True Crime Chronicles: Inept judicial system in 1980's allowed a "Mad Dog" killer to extend his spree into Fort Smith

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Arkansas was hit hard by the crimes of Marion Albert Pruett, a man who slipped through the cracks of the federal justice system.

Using the fake name Charles "Sonny" Pearson, Pruett committed a string of murders, including the brutal killing of Bobbie Jean Robertson in Fort Smith

. His story, especially the mistakes that let him stay free, is a painful chapter for Arkansas and a warning about what happens when the system fails.

In 1979, Pruett was in a federal prison in Atlanta, Georgia, for bank robbery. He testified about a prison killing, saying he saw it happen. For this, he got a new identity as Charles "Sonny" Pearson, $800, and a spot in the Federal Witness Protection Program (WITSEC) , meant to keep witnesses safe.

But Pruett later admitted he lied--he committed the murder himself. The government didn’t check his story closely enough, a huge mistake that let a dangerous man run free. The witness protection program didn’t keep tabs on Pruett after giving him his new name. He and his common-law wife, Pamela Sue Barker, moved to New Mexico with $800 a month from the government.

Pruett’s $4,000-a-week cocaine habit drove him to commit more crimes, and no one stopped him

A 1982 government investigation called his case a “disaster,” showing how witness protectii\on failed to watch dangerous people. They didn’t do background checks or follow up, letting Pruett start a crime spree that hurt Arkansas and other states.

The justice system kept letting Pruett off easy before his big crimes. He had a record of bank robbery and attempted murder but was paroled multiple times in the 1970s. In 1972, he committed more robberies while on parole, yet served little time.

These early releases ignored his violent past, a problem that grew worse later. A 1996 Deseret News report said police knew Pruett was trouble, but the system didn’t act quick enough.

In prison, officials didn’t mark Pruett as high-risk. If they’d checked his story about the Atlanta murder or used better tools like lie detectors, they might have kept him locked up.

Instead, he got a new identity and a chance to hurt more people.

Bobbie Jean Robertson

On October 12, 1981, Pruett came to Fort Smith and changed the city forever. He robbed a convenience store, taking just $163, then kidnapped and killed 30-year-old clerk Bobbie Jean Robertson in a wooded area nearby. The killing, which occurred in a then secluded area just east of Southside High School shocked Fort Smith, a quiet place at the time not used to such violence.

Robertson’s death was a direct result of the system letting Pruett roam free.

Arkansas police and prosecutors worked hard to catch Pruett. For Robertson’s murder, he got the death penalty, showing the state’s commitment to justice. But the loss left Fort Smith hurting, knowing the system could have stopped Pruett earlier.

Crimes Across the Country

Pruett didn’t just hurt Arkansas. On September 17, 1981, he robbed a bank in Jackson, Mississippi, and killed loan officer Peggy Lowe. Days after Robertson’s death, he murdered two convenience store clerks in Colorado, Anthony Taitt, 21, and James Balderson, 24, for only $58.

In April 1981, his wife, Pamela Sue Barker, was beaten to death and burned in New Mexico. Pruett admitted to robbing her but denied the murder. He was convicted and got a life sentence.

Every crime was a chance to catch Pruett, but the system failed. After Barker’s death, New Mexico police didn’t link Pruett to his fake WITSEC name. His bank robberies in Mississippi and Colorado started FBI searches, but different states didn’t share information well.

A 1982 Coloradoan article said Pruett’s fake identity hid his past, making it hard for police to

Arkansas played a big role in stopping Pruett. After a car chase in Texas, he was arrested and faced trials in several states.

Mississippi gave him the death penalty for Lowe’s murder, Colorado gave him two life sentences for Taitt and Balderson, and New Mexico added a life sentence for Barker. But Arkansas carried out his execution on April 12, 1999, at the Cummins Unit in Lincoln County, ending his terror.

Even on death row, Pruett showed no regret. He asked a Mississippi newspaper for $20,000 to reveal where Barker’s engagement ring was and offered to find a Florida victim’s body for a TV appearance on Geraldo. These requests were turned down, but they showed how little he cared.

Pruett’s case showed big problems with WITSEC and the justice system. The 1982 investigation found WITSEC had protected thousands since 1970, but cases like Pruett’s proved they needed better rules. By 1984, new laws required more checks on witnesses, like mental health tests and closer tracking, but problems remained.

The parole system also messed up. Letting Pruett out early despite his crimes led to calls for tougher rules on repeat offenders. In Arkansas, Pruett’s case pushed for stronger death penalty cases, and the state’s prison system up

Forty-six years after Pruett got into WITSEC, Arkansas remembers Bobbie Jean Robertson. Fort Smith has moved forward, but her murder still hurts.

The case led to better victim support, like counseling, and the Arkansas Crime Information Center, started in the 1980s, helped police track criminals better.