An Eastland man convicted of murdering a woman in 1987 was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
According to officials, Ricky Lee Adkins pleaded no contest and entered a plea agreement of 35 years in prison. He was convicted in the July 8, 1987 murder of Wendy Kae Robinson, a 19-year-old Weatherford woman.
Robinson went to the beach at Lake Weatherford, but did not come that night. The next day, she was reported missing by her dad, Jim Robinson. Her body was found four days later in Parker County with her hands and feet tied. An autopsy revealed that she died from blunt force trauma to the head.
Officials were able to identify a suspect in 2016, said Assistant District Attorney Jeff Swain. “In January, 2016, WPD Det. Kevin Hilliard and Det. Troy Luecke decided to take a fresh look at the case. As a result of a lot of hard work, including the use of the artist’s sketches made three decades before, Adkins was developed as a suspect," Swain said in news release.
In the course of several interviews with Texas Ranger Jim Holland, Adkins admitted that he and two other men met Robinson at the lake: "He said that they all went to Tarrant County to get beer and marijuana. When the men wanted to have sex with Robinson and she said no, Adkins said that he and one of the other men sexually assaulted her. According to Adkins, Robinson fought for her life, but one of the other men struck her in the head with a rock, killing her, after which time they disposed of the body."
Adkins will first be eligible for parole in 2025