Robert Anderson

Robert James Anderson (May 29, 1966 – July 20, 2006) was an American criminal convicted and executed for the murder of a five-year-old girl. He was born in Great Lakes, Illinois.

Anderson kidnapped and murdered five-year-old Audra Ann Reeves, in Amarillo, Texas on June 9, 1992. Anderson told police that he kidnapped Reeves as she was returning home from playing in a park. He brought her inside his house and unsuccessfully tried to rape her. He then beat, stabbed, and drowned Reeves, then stored her body in a styrofoam ice chest. Her body was found that day by a neighbor throwing out trash. Anderson was identified as the person who discarded the chest, was apprehended by police, and confessed almost immediately.

Anderson said he committed the crime after a dispute with his wife of eight months. The Associated Press quoted Anderson as saying, "The whole day revolved around the fight. She stormed out of the house and said when she returned she didn't want to find me."

Anderson was sentenced to death and was executed by lethal injection in Texas on July 20, 2006.