Robert Robertson

We found copies of those photos in court filings.

They show a box spring and mattress propped up on cinder blocks.

A Winnie the Pooh blanket is wedged beside the bed.

Robert said after Nikki fell, he saw blood around her lips and a bruise under her chin.

A photo of the washcloth shows just a few specks of blood on it.

Then, the detective said Robert did something that struck him as bizarre.

That added to your anxiety about his... Yeah, it was odd.

I would think as a police officer, you get a read on a case fairly quickly.

Was this one where the pieces were coming together pretty quickly that this man harmed his daughter?

It sure felt like it, yeah.

Wharton headed back to Palestine police headquarters with Robert.

He checked Robert's criminal record and saw he had convictions, drugs, burglary, writing bad checks, nothing violent.

As Detective Wharton typed up Robert's statement, Nikki was rushed to the Children's Medical Center in Dallas, her grandparents close behind.

We were about to find out what they knew about the days leading up to Nikki's death and about a decision they made, I'd find out, that haunts them to this day.

So I put her in the car and she looked at me.

New to Morrison Mysteries.

It's one month before Robert Robertson's execution.

We're driving down a two-lane country road on the edge of Palestine.

It's dotted with farms and patches of woods.

We're heading to the home of Nicky's grandparents, Larry and Verna Bowman.