| Welcome to Porchlight International for the Missing & Unidentified. We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| Russell,Shirley G.missing March 4,1989; Virginia | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Aug 18 2006, 01:29 PM (237 Views) | |
| oldies4mari2004 | Aug 18 2006, 01:29 PM Post #1 |
|
Unregistered
|
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/r/russell_shirley.html |
|
|
| oldies4mari2004 | Dec 31 2006, 11:52 PM Post #2 |
|
Unregistered
|
Shirley Gibbs Russell Above: Shirley, circa 1989 Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance Missing Since: March 4, 1989 from Quantico, Virginia Classification: Endangered Missing Date of Birth: September 22, 1957 Age: 29 years old Height and Weight: 5'11, 130 pounds Distinguishing Characteristics: African-American female. Black hair, brown eyes. Shirley may use her maiden name, Gibbs. Details of Disappearance Shirley was last seen at her married officers' quarters on the military base in Quantico, Virginia on March 4, 1989. She had separated from her husband of approximately 18 months, Robert Peter Russell, several weeks beforehand. The Russells' marriage was described as unhappy, as Robert was allegedly abusive, an alcoholic, and had affairs with other women. Shirley consulted marriage counselors at least eight times in her 18 months of marriage to Robert. The day before her disappearance, she picked up the final version of the marital settlement agreement and put a down payment on a condominium to live in. Shirley was a captain in the United States Marines in 1989, and was seen as a good candidate for promotion to the rank of major. Robert had also been an officer, but he was dishonorably discharged shortly before Shirley disappeared. By March 4, Robert had moved off the base and Shirley into bachelor quarters. The two of them were cleaning out their previous quarters on the day Shirley went missing. Robert stated he last saw Shirley when she left the quarters to walk to a store five miles away to buy a tin of paint. It was approximately 40 degrees outside when she left. Robert was charged with Shirley's murder after her disappearance. Prosecutors contended that he shot her to death with a .25 caliber pistol while they were in the storage shed next to their quarters, dismembered her body, then dumped the remains in a mine shaft in rural Pennsylvania. Robert maintained his innocence at his 1991 trial. The case against him was entirely circumstantial; there were no witnesses and no physical evidence. Produced at trial was a 26-step "recipe for murder" Robert had written prior to Shirley's disappearance; his mother testified that the list was part of the manuscript for a novel which had been thrown away. One key prosecution witness testified that she had an affair with Robert several months before Shirley disappeared and Robert told her he wanted to murder his wife. Robert was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. His case was the first federal murder trial in which the victim's body had not been recovered. Shirley's passport and driver's license vanished with her and have not been found. She has not used her credit cards or bank accounts since she was last seen, and all the property she placed in storage has remained there. Foul play is suspected in her disappearance due to the circumstances involved. The Perfect Murder, a made-for-television movie based on Shirley's case, was aired eight years after her disappearance. Investigating Agency If you have any information concerning this case, please contact: Naval Criminal Investigative Service 202-433-9225 OR 800-479-9685 Source Information The Doe Network The Richmond Times-Dispatch The Washington Times The Washington Post The Free Lance-Star Updated 2 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated June 16, 2006; details of disappearance updated. Charley Project Home |
|
|
| « Previous Topic · Missing Persons 1989 · Next Topic » |






7:56 PM Jul 10