CONCORD, N.C. -- A mother pleads guilty to murdering her own 5-year-old son. Thursday that boy’s father, Ricky Lee, spoke out in open court. After court, he spoke exclusively with NewsChannel 36.
Lee says he wanted to speak before the court because, “I just wanted everyone to know how much we all love Philip.”
It was difficult for anyone in the courtroom to keep a dry eye as he spoke about what happened to his son.
“Everybody still remembers him,” Lee says holding back tears himself. He thinks about his little soccer player while saying, “We just miss him very much.”
As court started, Lee listened as the detective over the case explained that 46-year-old Robin Lee admitted to crushing up a prescription antihistamine and mixing it into drinks for her two sons, 14-year-old Alexander and 5-year-old Philip. Lee told the detective she wanted to kill herself, but wanted her boys to be asleep so they wouldn’t find her body.
“He didn’t deserve this, nobody deserves it,” said Lee. “I live 10 minutes away from her. She could have dropped him home.”
Robin survived the drugs she took. Philip did not survive the drink she gave him. Alexander woke up to find young Philip dead and his mother unconscious. “It was just selfish on her part to take him away from all of us,” describes Ricky.
Alexander called 911. He and his mother recovered from the affects of the drugs.
Hearing Philip's mother plead guilty offered a little relief for Ricky who says, “I’m just glad the trial’s over with.”
Even the judge told the court she was "heartbroken" by the story.
But Ricky’s not glad about the sentence. He says her 25 year sentence is simply not enough. “She didn’t get enough time in my opinion, my son’s life was worth a lot more than 25 years.”
He’s also upset that Robin was able to remarry while in jail. Cabarrus County sheriff’s deputies confirm she married 36-year-old Victor Sibby, a convicted sex offender awaiting trial for burglary among other charges. Ricky feels she neglected “the perfect child. If anybody was to be perfect, Phillip is perfect.”
As part of the plea agreement, Robin pleaded guilty to second degree murder, felony child abuse, and delivering drugs to a child. She was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in prison.
