Are Washington County Indiana officials covering up a murder?

Dear residents of Washington County Indiana, and all National media outlets reading this, and of course judge Robert Bennett and county coroner Rondale Brishaber, who this blog is really about.

Judge Robert Bennett

Coroner Rondale Brishaber

On April 19, 2000 my younger brother, legally named William Paul Hobbs, of 1205 Jackson St Salem Indiana was found hanging dead from a tree in the back yard of his abusive lover, Gary Hobbs, same address. Police were called and death scene photos were taken. A voice recording found in my brother inside left pocket contained a statement by William, saying that he had taken an overdose of valium and was dying. His death was ruled a suicide, the photos were refused to our family, and Gary Hobbs continues to drive drunk in Salem Indiana every day without getting stopped by the cops, his friends.

Here's what I believe really happened. Gary Hobbs found a suicide tape my brother made in the weeks leading up to his murder. Gary strangled my brother and strung him up in that tree and then called the cops. The coroner, at that time, who admitted to me that he is Gary's personal friend, knew immediately that the marks on my brothers body were not consistent with suicide. He didn't question the fact that my left handed brother wouldn't have placed the tape in his left, inner pocket.Something that would be hard for anyone to do. I have the jacket he died in. It has a right inside pocket, where he would have placed anything he carried. Being an unnatural death, protocol would have required a pathologist's examination, and an autopsy of his body. There was no pathology report. Instead, medical staff only drew blood from his body for a toxicology test. The toxicology results clearly indicated that my brother had not ingested enough valium on the night he died to make him sleep, much less kill him. Also, Phenobarbital was in his system. He wasn't prescribed this drug by any doctor. I raised these concerns with the police and coroner who ignored them. THERE WAS NO AUTOPSY!

For years I've attempted to get the death scene photos from these authorities, and every time I hit a road block. The first coroner refused the photos to me so I called judge Bennett's office and his secretary asked him if he would order the release of the photos to me. She told me that Bennett refused to so do and that he advised I hire an attorney to petition his court for the photos. I contacted an attorney who then informed me that I could pay him hundreds of dollars to petition the court, but clearly Bennett had no intention of releasing the photos to me and hiring an attorney would likely be a waste of money. Judge Bennett is life long friends with Gary Hobbs, closeted homosexual and former owner of Coot's Packaging, a liquor store in Salem. Clearly Judge Bennett didn't want his friend being investigated or even charged or convicted of murder, so it makes sense that he could have put his neck on the line by sealing these photo from me.

Either way, Judge Robert Bennett and Coroner Rondale Brishaber are conspiring, on this very day, to continue this blatant obstruction of justice and have become the cause of unbearable grief that I have suffered for 14 years without knowing the truth about how William really died. For this reason, I now expose them to the public, and am seeking legal counsel in an effort to bring these two elected, public officials to justice for once and for all.

To every local in Salem Indiana reading this, you must know that your own justice system has conspired to obstruct justice in this case, and they probably wouldn't hesitate to do it again. Regardless of what you think you may know about my dead brother, you do not know the truth if I don't. A source, who shall remain unnamed at this point, has revealed to me that at one police officer at the scene of William's death has described his death as a murder. He said that there were ripple marks on my brothers neck, which clearly indicate that he was strangled first, and later strung up in that tree.

Immediately after William's death, I requested copies of all 911 calls he had made to Washington County police dispatch in the year leading up to his death. The person I spoke to there asked how I knew about the 911 calls and I informed her that my brother had told me many times that he had called 911 on Gary Hobbs for threatening to kill him. I'm still waiting for those recordings.

Furthermore, Gary Hobbs moved his ex boyfriend Tony into his house the day after William died. Did his ex lover help him kill William? Perhaps, but I may never know because Judge Robert Bennett and coroner Rondale Brishaber have conspired to conceal any and all evidence that would or could reveal the truth.

To Rondale and Robert, I have this to say. You are both disgraceful public servants who belong in prison. At the very least, I pray that this blog causes every person you encounter in your county for the rest of your life to shun you like the civic plagues you are. I don't know why you are concealing these photos, if not to cover up a murder committed by your friend Gary Hobbs. But I will be certain to forward this blog to any and everyone who can hold you accountable. Get me the photos and I will consider deleting this blog, and not pursuing civil action against you and any other local authority involved in this obstruction of justice, as long as the independent pathologist I plan to have review them concludes it wasn't murder. Coroners are supposed to speak for the dead. Instead, Rondale Brishaber and his predecessors have silenced my brothers last truth, and that is unforgivable. May the real

In loving memory of William Paul Lawrence (Hobbs) born 2-10-1971 died 4-19-2000