“Seek Yahweh while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return to Yahweh, and He will have compassion on him. Turn to our Elohim, for He will abundantly pardon.”

Isaiah 55: 6-7

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Falsely Accused 10 Years Later: Part 2

Ten years after I published the book Falsely Accused, there remain two unanswered questions that have troubled me since I started writing the book. Before I tell you the questions and identify people who can answer them, I will present the basics of the case.

1. Date of the Shooting: September 8, 2006
2. Facts of the case:

• • Amber Robey was shot in the face while attacking Cyndi Marchbanks in Cyndi’s home. Amber died almost instantly.
  • Cyndi was the shooter.
  • Amber was pregnant. Her child was delivered postmortem via Caesarean section.
  • The child died 40 days later.

3. The People Involved:

• • Amber Robey—the woman who was shot.
  • Cyndi Marchbanks—the woman who shot Amber Robey.
  • Mike Jackson—Amber Robey’s boyfriend and the father of her unborn child.

4. The shooting took place at about 9:30 a.m.
5. Deputy Craig Holbrooks was the first deputy to arrive at the scene. He arrived at 9:45 a.m.
6. Detective William Vaughn was the first detective to arrive at the scene. He arrived shortly after 9: 45 a.m.
7. According to Sheriff’s Office reports, the lead detective, Detective Kevin Matheson, arrived at the scene at 10:29 a.m. Detective Matheson says he arrived earlier than that.
8. No later than 11:30 a.m., Cyndi was charged with murder and taken to Anderson Country Detention Center (ACDC). Cyndi learned that she had been charged with murder after she arrived at ACDC at 11:50 a.m.
9. At most, it could have taken no more than 2 hours to complete the investigation—from the time of the shooting at 9:30 a.m. until the murder charge was filed no later than 11:30 a.m. But Detective Matheson didn’t arrive at the scene until 10:29 a.m. That’s when the investigation really began, so the investigation took no more than 1 hour to complete.
10. What took place during the investigation:

• • Detective Matheson arrived at the scene at 10: 29 a.m., but he says he arrived earlier than that.
  • For a few minutes, he talked with Sheriff’s Office personnel at the scene outside the house.
  • Next, he examined the scene inside the house where the shooting occurred.
  • Then, he instructed deputies to canvas the neighborhood and gather eyewitness testimony, and he told one officer to visit EZ Pawn to collect statements from its employees.
  • While officers gathered statements, Detective Matheson examined Cyndi’s and Mike’s statements. Mike did not see the shooting, but he heard the gunshot. According to Mike Jackson’s statement, Cyndi Marchbanks shot Amber Robey, because the tint on the window of Cyndi’s car was scratched when Mike and Amber loaded a television set in the car or when they unloaded it at EZ Pawn.
  • The officers gathered eyewitness testimony, returned to the scene, and consulted with Detective Matheson.
  • Shortly before 11:30 a.m., Detective Matheson called the Solicitor’s office, talked with Solicitor Chrissy Adams, and decided to charge Cyndi with murder. That was less than 1 hour after the investigation started.

In a supplemental report dated February 19, 2007, Detective Matheson said that he had “overwhelming evidence” to support the murder charge against Cyndi. I examined all of the eyewitness testimony, read the statements made by Cyndi Marchbanks and Mike Jackson, talked with the key people in the case, examined the scene, and drove the routes involved.

Cyndi claimed self-defense. There was no evidence that contradicted her statement. In fact, all the eyewitness testimony corroborated Cyndi’s statement in every detail.

Mike Jackson’s statement did not contradict Cyndi’s claim of self-defense, because he did not witness the incident. As far as he was concerned, Cyndi shot Amber because Amber (or Amber and Mike) scratched the tint on the window of Cyndi’s car. That was the prosecution’s theory of the case. It was based exclusively on Mike Jackson’s statement, and his statement was full of holes. Plus, he gave 2 statements, and they were contradictory.

Putting it bluntly, there was no evidence that Cyndi committed murder, much less “overwhelming evidence”. Something happened when Detective Matheson talked with Chrissy Adams. What did she say to him? What did he say to her?

Chrissy Adams is dead. She can’t tell us what was discussed during that phone call. Detective Matheson can tell us what was discussed, but he refused to divulge that information to me when I talked with him numerous times while I was writing the book. One other person might have knowledge about that phone call: Catherine Huey. She is the person who prosecuted the case for the Solicitor’s Office.

What did Chrissy Adams tell Catherine Huey when she assigned the case to her? I want to know the answer to that question, too, because there was no evidence that Cyndi Marchbanks committed a crime. She was acting in self-defense. That’s what all of the eyewitness testimony shows beyond a shadow of a doubt.

From the time the trial ended until the jury reconvened and rendered its verdict, about 2 hours elapsed. That means the jury acquitted Cyndi after less than 2 hours of deliberation. There was little if any doubt in any of the jurors’ minds that Cyndi was not guilty. The so-called “overwhelming evidence” that Detective Matheson said he had, didn’t convince anyone of Cyndi’s guilt, and it didn’t even slow the jury down on its way to a not guilty verdict.

Kevin Matheson and Catherine Huey have questions to answer. Now is the time for them to answer those questions.

I believe that Chrissy Adams saw an opportunity to use this case to increase her chances of winning an election. To do that, she needed to charge Cyndi Marchbanks with murder regardless of the absence of evidence.

I also believe that Chrissy Adams told Kevin Matheson to charge Cyndi with murder. He can confirm or refute that belief.

Catherine Huey had no evidence to present during the trial. She must have known that before the trial started. What did Chrissy Adams tell her, and what did she tell Chrissy Adams? Why did she agree to prosecute this case?

For more than a year, Cyndi Marchbanks and her family had to endure the torture of knowing that Cyndi might spend the rest of her life in prison with no chance for parole. They deserve answers to those questions. So do the taxpayers of Anderson County South Carolina who paid for the trial.

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“I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me — just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father — and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also. They too will listen to My voice, and there shall be one flock and one Shepherd. The reason My Father loves Me is that I lay down My life — only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from My Father.”

John 10: 14-18

See “His Name is Yahweh”.