It has been a full decade since a Texas court delivered a measure of justice for one of the most horrific child abuse cases in recent memory. The victim, Robbie Middleton, was just eight years old when his neighbour, Don Collins, tied him to a tree, doused him in petrol, and set him on fire.
A Birthday Transformed into a Nightmare
The attack occurred on June 28, 1998, Robbie's eighth birthday, in Splendora, Texas. Full of excitement for his special day, the young boy was on his way home when he was intercepted by Collins, who was then aged 13. The assault was, according to a later deathbed testimony, a brutal attempt to silence Robbie. Collins allegedly feared the boy would reveal that he had raped him just two weeks prior.
Miraculously, Robbie survived the initial attack despite suffering third-degree burns over 99% of his body. His mother, Colleen, discovered him after he managed to stumble from the woods. At the hospital, doctors held little hope; only the soles of his feet were untouched by the flames. The burns were so severe that they left what his mother described as a "perfect outline" of her son's body scorched into the tree.
A Decade of Suffering and a Final Testimony
Robbie Middleton endured more than 150 surgeries and countless skin grafts over the next ten years. His resilience and positive attitude in the face of unimaginable pain astonished his family. However, the extensive damage led to the development of skin cancer, to which he ultimately succumbed in April 2011, at the age of 20.
Seventeen days before his death, Robbie recorded a crucial 27-minute video testimony. In this harrowing footage, he explicitly named Don Collins as his attacker and detailed the sexual assault that preceded the fire. This evidence became pivotal. Collins, who had avoided charges for years and was already in prison for sexually assaulting another eight-year-old boy, was subsequently charged with felony murder.
Justice Served After a Long Wait
In February 2015, a jury found Don Collins guilty. He received the maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. Outside the courtroom, Robbie's mother, Colleen, spoke of her relief and her lasting memory of Collins's "cold" and "expressionless" eyes even as a child.
Prior to the criminal trial, in a separate civil case, Robbie's parents were awarded a symbolic $150 billion in damages. Colleen Middleton stated they never expected to receive the money, but the staggering sum represented a recognition of the immense value of their son's life and the unimaginable wrong done to him.
As we mark over a decade since the conviction, the case remains a stark reminder of the depths of human cruelty and the extraordinary courage of a victim who ensured his attacker faced justice, even from his deathbed.
