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Day 24: A newspaper boy is tortured and murdered

November 25th, 2009, 2:00 am · 29 Comments · posted by Larry Welborn

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1981: Robert Jackson Thompson molested and murdered Orange County Register newspaper delivery boy Benjamin Brenneman, 12, who came to his Anaheim apartment while making collections on Aug. 25, 1981. Robert Jackson Thompson

The victim’s hogtied body was found in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Thompson had been paroled four months earlier after serving time for molesting a 14-year-old boy at knifepoint.

He was sentenced to death in 1983, but died at age 60  of natural causes on Death Row in 2006.

Pictured above: 2006 photo of Kay Brenneman, holding a photo of her son, Benjamin who was murdered in 1981. File photo by Bruce Chambers, The Orange County Register

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Posted in: Closed cases • Criminal cases
 
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 29 Comments

  • Marie says:
    November 25, 2009 at 5:58 am

    Glad Mr. Thompson no longer exists!!

    • jojo says:
      November 26, 2009 at 11:23 am

      I remember reading about Benjamin, I was a newspaper boy and the same age when this happened. Often times I think about Benjamin may he rest in peace!

  • Notorious cases: Newspaper boy tortured | Garden Grove Blog says:
    November 25, 2009 at 6:34 am

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  • cd8ted says:
    November 25, 2009 at 6:43 am

    Sentenced to death in 1983. Dies of natural causes in 2006. 23 years on Death Row. Molested and murdered a 12 yo boy.
    Is it me or does there seem something not right with all of this?
    Why even have a death penalty?
    A couple days ago I read a story of a white supremacist murdering gang-banger who wanted the death sentence so he could live out the rest of his days in the more plush Death Row.
    Does anybody know if it’s possible to pay even more taxes voluntarily so as to support incredible wisdom?

  • Grunt41 says:
    November 25, 2009 at 7:52 am

    I remember this case well as it kind of hit home. I was but a few years older than this boy and was also an OCR carrier at the time. We were seeing and reading the paper ont his case as we folded and loaded the newspapers for delivery.

    I remember many a customer when I would do collections around that time warning me to be careful.

  • M.EDINGER says:
    November 25, 2009 at 8:10 am

    “Paroled after molesting a boy at knife point” that tells me all I need to know about this guy. If he was willing to that to a child is there any doubt about what a monster he WAS. Thank you ACLU, 9th circuit and every other bleeding heart that has never been the victim of a crime. Thank you for making sure these animals get the best of everything to make their stay in prison as nice as possible. I have an idea, if we have DNA evidence or video of the crime….NO APPEALS !

  • Cyndia28 says:
    November 25, 2009 at 9:02 am

    They should taking all the people on death row and donate them to science. Why do animal testing on inoccient animals when there are people who desever the torture…

  • zfelix says:
    November 25, 2009 at 9:12 am

    horrible! i can only imagine how this mother feels, i would want to kill him myself. Why can’t that be self defense? if you have all the evidentce that a person killed your child, we should be allowed to have what we want with them. Instead of my tax dollars going to a bastard like this, i would keep him alive to have him feel the same torture. Hope he’s in hell

  • Timothy Scavo says:
    November 25, 2009 at 9:19 am

    If it’s possible, the CA appeals process should be reformed to greatly eliminate the number of appeals and abridge the journey from sentence to death. I hope it is possible.

    • Martha says:
      November 25, 2009 at 9:31 am

      Don’t hold your breath. You’d be more likely to die from that than a death row inmate in CA getting their sentence carried out.

    • OC4truth says:
      November 27, 2009 at 2:13 am

      Apparently previous court decisions require automatic appeals of death sentences. However I read some time back that from conviction to start of the appeal process there were usually delays of I think it was 18 mo or more just because they weren’t making it a priority to get it done as quickly as possible.

      We want to make sure that a convicted person is guilty, but if so, whatever process has to take place should be done with as much speed as possible.

      Also, and I’m not holding my breath on this at all, but it seems that lawyers feel that their job is to get their clients off if they can, however they can, rather than what I think most of us think, which is to ensure that they have a fair trial–a fair trial being that if they are guilty they are found guilty even if there is some misconduct that did not put guilt in doubt.

      If officers or anyone else did something to harm the rights of a defendant, punish them, but don’t give the defendant a pass just because of it.

      There is supposed to be a right to a speedy trial. this is often waived. The public should also have the right to having a speedy trial where it is not a railroad, but where things are kept moving along as fast as possible.

  • oneocnative says:
    November 25, 2009 at 9:37 am

    CA is wonderful state isnt it. 23 years on death row at millions of tax paying $$$$. When the time is right i’m outta here. leave this forsaken state to the bleeding hearts.

  • STACEY says:
    November 25, 2009 at 2:08 pm

    AFTER ALL INMATES THAT ARE ON THE DEATHROW ARE WORSE THAN ANIMALS SO WHY NOT

  • lapazloco says:
    November 25, 2009 at 2:44 pm

    This case tells us what’s wrong with Californias “Death Row” we never gave this child a d his family justice. I’m ashamed to let our innocent pay the price as a victum them then we pull this joke! They should re-name it “Die of Old Age Row”. The Murders own our justice system !

  • Harry Callahan says:
    November 26, 2009 at 8:53 am

    It has already been said, but it seems most of these cases have a death row sentence only to die of natural causes 20 some odd years later. I dont care what the penalty is, but whatever it is, it should be carried out otherwise it is an ineffective and sad joke on society.

  • datsundude says:
    November 26, 2009 at 9:32 am

    Send these dirtbags to China!! There are many empty ships heading that way anyway! Free shipping got to love it!

  • countrygal says:
    November 26, 2009 at 10:22 am

    I agree make the punishment fit the crime. Send them to Iraq or Afganistan . They won’t be missed here. Our laws are not strict enough and when the death sentence is passed it is not carried through. If they actually enforced the death sentence maybe these loosers would think twice before they acted. They get to live at the expense of tax payers dollars and who asked us if we want to support them ?

  • George says:
    November 26, 2009 at 7:59 pm

    Died of natural causes at the age of 60? Hopefully the ‘natural causes’ were him getting his a** beat to death. I agree. He is an animal and what a waste for taxpayers to have to pay for him to live for 23 years on death row. I feel so horrible for Benjamin & his family………but I believe in God and in heaven and hell and I’m sure everyone in this case is exactly where they belong.

  • JB says:
    November 27, 2009 at 8:41 am

    Another one escapes the “hangman’s noose” due to liberalism. Remember these cases the next time you vote for some flim-flam shuck n’ jive artist selling you “hope and change.” Don’t be a schmuck!

  • Donna says:
    December 13, 2009 at 10:42 am

    Over the years there has been an occasional mention of Benjamin’s murder and I always remember Kay, his mother, who was in my CNA class at Cypress College.
    I had great admiration for her then, and continue to do so; still cannot imagine what she went through during this terrible tragedy-prayers always.

  • Rebecca F says:
    December 13, 2009 at 5:16 pm

    And this is what happens when there are 2nd chances. If your curse your mother, you get a 2nd chance. If you molest/murder/rape that should be IT. Last chance, death penalty, that is all.

  • clint torris says:
    December 25, 2009 at 7:42 am

    No nothing was done to rehabilitate him on his first offense. And his punishment wasn’t enough. My argument for the death penalty.

  • Jessica Mercer says:
    January 4, 2010 at 3:51 pm

    Kay if you are reading this my mom Sandee Rapoport said to say hello to you. For some reason you came to our thoughts today and we are praying for you.