Murder of Ervin “Shorty” Robinson by devious wife Neola Robinson remained unsolved for 3 years

Fatal Vows is back with another case of extreme marital strife with the murder of Ervin “Shorty” Robinson by his wife, Neola Robinson. The Texas couple appears to have argued on the night of May 31, 2010, which led to Ervin’s death and eventually, Neola’s imprisonment.

On a fateful night in May 2010, Ervin was out drinking in local bars near his home near Forth Worth, Texas. Neola was searching the bars for her husband, and on at least two occasions, she made threatening remarks about him to his friends she encountered. She told one friend that Ervin had better not return home, or he would be “missing body parts.”

Neola Robinson threatened her husband

At one point in the night, police were called to the Robinson home because of a domestic disturbance; Neola had locked her husband out.

A little over two weeks later, Ervin was reported missing by his employer. When questioned, Neola claimed he had left her, running away to Ontario, California, with another woman. For a man already on his 8th marriage, this might not have been entirely implausible; however, police found no trace of him in California.

A search of the Robinson home found a large bloodstain in the bathroom. Police were also struck by how clean the house appeared to be compared to their visit on May 31. However, Neola doubled down on her claim that Ervin had run away with another woman, and the case suddenly ran very cold.

Texas Rangers join the case

Three years later, local investigators asked the Texas Rangers for their assistance on the matter, and a new wave of interviews commenced. In an interview in July 2013, Neola confessed to killing her husband.

She claimed that as they argued, she threw an unknown chemical in his eyes and stabbed him in the hand. She says she then went to bed, leaving him in an armchair, and in the morning he was dead. She then buried him in their yard in a shallow grave of only 15 inches.

Neola’s story was contradicted by her boyfriend, who told police that she had admitted to slitting Ervin’s throat while he slept. However, the autopsy revealed another contradiction showing that he had, in fact, been strangled to death.

In the fall of 2014, Neola Robinson, then 63-years-old, was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

More from Fatal Vows

Follow the links to read about two more cases of homicidal wives, including Kemberlee Guffey, who stabbed husband Padraic with a letter opener during an argument or the case of Tami Duvall, who poisoned her husband Alan in the hope of claiming a huge life insurance payout.

This episode of Fatal Vows is on at 8/7c on Investigation Discovery.