{{Short description|American convicted murderer}} {{Use American English|date=December 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2025}} {{Infobox serial killer | name = Robert Mark Edwards | image = File:RobertMarkEdwards.jpg | image_size = | caption = | alt = | birth_name = | alias = | birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1961}} | birth_place = [[Long Beach, California]], U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | cause = | conviction = '''California'''<br>[[Murder|First degree murder]] with special circumstances<br>'''Hawaii'''<br>Second degree murder<br>Robbery<br>Sexual assault x2<br>Kidnapping<br>Burglary<ref>{{cite web|url=https://law.justia.com/cases/hawaii/supreme-court/1996/18223-2.html|title=State v. Edwards|website=Justia}}</ref> | sentence = [[Death]] (California)<br>[[Life imprisonment]] (Hawaii) | victims = 2 | beginyear = 1986 | endyear = 1993 | country = United States | states = [[California]], [[Hawaii]] | apprehended = February 2, 1993 | imprisoned = [[San Quentin State Prison]], [[San Quentin, California]] }}
'''Robert Mark Edwards''' (born 1961) is an American murderer who killed two female realtors in sexually motivated murders, one in [[California]] in 1986 and another in [[Hawaii]] in 1993. In separate trials, he was [[Capital punishment|sentenced to death]] and to [[life imprisonment]] in the respective states and is currently awaiting execution at the [[San Quentin State Prison]].<ref name=sen>{{Cite web|url=https://patch.com/california/losalamitos/ca-supreme-court-upholds-death-sentence-for-los-alamitos-murderer|title=CA Supreme Court Upholds Death Sentence for Los Alamitos Murder|author=Nisha Gutierrez-Jaime|publisher=[[Patch (website)|Patch]]|date=August 22, 2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206201740/https://patch.com/california/losalamitos/ca-supreme-court-upholds-death-sentence-for-los-alamitos-murderer|archivedate=December 6, 2021|access-date=December 6, 2021|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref>
==Murders== In May 1986, Edwards went to the [[Los Alamitos, California|Los Alamitos]] home of 55-year-old realtor Marjorie Elaine Deeble, the mother of his then-girlfriend Katherine Valentine. Once inside, he bound her hands and legs, a gag in her mouth, and a belt tied around her neck.<ref name=con>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86559822/robert-m-edwards/|title=Man Convicted in 1986 Los Alamitos Murder|author=Anna Cekola and Greg Hernandez|work=Los Angeles Times|date=October 23, 1996|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 6, 2021|archive-date=December 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209194622/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86559822/robert-m-edwards/|url-status=live}}</ref> After sexually assaulting her and sodomizing her with a [[hair mousse]] can, Edwards proceeded to beat her to death before stealing jewelry from her home and leaving the premises. After being reported missing for several days, police were called in to inspect Deeble's home, only to find her apartment door slightly open and her body lying on the floor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86558891/robert-m-edwards/|title=Untitled news brief|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=May 16, 1986|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 6, 2021|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206201740/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86558891/robert-m-edwards/|url-status=live}}</ref> An autopsy was conducted on the day of the discovery, with Lt. Orville Lewis announcing in a press statement the following day that Deeble's death was ruled a murder, and that she was possibly sexually assaulted.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86558934/robert-m-edwards/|title=Businesswoman's Death a Murder, Police Say|author=Nancy Wride|work=Los Angeles Times|date=May 17, 1986|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 6, 2021|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206201743/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86558934/robert-m-edwards/|url-status=live}}</ref> At the time, Edwards was routinely questioned regarding the murder, but was not considered a serious suspect.
Sometime after the murder, Edwards, a convicted criminal with a record for offenses such as burglary, theft, auto theft, and drug offenses, violated his parole conditions by moving to [[Maui County, Hawaii]], where he took up work as a roofer, to escape a car theft conviction.<ref name=was>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86551193/robert-m-edwards/|title=Murder suspect was in 1990 stabbing case|publisher=[[The Honolulu Advertiser]]|date=February 16, 1993|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 6, 2021|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206201740/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86551193/robert-m-edwards/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1990, he was arrested for attempting to stab a woman and charged with assault, but the case was not prosecuted as he was extradited to California to serve out his parole violation, which he served until early 1991.<ref name=was/> Afterwards, he and a girlfriend returned to Hawaii, where they bought an apartment in [[Kihei, Hawaii|Kihei]], and Edwards found work at a roofing company called Pat's Quality Roofing, where he was considered "normal" by his colleagues and employer alike.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86551365/robert-m-edwards/|title=Suspected killer seemed 'normal'|author=Gary T. Kubota|publisher=[[Honolulu Star-Bulletin]]|date=August 14, 1993|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 6, 2021|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206201739/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86551365/robert-m-edwards/|url-status=live}}</ref>
On January 25, 1993, Edwards broke into the Kanoe Resort [[condominium]] of 67-year-old realtor Muriel E. Delbecq, an [[Indiana]]-born employee for Heritage Real Estate in [[Anchorage, Alaska]] who often vacationed in Kihei.<ref name=ar>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86551057/robert-m-edwards/|title=Suspect Arrested in Death of Anchorage Woman in Hawaii|publisher=Daily Sitka Sentinel|date=February 3, 1993|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 6, 2021|archive-date=December 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209194922/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86551057/robert-m-edwards/|url-status=live}}</ref> After encountering her, he proceeded to tie her to the bed, before beating and strangling her to death.<ref name=con/> Afterwards, Edwards inserted a mousse can into Delbecq's vagina, shaved off her [[pubic hair]], and mutilated body parts.<ref name=con/> After he was done violating the corpse, Edwards stole her wedding ring and several articles of clothing, including a pair of [[panties]] and a bra, which he later dumped in a nearby trash bin. Delbecq's body was found on January 26 but was identified two days later.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86559146/robert-m-edwards/|title=Body of Alaska woman slain in Maui identified|publisher=Honolulu Star-Bulletin|date=January 28, 1993|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 6, 2021|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206201740/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86559146/robert-m-edwards/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86559209/robert-m-edwards/|title=Murdered|publisher=[[Daily Sitka Sentinel]]|date=January 29, 1993|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 6, 2021|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206201741/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86559209/robert-m-edwards/|url-status=live}}</ref> On February 2, Edwards was arrested and charged with Delbecq's murder, in addition to two counts of sexual assault, robbery and kidnapping relating to the case.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86559263/robert-m-edwards/|title=Suspect, 31, held in slaying of Kihei woman|author=Edwin Tanji|page=57|newspaper=The Honolulu Advertiser|date=3 February 1993|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=6 December 2021|archive-date=6 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206201743/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86559263/robert-m-edwards/|url-status=live}}</ref> His initial bail was set at $500,000.<ref name=ar/>
==Trials and imprisonment== Edwards' trial for the Delbecq murder was initially scheduled for October 25, 1993. Still, it was delayed until February 28, 1994, as his attorney filed a successful request for a mental evaluation at the Hawaii State Hospital.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86551627/robert-m-edwards/|title=Trial delayed until February in Maui slaying|publisher=Honolulu Star-Bulletin|date=October 7, 1993|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 6, 2021|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206201738/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86551627/robert-m-edwards/|url-status=live}}</ref> Around the same time, California authorities announced their intentions to charge him with the [[cold case]] murder of Deeble back in Los Alamitos after noticing that many details from the crime scenes matched, such as the victims having the same initials, their occupations and the way they had been murdered.<ref name=5life>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86551899/robert-m-edwards/|title=Edwards gets 5 life terms, 20 years in Maui murder|publisher=Honolulu Star-Bulletin|date=June 2, 1994|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 6, 2021|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206201737/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86551899/robert-m-edwards/|url-status=live}}</ref>
His trial began on March 1, 1994, and lasted two weeks.<ref name=be>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86551750/robert-m-edwards/|title=Trial begins in brutal Kihei killing|author=Edwin Tanji|publisher=The Honolulu Advertiser|date=March 2, 1994|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 6, 2021|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206201747/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86551750/robert-m-edwards/|url-status=live}}</ref> During the proceedings, Maui Deputy Prosecutor Joseph Barbaro presented the autopsy report of Delbecq's body, which showcased the many severe injuries she had suffered both pre and post-mortem, in addition to an abundance of physical and DNA evidence located at the crime scene.<ref name=be/> Despite claims by Edwards' court-appointed attorney Keith Tanaka, who claimed that none of this proved that his client had murdered the woman, the jury returned a guilty verdict on March 11.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86551835/robert-m-edwards/|title=Man guilty in Kihei murder|publisher=The Honolulu Advertiser|date=March 11, 1994|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 6, 2021|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206201742/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86551835/robert-m-edwards/|url-status=live}}</ref> In early June 1994, Edwards was sentenced to five consecutive life terms plus $304,600 in restitution to the Delbecq family. Shortly after the sentence was handed down, extradition procedures to California were initiated.<ref name=5life/>
Two years later, Edwards' trial in California commenced in [[Santa Ana, California|Santa Ana]]. As Justice [[John J. Ryan]] had ruled that jurors could not be notified of the defendant's conviction in the Hawaii murder, prosecutor David L. Brent had to present evidence that showed the remarkable similarities in both murders, indicating that a single perpetrator committed them.<ref name=sim>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86558678/robert-m-edwards/|title=Similarities in Murders Show Defendant's Guilt, Jury Is Told|author=Ken Ellingwood|work=Los Angeles Times|date=September 26, 1996|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 6, 2021|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206201742/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86558678/robert-m-edwards/|url-status=live}}</ref> In response, Edwards' defense attorney Daniel P. Bates pointed out that there were obvious differences, such as Deeble's neck being broken, as well as having bite marks and scratches, which Delbecq's body lacked.<ref name=sim/> Despite these notable differences, the jurors found Edwards guilty, with his sentencing date scheduled for November 4.<ref name=con/> As he was facing a possible death penalty, one of his attorneys, [[Tim Severin]], pleaded that the jurors be willing to spare his life, pointing out Edwards' history of abuse at the hands of his father, his drug and alcohol addictions, and most notably, his undying love for his young son.<ref name=hu>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86558554/robert-m-edwards/|title='Humane' Killer Deserves to Live, Attorney Says|author=Greg Hernandez|work=Los Angeles Times|date=November 5, 1996|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 6, 2021|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206201745/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86558554/robert-m-edwards/|url-status=live}}</ref> In contrast, his former girlfriends said that he was violent during sex, often trying to choke them and even attempting to sodomize one with a bottle.<ref name=hu/>
At the initial sentencing phase, the jury were [[Hung jury|deadlocked]] in a 9-3 decision in favor of the death penalty, resulting in a [[mistrial]].<ref name=de>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86558379/robert-m-edwards/|title=New Jury to Decide Fate of Killer|author=Greg Hernandez|work=Los Angeles Times|date=March 15, 1997|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 6, 2021|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206201745/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86558379/robert-m-edwards/|url-status=live}}</ref> As a result, a new trial with a new set of jurors was rescheduled for November 1997.<ref name=de/> Like with the previous trial, both the prosecutor and attorney presented similar evidence and arguments for and against the death penalty.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86558126/robert-m-edwards/|title=Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty in Rape-Murder|author=Steve Carney|work=Los Angeles Times|date=March 24, 1998|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 6, 2021|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206201738/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86558126/robert-m-edwards/|url-status=live}}</ref> On September 9, 1998, the jury returned a unanimous verdict of guilty on all charges, resulting in a swift death sentence for Edwards.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86557922/robert-m-edwards/|title=Repeat Killer Gets Death Sentence|author=Steve Carney|work=Los Angeles Times|date=September 11, 1998|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 6, 2021|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206201744/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86557922/robert-m-edwards/|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Status== As of March 2023, Edwards remains on [[death row]] at the [[San Quentin State Prison]].<ref name=sen/> He and his lawyers have unsuccessfully attempted to commute his sentence on several occasions, the latest being in 2013, which was denied by the [[Supreme Court of California]].<ref name=sen/>
==See also== * [[Capital punishment in California]] * {{section link|List of death row inmates in the United States|California}}
==External links== * [https://law.justia.com/cases/hawaii/supreme-court/1996/18223-2.html State v. Edwards (1996)] * [https://studylib.net/doc/8189618/case-no.-13-8618-robert-mark-edwards--petitioner--vs Petition for writ of certiorari (2014)]
==References== {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Robert Mark}}
[[Category:1961 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:20th-century American criminals]] [[Category:American male criminals]] [[Category:American people convicted of murder]] [[Category:American people convicted of rape]] [[Category:Criminals from California]] [[Category:American prisoners sentenced to death]] [[Category:American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment]] [[Category:People convicted of murder by Hawaii]] [[Category:People convicted of murder by California]] [[Category:People from Long Beach, California]] [[Category:Prisoners sentenced to death by California]] [[Category:Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Hawaii]] [[Category:Violence against women in California]]