One of 2 bodies found in barrels on Kansas farm may be missing Polish immigrant, prosecutor says

Robinson was arrested in Olathe, Kansas, on Friday

Police fear there may be 9 victims

June 8, 2000
Web posted at: 9:49 p.m. EDT (0149 GMT)

In this story: Incriminating evidence found, sheriff says Missing persons cases date from '80s Prosecutor: Suspect had 'dysfunctional' marital relationship Internet encounters turned rough RELATED STORIES, SITES

LA CYGNE, Kansas (CNN) -- One of five women found bludgeoned to death and stuffed into barrels in two states may be a missing Polish immigrant who had a relationship with the suspect in those killings, an official said.

Johnson County (Kansas) District Attorney Paul Morrison said Thursday one of two bodies found Saturday on a rural Kansas farm owned by John Edward Robinson Sr. may be that of 22-year-old Izabela Lewicka , who police said was last seen last fall.

Lewicka was believed to have been dating Robinson and possibly working for him as well, Morrison said.

The other body found buried in a 55-gallon barrel on the 16.5-acre plot Robinson owns in La Cygne, Kansas, south of Kansas City, was identified Wednesday as 28-year-old Suzette Trouten, of Newport, Michigan.

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Three other bodies, also in barrels, were found Monday in a storage unit rented by Robinson in Raymore, Missouri, about 30 miles away.

Those bodies were badly decomposed, and authorities have not been able to determine their identities, said Cass County, Missouri, Prosecutor Chris Koster .

Incriminating evidence found, sheriff says

Robinson, 56, is being held in the Johnson County Jail on $5-million bond on unrelated sexual assault charges after being arrested Friday. Police said he may also be linked to the disappearances in the 1980s of three other women and a 5-month-old baby.

"I'm not going to say that I think he's killed nine people," said Morrison. "What I'm going to say is he's certainly a suspect in all nine of those cases. We know that we've got five bodies; we know that all nine people have links to him, and you can probably draw your own conclusions."

Byron Cerrillo, a Johnson County public defender representing Robinson, said that if any homicide charges are filed, his client would plead innocent.

"We have not even been to court yet, and we're already being called names such as 'serial killers.' I resent that," Cerrillo said.

Investigators searched Thursday for more evidence and victims under a trailer on Robinson's farm, which he used as a weekend retreat.

Linn County (Kansas) Sheriff Marvin Stites said incriminating evidence was found at the farm Wednesday, but he would not give details.

Crews drained a pond on the property on Wednesday. No bodies were found, but a pickup truck was recovered. "We're still working on that," Stites said. "We believe there are some ties [with the pickup] to this case."

Missing persons cases date from '80s

Robinson is suspected of trawling the Internet as a "slavemaster" looking for sadomasochistic sex, authorities said.

Reacting to reports that Robinson used the Internet to lure victims with promises of sadomasochistic sex, Morrison said only one victim, Trouten, has been shown to have met the suspect through that connection.

"The Internet didn't even exist when some of those people were reported missing," he said.

Paula Godfrey , 19, was reported missing in September 1984. Lisa Stasi , 19, and her 5-month-old baby, Tiffany , were reported missing in January 1985. Katherine Clampet, 27, was reported missing in June 1987.

All three lived in Overland Park, Kansas, and had job-related links to Robinson, authorities said.

The officials said they do not believe any of those women were the victims found in the barrels. They said that if the women were killed in the 1980s, finding remains would be very difficult.

Officials said Wednesday that Robinson may have posed as an employer. Robinson had spent time in jail, Morrison said, but he would not elaborate.

Authorities remove one of the barrels found at the 16.5-acre property

Morrison said all the missing persons cases "were investigated intensively in the 1980s" but "because of facts that I cannot discuss today, the cases were never successfully resolved."

Prosecutor: Suspect had 'dysfunctional' marital relationship

Robinson now faces charges of aggravated sexual battery against a female less than 16-years-old, and theft, officials at the Johnson County Jail said. He was arrested last weekend after two women who met him via the Internet told police he had hurt them.

"I've talked to Mr. Robinson, he denies the charges. [He] will be entering pleas of not guilty," Cerrillo said.

Robinson's next court appearance on those charges is June 15.

Authorities began a covert investigation of Robinson in early March, when Trouten was reported missing, Morrison said.

Morrison described Robinson's relationship with his wife as "dysfunctional," and said the woman left the city after being interviewed by police about her husband's activities.

"I think the wife has been cooperative up to this point, and we have no reason to believe other family members are involved in this," Morrison said.

Thursday, a family spokesman said relatives do not recognize the person they've heard described on television and in the newspapers.

"The John Robinson we know has always been a loving and caring husband and father, the type of parent that has never missed a sporting event, a school function, or miss an opportunity to be there for his family," Kelly Ryan read from a family statement.

"We have never seen any behavior that would have led us to believe that anything we are now hearing could be possible," Ryan said.

Internet encounters turned rough

Robinson is in jail in Olathe, Kansas, on $5 million bail.

The charges filed against him are in connection with allegations made by two women who said they were attacked in separate encounters after corresponding with Johnson on the Internet.

According to authorities: