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Abner Trial - Day Three

by Kim Hynes (WICHITA, Kan.)

A jury will soon decide the fate of Robert Abner. Abner is accused of kidnapping a Viola convenience store clerk from where she worked last summer. Both sides rested Friday. Closing arguments will begin Monday morning.

Abner's Plan

Robert Abner used to work in Conway Springs and would stop at the convenience store in Viola. He did carpentry work there at the end of 2007 and early 2008.

In June 2008, Abner told detectives he went into the Viola convenience store planning to rob it. "He stated he had thoughts of robbing a store for quite a while. Not this one in particular but a store," said Sedgwick County detective Tim Myers. He also knew Patterson's daughter worked at the store.

Abner went into the store wearing a wig and floppy hat. He walked up to the clerk and told her to give him money. Patterson says when he showed her the gun, she emptied the cash register.

After Abner had the money, he told Patterson to go to the bathroom. Patterson says she froze and didn't do anything. She says she was scared if she went to the bathroom he would kill her.

Leaving the Store

Abner told detectives he wanted her to go to the bathroom so she wouldn't see what kind of car he was driving. When Patterson didn't move, he thought she wanted to come with him. He told detectives he took her hand and they went to the car.

Detective Myers says Patterson told him she got in the car when her abductor told her to. She never told him she was forced into the car. He drove to his home in Wichita.

Days Inside Abner's House

Once inside, Abner told detectives he bound Patterson's arms and legs with duct tape. He later went to the store to buy zip ties. He says he kept her tied up only when he wasn't home.

While at the house, Abner told detectives they talked a lot. He said it seems that Patterson wasn't happy with herself or her home life. He said she seemed like a nice lady.

Also during those days, he asked he what she would do in his situation. The detective says Patterson told her abductor, she wouldn't trust a hostage and would probably kill the hostage. Abner said he didn't know what to think of her answers.

Patterson told detectives her abductor never threatened to kill her, but she was scared of his gun. "He said he's killed a lot of people in his life, but he couldn't kill her," said Detective Myers.

Detective Myers asked Abner about sexual encounters. He said Patterson agreed to have sex with him. He thought the two had formed a relationship. He never thought she would turn him in to police.  Abner was confident she didn't know what he looked like.

Myers says Patterson told him a different story. He says she didn't want to have sex with him, but she felt that she didn't have a choice. She said she did what she had to do to see her family again.  She says she also never saw her abductor.

Releasing Patterson

Abner told detectives after watching the news, he realized a lot of people loved Patterson. He wanted to release her but he was scared. Myers says Abner was scared a rookie cop would find them and start shooting. He was scared they both could get hurt. Abner told him, Patterson was in his custody and he felt obligated to make sure she was safe.

He told detectives Patterson didn't know where he should take her to release her. That's when he decided on her pastor's house.

After dropping her off, he went to his sister's in Lawrence and told her what happened. He said he wanted to go to Oregon for a little while to relax. He said he would turn himself in after that. Sharon Abner says her brother made it seem like he never intended to leave the store with the clerk. She says he told her the whole situation got out of control.

Abner was given the choice to testify Friday and decided against it. Closing arguments will begin at 10 Monday morning.

Follow the trial using Kim Hynes' Live Interactive Blog above.