48 Hours" Live To Tell: Sole Survivor

On Sept. 30, 2005, 10-year-old Robin Doan made a call to 911, telling the operator: "There was a shootout in my house. And I don't know who's dead. And I'm scared half to death."

 

A gunman broke into Robin Doan's remote farmhouse in Pampa, Texas, in the middle of the night, killing her family as they lie in their beds. The killer also shot at Robin, but missed, leaving behind a witness.

 

Robin Doan, 10, resided with her mother, Michell, who was 6 months pregnant; her stepfather, Brian Conrad, a farmer; and her older brother, Zach. The family was well-liked, leaving detectives to wonder what motive might exist.

 

The murderer fired his gun at Robin Doan, who was lying in her bed. The shot missed the 10-year-old and struck a plastic drawer by her bedside. Robin played dead for two-and-a-half hours before getting out of bed and dialing 911.

 

Law enforcement responded to Robin Doan's 911 call, wondering why a 10-year-old was the only survivor. At the crime scene, they secured Robin and collected information.

 

The murderer broke into the home by kicking in the door on the east side of the home and then directly opened fire on the family.

 

Detectives found bullet casings throughout the house. Brian Conrad had been shot three times, Michell was shot six times and Zach was shot three times. The family dog was shot twice.

 

Later, detectives were able to link the shell casings to an AK 47 rifle. Several shoe prints were found on the property, but there were no fingerprints, no DNA.

Tire tracks belonging to an unknown vehicle were also found on the property.

A day before Robin Doan's family was murdered, the bodies of murder victims Orlie McCool and his daughter-in-law, Dawn, were found 500 miles away in Pineville, Missouri.

Investigators found shell casings at the McCool crime scene that corresponded to a gun that was reported as stolen. A local man had informed authorities that his son, Levi King, broke into his home and stole several guns.

 

Levi King had been in prison for arson and burglary. He was sentenced to 14 years but served less than three before he was sent to a halfway house.

Levi King absconded from the halfway house and was on the run one week before the McCool murders. King fled to his father's home in Pineville, Missouri, and broke into the gun safe.

 

 

The King's home was decorated with ceremonial knives and stocked with guns and ammunition.

 

Defense Attorney Joe Marr Wilson said, "regardless of whether they had food or not, there -- they had the money for ammunition."

Investigators learn that after killing the McCools with a Smith & Wesson .9 mm gun, Levi King drove from Missouri, exiting the interstate in Pampa, Texas, and felt the urge to kill again. He randomly chose the Doan/Conrad farmhouse, killing everyone except Robin.

Detectives believe Levi King targeted the McCools for their Dodge Dakota pickup, which he stole after their murders. King then drove towards Mexico.

 

About 11 hours after the McCool bodies were found, King was stopped by border patrol in El Paso, Texas. He confessed to having guns in the truck and was investigated by police. Just 15 minutes into his inquiry, he admitted to murdering Orlie and Dawn McCool.

 

Two weeks after being brought back to and imprisoned in Missouri, Levi King says to a deputy there are four more bodies in Texas, near a large cross. The deputy calls detectives near the cross and learns about the Doan/Conrad murders.

 

On April 18, 2008, Levi King pleaded guilty in Missouri, agreeing to two consecutive life sentences for the McCool murders to avoid the death penalty.

 

Four years after the Doan/Conrad murders, the sentencing trial for Levi King began in Texas. There, the D.A. refused to take the death penalty off the table.

 

Former Prosecutor Lynn Switzer said, "If there was ever a case where a man deserved to die, it was Levi King."

 

On Oct. 6, 2009, a jury sentenced Levi King to life without the chance of parole for the murders of Michell Conrad, Brian Conrad, and Zach Doan. King was extradited to Missouri to serve his sentence.

 

Robin Doan, remains in close contact with what she calls her law enforcement family, especially Chad Brooks, the first responder on the day of the murders.

Holidays and birthdays are difficult for Robin Doan, but she looks forward to a future where she can help others.

Source

Daily Mail, CBS news