsy does not point to Bob at Trops.
>> The semen came from John Pearson and the likelihood ratio is 94.66. It's an enormous number.
>> And she points out Pearson's DNA at autopsy contradicts his statement to police from 2022. John Pearson told law
enforcement that he did not have sexual contact with Debbie Atrops in the 72 hours before she was murdered and
definitely not on the day that she was murdered. But they found that seaman 2 days later at the autopsy. Everything is
telling us that that was most likely deposited on the day that she was murdered. And the defense reminds the
jury John Pearson was avoiding the cold case team in the months leading up to his suicide.
In its closing statement, the defense says the state just doesn't have enough to make its case against Bob atrops. But
prosecutors argue all of the pieces point in one direction to Bob Atrops. >> Like you hear, motive means an
opportunity. He had it all. Now, after two weeks of testimony, it is time for the jury to decide.
>> We didn't know if that would be enough or not. It's incredibly uh nerve-wracking.
>> What did you think before the jury left to go deliberate? Did you feel confident?
>> I didn't feel confident. I just because of the fear of the unknown. I don't feel
like any evidence was actually given that proves my dad did this because he didn't. There is no evidence that he did
this. >> On April 17th, 2025, the jury reached a decision. >> It was 6 hours that they were
deliberating. We thought that that was a quick verdict and that could be a good thing.
>> My understanding the jury has a verdict in this case. Is that correct? Okay. >> To the charge of murder in the second
degree, the jury has found the defendant guilty. >> Guilty. 37 years after her death, Robert
Atrops was found guilty of murdering Debbie Atrops. It was like the room went dead silent
and everything was still in that moment. >> We all crumbled. We are grieving someone that is still
alive. >> Were you able to say anything to your father in that moment right after?
>> No. I >> hug him. Nothing. >> I haven't been able to hug my dad in over 2 years.
>> We had so many family and friends of Bob behind us. It was really hard for them
especially to see this happen to their loved one. Could see it's hard for you, too.
>> It is hard. It's hard to have an innocent client get convicted. >> Prosecutors say they're glad that
justice was served. >> This case took 37 years to finally be resolved. Are you satisfied that we know
the truth about what happened to Debbie Atrops? >> Yeah, absolutely. There's no other
people, no other suspects, no one else with the motive. We feel absolutely 100% sure that he's the one who committed
this crime. >> Prosecutors are confident the investigation proved the other men in
Debbie's life, including Jeff Freeberg, were not involved in her murder. Freeberg declined our request to comment
on the case. >> There just really wasn't any information that pointed in the direction of Jeff
Freeberg. He gave his DNA freely. There really just wasn't any motive evidence or anything else that caused him to be a
significant suspect. >> And they say John Pearson's suicide was an unrelated tragedy.
>> He had an open criminal case. I believe he he thought they were there to arrest
him for this misdemeanor warrant and and took his life. >> There was quite a bit of investigation
that was done by our detective after he committed suicide to to show it had nothing to do with a guilt for Debbie's
murder. When 48 Hours reached out in 2025, Pearson's lawyer declined to comment on the case. Prosecutors say
Pearson's family told them he had wanted to testify at Bob's trial. >> I thought that it would be important for
him to relay all the things he knew, including those statements that Debbie made back in 1988, that Bob's going to
kill me if he finds out about us. As for the defense's argument that Debbie had a
history of making up stories, prosecutors say this is unfortunately consistent with life inside an abusive
relationship. >> When someone's going through a domestic violence situation, they are in a way
living a lie. >> Bob's side of the courtroom was full. Did that strike you as as interesting?
>> It depends on the case. Yeah, I mean I think he he had a large support system
and it's not uncommon for people in a domestic abuse situation to to kind of go unknown as as an a DV abuser and I
think Bob was was good at that. I mean, he was a salesman. >> After all these years, Darlene Lufkin
says she thinks the jury got it right. >> I had my suspicions all along. >> You believed that that was the right
verdict. I do. I just feel that the question's been answered. Now, >> at her father's sentencing in July 2025,
Rihanna Stevens made an emotional appeal for leniency. >> When I was 8 months old, someone robbed
me of getting to have a life with my mom there to support my every milestone. 36 years later,
I'm being robbed of my father. the man that was there for all of those milestones.
I need him in my life. >> Attorney Poland read a letter from Bob's current wife, who has been married to
him since 2011. >> My husband has always been a devoted and loving father to his daughter.
Despite these appeals, the judge sentenced Robert Atrops to life in prison with the possibility of parole
after 25 years. When you lost your mom at a young age and you said now you grieve your dad who
is still alive, how do you make sense of what's happening? >> I can't make sense of what's happening.
I just have to live through it and keep fighting. She truly loved Rihanna. >> What do you want people to know about
your friend Debbie? >> That she didn't deserve this. She was a light that should still be here.
>> Do you think about your mother now? >> What do you think about her? I wonder what life would have been like.
>> My old pumpkin. Had I gotten to live my whole life, grow up having my mom Welcome back to Postmortem. I'm your
host Ann Marie Green and joining me today is 48 hours correspondent Natalie Morales. We are going to discuss the
case of Deborah Atrops. Now back in 1988, the young mother was found strangled to death in the trunk of her
car in Oregon. For decades, her murder remained unsolved and it would take 37 years to bring her killer to justice.
Joining me now is Natalie. >> Hi Anorie. Good to be with you. >> Hey Natalie, it's always good to be with
you. Um, this is one of those hours that I just kind of went back and forth. I was so convinced that they, you know,
that they had the right suspect and they then they had the wrong suspect. I just
>> I was ping ponging. I think it even for me as I was reporting on this case, it
was I was very conflicted. Even our producers, we were conflicted. But this case was cold for over 30 years. So
really, it was all about figuring out what new evidence could be presented at trial. Uh, if you haven't listened to
the 48 hours episode yet, you can find the full audio version just below this episode in your podcast feed. Go take a
listen and then come on back for the conversation. Uh, Deborah or Debbie Atrops was last seen alive on Tuesday,
November 29th, 1988. Her husband, Bob Atrops, first reported her missing to Oregon police when he
said she never arrived to pick up their baby daughter, Rihanna, from Bob's house. Uh, so I should point out that
Bob and her they are estranged, right? So they have been separated. Um, but Bob calls the police like pretty quickly
after he felt that she should have been picking up their daughter. He tells them
that Debbie was running about 3 hours late from a hairdressing appointment. So to me, this was like the first
indication. Like very early on, I thought, "Oh yeah, he's the one." Because I just it just seemed like 3
hours was too soon to be calling the police. And at least in the portion of the 911 call that we heard, it's not
like he said, "I've been everywhere. I went to her apartment. I I called the hairdresser." Like, it just something
about the 911 call seemed off. Yeah. All valid points, Amarie, you know, and actually really wasn't even 3 hours
because her appointment ended at 7:15. She was expected back at Bob's house around 7:30, 8:00. So, he's calling
really less than 2 hours after that time frame. and police uh well, Detective Okonnell, I should say, who was one of
the uh initial people who was on this case, he he said that felt strange to him, too. It's sort of that
Shakespearean, you know, that quote, "Thou doth protest too much." And prosecutors believe those phone calls
were almost to try to um make police believe that uh he wasn't involved. Interesting. Now, he does say back in
1988, he tells police that he called other people. He says he called the babysitter, called uh Debbie's boss and
her parents from his home phone, but the problem with that is that it couldn't be
confirmed because there was no record of these phone calls on his home phone and
they were long distance. So, they they should have been a record someplace. >> Yeah. And I should remind people this is
1988. This is Oregon. So calling from one town to the other town, that could sometimes be a long-distance call. Bob
lived about 30 miles from where Debbie's parents lived. So all these phone calls
should have been recorded somewhere as long-distance calls on a phone bill. So it became a big part of the mystery was
where are these calls? Now, we know that he did place these calls because Debbie's parents did confirm and her
stepfather confirmed that they received the calls. the babysitter confirmed that
she received a call. So the question is where did he make the calls from? Investigators believe that Bob maybe
had, you know, committed the murder and was dis trying to get rid of the car and
dispose of Debbie's body and that's when he made those calls as he was out and about.
>> Were they looking for I don't know public telephone like telephone booth? >> They went around and looked at all the
public pay phones that they could find. They tried to get phone records off the payoneses. But that said, you can't go
around and trace and track every pay phone in the neighborhood. I should also say the one phone call that Bob didn't
make, which was very telling to investigators, was he didn't try to call Debbie's house. Now, remember, they're
estranged. So she has an apartment in Salem, Oregon, and he never even calls the apartment and never goes to the
apartment either to try to see if she ended up deciding to go straight home. So that was very telling to
investigators. Bob Atrops explained that away as saying, "Well, I had already called Debbie's parents and they said
she had not gone home." Okay, so you know, sadly Debbie is not a missing person for very long. Less than two days
later, police discovered her uh abandoned car near a construction site and then inside they discover Debbie's
body face down in the trunk of her car. She had been strangled, but no signs of sexual assault.
So, at this point, I would think the only person to look at would be Bob. Did Did police zero in on him as a suspect
right away? You know, obviously, as we have reported all too often, the partner or the spouse or in this case, the
aranged spouse is definitely the first person they consider and they look at. Um, and they did search outside Bob's
house. They in fact u checked his driveway, which was a gravel and muddy sort of driveway. They took pictures of
that driveway. They even took a mud sample of the driveway and the lawn as well because on the top of the car, the
hood of the car, it appeared there had been some mud evidence that had been wiped away on Debbie Atrop's body on her
coat. They found mud on her shoes. They were muddied as well. So, they were trying to match the sample of mud
specifically and also trying to verify the tire tracks. Now, they never could verify her tire tracks on his driveway.
A lot of people, a lot of friends were visiting in the time that he reported Debbie missing. Obviously, a lot of
people very concerned about Debbie. So, police were never able to definitively say whether or not Debbie had come back
to the house uh based on tire tracks. >> So, then let's talk about their relationship. We know they're strange,
but I mean, do we know anything about the nature of the relationship at the time that she goes missing?
>> She was living, as I said, in this whole other apartment. She was also involved
in an entirely new relationship with a man named John Pearson. Friends said that Debbie was very afraid of Bob
finding out that she was already dating this guy. John Pearson was somebody she worked with and Bob apparently knew her
boss. They were good friends, so it wouldn't be, you know, too crazy for him to find out. But um Debbie's friend uh
Tammy Nelson also said back in 1988 that Bob Adops had a temper that he had actually uh had choked her according to
Debbie shortly before she moved out. And you know she had even told friends if something happens to me Bob did it. Yeah
those are definitely some famous last words. Um, but she is dating this other person, John Pearson, which is what
started me when I was watching the hour, moving away from Bob as a suspect. Um, he was interviewed by police. He told
police that he had been uh with his aranged wife and children on the night of Debbie's disappearance. Um, but he
also gave a detailed description, a really detailed description of Debbie's car and what was in the trunk. And it
just I know I can't even tell you really what's in my trunk right now. So it just
seems like an odd amount of detail to remember, you know. >> Yeah. I mean, it was a very detailed
description of what was in the trunk. Um, you know, John told police even how could a body even fit in the trunk,
which kind of strange words to say. He thought the trunk was too small. And so I asked the prosecutors, Allison Brown
and Chris Lumen, about that. Take a listen. >> John Pearson told police back then that
there was a Burger King bag as well as a box with cranberries and a child's car seat. Seems like a lot of details about
the car. I mean, that's not details that I don't think my husband knows what's in
my car. That seems like somebody who's very intimately involved with knowing what's in the contents of that vehicle.
>> Well, and I think >> uh we knew that Mr. Pearson had been with her. I mean, he admitted that he'd
been with her. Um, they had been dating and and was in that car frequently. Um, and then I think his his surprise that
how could the body fit in the trunk? I mean, uh, as we we mentioned, it was delicately placed in there. It's not a
it is not a large trunk and and that had to have taken some effort to sort of get
Debbie's body in the trunk. >> Does it seem like an odd commentary, though? Yeah, I mean I think they asked
him specific questions about the car and its condition and they were seeing each
other every day. I mean not only were they in a romantic relationship, they both worked at Wellins, so they would
often have lunch together. Um I think they had lunch together the day prior and so um you know he would see he would
see her often. >> Detective Okonnell, who interviewed Pearson back in 1988, said that Pearson
was actually very forthcoming when when he was questioned. He agreed to many interviews, in fact, and that he even
took a polygraph. He passed the polygraph. So, Detective Okonnell felt like it wasn't like Pearson was trying
to hide anything at the time. >> Okay. And at the time, there's still some question marks about Bob, but
there's really no evidence connecting Bob or anyone else to Debbie's murder. So, the case goes cold, right?
Meanwhile, Bob continues to live life. He raises the couple's daughter, Rihanna. Um, she's in her late 30s right
now. you spoke to her. She describes him as a great dad. He's doing and attentive
and he's a fantastic grandfather to her three children. Um she does not believe that he had
anything to do with her mother's murder. Yeah. You know, it was it was heartbreaking speaking with her, of
course, because here's a a a young woman who never even knew her mother. She was
8 months old when her mother died. So, she feels that loss still very greatly in her life. And then now she said she
feels like she's lost the only person that she feels she could count on her entire life and that was her father who
raised her. And she does feel like he is 100% innocent. Well, decades after Debbie's murder,
detectives and prosecutors with the cold case unit start looking at Bob Atrops again. And we have seen this before,
Natalie. Sometimes it's the same evidence but with fresh eyes and they see things completely different. Fresh
eyes and new technology. I mean, keep in mind from 1988 now to, you know, 30 plus
years later how much DNA uh has changed things when it comes to cold cases. There was, you know, Debbie's coat with
that. They take a look at the DNA evidence and they were able to exclude John Pearson and Jeff Freeberg who was a
former ex but he was no longer romantically involved with Debbie. However, they couldn't definitively
exclude Bob Atrops. Now, the defense points out the amount of DNA that they had was the equivalent of perhaps six
skin cells, which is a minute amount. So, they said this is like the weakest bit of evidence that you could possibly
even have. Um, and they said as well, according to the defense, the fact that they shared custody of Rihanna, it's
expected that there would be some sort of crosscontamination with DNA. And remember those soil samples that I
talked about from the driveway and the evidence that was on the car. So, the FBI analyzed the mud that was found on
the tire of the car and also they looked at the soil that was taken from Bob at Traprops's lawn and they said that the
mud on the tire was indistinguishable from the mud from Bob's lawn in color, composition, and texture. So, that would
be a real compelling piece of evidence. In fact, there became this whole part of
the trial that was all about the soil evidence. They had soil experts testify. The defense said though when it comes
down to it, it's soil that is so common place in the Wamut Valley that they're like, "How could you definitively say
that it's Bob Atrops's lawn?" Yeah. And so then detectives do something really interesting like one of the holes in
Bob's story back then is about these phone calls, right? How come there's no record of these phone calls you say you
made? So, they rein him in 2022 and they ask him again about that night and the phone calls he made, but this time he's
got a different story that he didn't tell them the first time around. >> Right. So, so Bob is a salesman and so
at the time he was. So, his now he's telling detectives, you know, all these years later, well, those phone calls
weren't there because I used an MCI calling card to make those calls. And the prosecutors are like, "No, no, no.
That just doesn't add up." Because when you make a call using these calling cards, then you have to punch in this
code, this 16digit code. It just didn't sound like the act of a frantic husband who's calling 911, but then also is he
like sitting there punching in the code to to, you know, just try to make these calls. It it just didn't add up to the
prosecutors. >> Yeah, that it makes a lot of sense. The defense however presented somebody at
the trial who said that the equipment could have been faulty at the time and it didn't necessarily record all the
calls that came through in the area. Okay. Um but ultimately detectives do arrest him, right? He's arrested in
March of 2023 um for Debbie's murder. What about the other suspects though? Because I got to
tell you when I was watching Yes. Initially the phone call was it was troubled me but later on I thought well
what about John? I mean there are other people. >> Yeah. Yeah. You know Jeff Freeberg I
think Detective Okonnell they pretty much figured he was not a person of interest. Also back from the lab the DNA
evidence the mixture uh from the coat from from Debbie Atrops's coat excluded John Pearson. However, what was
interesting about John Pearson, he had apparently moved to Arizona and was living in a trailer when 5 days before
Bob's trial, two police officers show up outside the trailer, they are out there.
They're saying, "We're here. We want to talk to you." John Pearson looks out the
window, sees them, and then kills himself. See, for me, that was I I thought, "Wait a minute. Why would you
do that?" Right? What are you trying to hide? Right. According to the prosecution, he had a DUI apparently
that he was um wanted in court for. Take a listen. >> Um he had an open criminal case. I
believe he he thought they were there to arrest him for this misdemeanor warrant
and and took his life. >> The prosecution also noted his family said he wanted to testify against Bob at
Trops. We don't really know what was going on in his mind at the time, but investigators and the prosecutors truly
believe there is no evidence that points to John Pearson in this case. That all the evidence squarely pointed at Bob at
Trops. >> So when Bob is arrested though, his daughter Rihanna is completely blindsided.
>> Yeah. Rihanna, you know, she's just been so upset at the entire process. She said, you know, she got a call at 5:00
a.m. that morning telling her that her father, Bob Atrops, had been arrested. Beyond that, she says that at trial,
they kept calling her Rihanna instead of Rihanna, which is how her name is pronounced. She was never given a
victim's advocate, whereas Debbie's brother and stepfather had a victim's advocate at their side. Um, here's a
little bit more of what she had to say. The prosecution stood there in trial and
made me out to be the most important thing in my mom's life. I'm her baby, her daughter,
but the prosecution never treated me as such. >> Um, so I asked the prosecutors about
that. I I asked the point blank. I mean, how did they feel about how they treated
her? And here's what they had to say. And and during the trial, Rihanna told us that she was not contacted by a
victim's advocate from your office. Um even though here it is, it's her mother who was murdered. Um
>> why not? >> We have the indication that she didn't want to have any contact with us. Um
that she was on the defendant's side um and that wasn't interested in in being part of our case or having contact with
the prosecution. That was my understanding. She also said that she was not informed
ahead of time when the autopsy photos were going to be shown in court on the day during the trial. Um, meanwhile, you
know, Debbie's brother had been informed ahead of time and he left the courtroom
because he knew it would be too hard to see. What do you say to that? >> Yeah, I mean, I I can't imagine how that
would feel. Um, again, her not having contact with our office, we it's difficult for us to sort of alert
everybody in the courtroom, here's what we're about to do. And certainly that was not intentional.
>> Yeah. You know, sometimes it's the nature of the system that, you know, if you're not a defendant and you're not a
witness, then it's like you don't have a role, >> right? And that's that's how she feels.
she feels that she got lost in the process, but also that they excluded her because they knew she was on her
father's side and she was going to defend him all the way. So then what sort of evidence did the prosecution
have? What sort of evidence did they present that connected Bob to this crime? Perhaps the most compelling part
of evidence, according to the prosecution, was the alleged pattern of domestic abuse in their relationship.
Debbie's mother had told police at the time of the murder that Bob at Chrops was verbally, physically abusive, and
very controlling, that she immediately suspected that Bob was the killer. And as we mentioned earlier, her friend
Tammy Nelson testified that Debbie told Tammy that he had choked her before. I mean, that right there is is is
evidence. Um Tammy also told the defense team that Debbie told her that um she was scared of Bob, especially when they
had to hand off Rihanna. That's when those moments, those confrontations could happen. And that's exactly what
prosecutors believe is what happened. When Debbie went to the house that night, he had found out about her
relationship with John Pearson. And that set it up for that night for this confrontation and and and for him to
then in a fit of rage um strangle Debbie Atrops. >> Um the defense argued, however, that
Debbiey's stories were unreliable. We hear this version of Bob, but at trial, there were a lot of people that
were there supporting him, not just his daughter. Yes, he had a lot of support, including
his fourth wife uh was there. He's, you know, been married since 2011. He did have two other marriages and divorces
after Debbie's murder. Um so, you know, but as Chris Luman, the uh assistant prosecutor, said that he can be charming
and he he knows how to get his way and how to have people, you know, believe him.
So ultimately though, the jury does find him guilty of murdering Debbie Atrops. The defense was rather emotional and you
don't see that very often. Yeah. Yeah. In fact, uh, defense attorney April Yates uh was very emotional. She said
that Bob at Trops is is in an innocent person who has been convicted. Of course, Rihanna is now a victim twice
over. That's the way she feels. She mentioned that to you. uh she never got to know her mother and now she's also
lost her father and she gave a really powerful statement at his sentencing. I'm curious about the reaction um when
she read that statement. It was it was a moment that I felt was very very telling. You know, Rihanna is there.
She's pleading with the judge to you know spare her father to to be more lenient in the sentencing telling the
judge that she and her three kids they need their father and grandfather. Um Bob at that point he hardly ever looks
in her direction and and hardly ever looks up from the table. Now the question is is he so racked with guilt
or is this somebody you know who's just being stoic and having to deal with you know this verdict and now the
sentencing. It's hard to say how you would interpret it. I think it's up to the viewers's interpretation here. But
as a parent, if that was my child saying, "I need my parent." I just can't imagine not being emotional in that
moment. >> Absolutely. Bob Hops received a life sentence with the possibility of parole
after 25 years. If he is to be released, he would be 93 years old at the time. How is Rihanna grappling with this?
>> She says she's trying to be strong and she's trying to keep up the fight, but
she's very upset. And and really at the heart of all of this, this is truly a a tragic love story. It's so clear when
you see from the very first frames of the home video, you know, after adopting Rihanna, how much Debbie Atrops bonded
with that baby. That love just screams through the screen and you can't help but think all that was lost. And Rihanna
says she feels that loss every day. And now, of course, she's dealing with having, you know, to to lose her father
in the process as well. Yeah. >> So, it's it's a tragic story all around. >> Absolutely. Decades waiting for some
sort of justice and then there are other people involved who think there's no justice at all. But ultimately, my heart
breaks for Rihanna and everything that she has lost. >> Yes. I mean, she's she's a strong person
and you know, fortunately, she has a lot of people who are supporting her through
this. >> Yeah. That's that's good to hear. That's good to hear. Thank you so much,
Natalie. >> Thank you. And if you like this episode, please rate and review us on Apple
Podcast or Spotify.

Watch "The Mother I Wish I Knew" and then catch up with 48 Hours 48 Hours correspondents Anne-Marie Green and Natalie Morales as they discuss the 1988 murder of Debe Atrops on "Post Mortem."

00:00 The Mother I Wish I Knew 42:04 Watch the Post Mortem podcast

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Deborah Atrops was murdered in 1988; her estranged husband Robert was convicted 37 years later after new evidence emerged.

Key points

Deborah Atro's Tragic Story. Deborah Atro, a young mother, was found murdered in 1988, leaving behind her baby daughter.
New Evidence in Cold Case. In 2022, DNA evidence and soil samples reignite the investigation into Deborah's murder.
Father's Arrest Shocks Family. Rihanna learns of her father's arrest for her mother's murder, expressing disbelief.
Debbie's Ominous Warning. Debbie confides in friends about her fears of Bob, predicting her own murder.
Verdict Announced. After 37 years, the jury finds Robert Atrops guilty of murdering Debbie.
Emotional Sentencing. Rihanna Stevens appeals for leniency for her father, reflecting on her loss.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Just because a case goes unsolved doesn't mean that it's forgotten.

A reminder of the ongoing quest for justice.

5:14WatchFeb 22, 2026

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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