Man defends himself for wife's murder
Posted: Wednesday, July 11, 2007 5:55 PM by Dateline Editor
by Josh Weiner, Dateline producer
I've served on a jury for a criminal case. I've also had the opportunity to watch several murder trials in person through my job at Dateline. Every case has been interesting. But a trial where the defendant represented himself? This is one I'll never forget.
By all accounts Janine Sutphen was an artistic, gregarious and talented woman with many friends. So when she disappeared on January 22, 2003, the community of Durham, North Carolina was stunned. Her body turned up four months later and that's when her husband, Rob Petrick, was charged with first degree murder.
Their marriage had once seemed so ideal. But it turned out Mr. Petrick was keeping secrets. The biggest secret wasn't just that he'd been cheating. He'd actually gotten engaged to another woman.
I headed down to North Carolina last fall, just days after coming across the story of this upcoming trial. I knew this case would be fascinating and unique. You see, Rob Petrick, who had no legal background, made the risky decision to act as his own defense attorney.
Within days after the trial began, Mr. Petrick was cross-examining witnesses about his own behavior. Some were his ex-girlfriends, and his questions veered into the most intimate details of their relationships. To watch these women reveal such personal details in a courtroom full of people was often uncomfortable, yet compelling.
Rob Petrick had already pleaded guilty to fraud charges before the trial began. He was even serving a prison sentence. But the jury in his murder trial didn't know that. They had no clue that his daily commute involved being transported by police while wearing the orange prison jumpsuit and handcuffs. Every morning, in the hallway outside the courtroom, the guards escorted Mr. Petrick into a small, dark holding cell where he would change into a suit and tie and review legal documents.
Included in the daily crowd of people attending the trial were other reporters and an assortment of Janine's friends and family. They're a tight-knit bunch and it's clear they are still heartbroken over losing Janine. They always sat closely together, commenting to each other and even taking notes. A Web-group called "Friends of Janine" had been created, and every evening after court, her friends would share updates online as the trial progressed.
After nearly three weeks, the case went to the jury. Everyone was wondering... had Rob Petrick, the amateur attorney, been able to convince the jurors he had nothing to do with his wife's death?
Watch "Body of Evidence" on Dateline NBC at 7 p.m. Sunday to find out.
Click here for full story
[Originally posted June 2, 2006]
