Robbie Middleton was excited to celebrate his eighth birthday on June 28, 1998, in Splendora, Texas. He had received a new tent and was eager to visit a friend before returning home to enjoy the day with his family. However, on his way back, he encountered neighbour Don Collins, who had allegedly sexually assaulted him two weeks earlier.
Fearing exposure, Collins carried petrol and committed a horrific crime. He tied young Robbie to a tree, doused him in petrol, and set him on fire. Robbie's flesh burned away, but he miraculously managed to stagger home from the woodland, where his mother discovered him. According to his mother, a "perfect outline" of her son's body was seared into the tree after the assault.
Medical Ordeal and Resilience
Robbie suffered severe burns over most of his body, with only his foot soles spared. Medics were uncertain he would survive. He underwent more than 150 operations and countless skin transplants. Despite extreme scarring, Robbie remained optimistic, once saying: "The past is, well, the past. You must let it go."
His courageous spirit comforted his family, but his ordeal worsened. His development required frequent skin grafts and relearning to walk. He was later diagnosed with skin cancer caused by the severe burns.
Deathbed Video and Justice
In April 2011, at just 20 years old, Robbie died. Only 17 days before his death, after five months of skin-replacement surgery, he recorded a video naming Collins as his attacker. In the 27-minute clip, Robbie claimed Collins had raped him weeks before the deadly attack and said: "Don grabbed me by the shoulder and threw gas in my face, after that I don't really remember anything."
Collins, who had failed to register as a sex offender, was already in prison for sexually assaulting another eight-year-old boy when Robbie's death was ruled a homicide. He was charged with felony murder based on the deathbed video. Collins, who reportedly once crushed a kitten to death under his foot, had been detained days after the assault but was released without charges. When the video emerged, he pleaded not guilty. During the trial, additional witnesses came forward with sexual assault allegations, claiming Collins threatened to burn them alive if they testified.
Collins received the maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. Robbie's mother, Colleen, said: "I am sure Robert is with us and he is happy. He blamed Don, there was no doubt in his mind." She added: "I am just going to enjoy this day and not worry about anything else. I am enjoying the moment, I am very happy."
Record Civil Award
Before the criminal trial, Robbie's parents, Colleen and Bobby, were awarded $150 billion in a civil lawsuit against Collins. Colleen said: "We're never going to see any money. What we thought was please let these people realise Robert was previously, like everybody else's child, and he didn't deserve this. When they came back with the $150billion, I was like: 'They get it.' And that made me feel so good."
The $150 billion sum was the largest personal injury award in US history, surpassing the previous record of a $145 billion fine against tobacco companies. Attorney Mr. Sico told AFP: "The jury told us afterwards the reason they made this the largest verdict [in US history] at $150bn was because they wanted to make sure their message was heard."
Lawyer David Walker previously told the Los Angeles Times that Collins was not charged initially because "the case was very, very difficult, with evidence that was not clear or necessarily compelling at that time." Walker said Robbie's injuries made it "extremely difficult" to tell officials what happened, adding: "There will be people who will say that's an excuse, but the professionals here worked very hard."
Outside court, Colleen recalled her instinct about Collins: "He just had the deadest looking expression on his face and eyes and they just looked cold. Even as a little child I would look at him and he was expressionless. His eyes were just blank."
