Alabama Inmate Charged in 1996 Murder of 7-Year-Old Kentucky Girl

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An Alabama inmate, Robert Scott Froberg, has been charged in the 1996 kidnapping and murder of 7-year-old Morgan Violi in Kentucky. Froberg, who had previously escaped jail twice, was linked to the crime through DNA evidence and fiber analysis. Authorities say Froberg admitted to kidnapping, strangling, and dumping Violi's body in the woods after stealing a van connected to the crime.

Why it matters

This case highlights the persistence of law enforcement in solving cold cases, even decades later, through advancements in forensic science. It also raises questions about the criminal justice system's handling of repeat offenders and escaped inmates. The murder of a young child is a tragic event that deeply impacted the local community in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

The details

In July 1996, Morgan Violi was playing with a friend at an apartment complex in Bowling Green, Kentucky, when she was kidnapped by a man driving a maroon van. Violi's body was found three months later in the woods near a barn in Tennessee. Froberg, who was serving a lengthy sentence in Alabama for a 1988 robbery, had escaped from prison in April 1996 and was on the run when the kidnapping occurred. Fiber evidence and DNA analysis eventually linked Froberg to the stolen van and the crime. Froberg later confessed to the kidnapping, murder, and dumping of Violi's body.

• In April 1996, Froberg escaped from an Alabama prison where he was serving a lengthy sentence.
• In May 1996, Froberg was apprehended in Pennsylvania after hiding in a treehouse, but he later escaped from the Northumberland County Jail in July 1996.
• About a week after escaping the Pennsylvania jail, a maroon van connected to Violi's kidnapping was stolen from Ohio, near where Froberg's parents lived.
• In July 1996, 7-year-old Morgan Violi was kidnapped from a Bowling Green, Kentucky apartment complex.
• In October 1996, Violi's body was found in the woods near a barn in Tennessee.

What they’re saying

What’s next

Froberg faces either life in prison or the death penalty for the charges of kidnapping resulting in death. The judge will decide on Froberg's bail status in the coming days.