From Sarah White’s appeal: Neighbors alerted the fire department on December 31, 1975, that a home located at 24 Sayre Drive, Greenwood, Indiana, was in flames. The defendant was seen coming from the rear of the home; she was hysterical, screaming, and was restrained from reentering the burning home. The residence was the dwelling house of Charles and Carol Roberson and their four minor children, Michael, Dale, Gary and Rita. All six of the Robersons perished in the fire. The coroner testified that each of them died from carbon monoxide and smoke inhalation. The defendant had been living with the Roberson family.
After an extensive investigation into the cause of the fire, it was determined that the fire had been deliberately set. Burn patterns found in the home showed that an accelerant such as gasoline had been used. The accelerant caused the rapid burning of the home as well as the intense heat generated. Experts testified that the occupants of the home had probably perished within a few minutes of the initial conflagration.
The defendant was burned only slightly. Her testimony was to the effect that she had awakened from her bed on the living room couch, seen the flames on the wall near the Christmas tree, alerted the family, and attempted to get the children out. The smoke was so thick, though, that she lost touch with the children; she exited through a small, rear bedroom window, thinking that the children and the family would be behind her.
Testimony elicited at trial revealed that the defendant had made a telephone call, on the night of the fire, to her sister-in-law. The defendant was inquiring about a fire, which had occurred two days earlier, at her grandmother’s home. The defendant was most interested in how the fire started and in whether her siblings (who were living with her grandmother) had received new clothes as a result of the fire. It was less than four hours after the defendant had inquired about the fire at her grandmother’s house that the Roberson home was in flames. The arson investigators stated unequivocally that the Roberson fire was not accidental. The Christmas tree was a flame-proof variety; tests within the courtroom demonstrated that the tree would melt before it would ignite. The wiring, the appliances, the gas lines, and the furnace of the Roberson home were all checked. The results demonstrated that the fire itself had damaged each system, rather than the system causing the fire.
Additional evidence was introduced. Nude and pornographic photographs of the nineteen-year-old defendant were found in Charles Roberson’s billfold. Love letters written by the defendant to Charles Roberson were also found. The pajamas worn by the defendant were shown to be made of a highly flammable material; yet they were not burned at all. Inconsistencies in the defendant’s recollection of the fire were demonstrated through the testimony of those to whom the defendant had told her story. The defendant had a history of emotional disturbance, especially since the death of her father, and had spent the year prior to moving in with the Robersons as a patient in LaRue Carter Hospital.
Victims
Charles Roberson, 45
Carole Roberson, 41
Michael, 7
Dale, 6
Gary, 5
Sissy, 4
Suicide fails
Sarah Isabel White v State of Indiana 1978
Sarah Isabel White v Indiana Parole Board 1999
Indianapolis Monthly: Inside Story
Movies/Documentaries
Deadly Women: Mad or Bad
INMATE INFORMATION
SARAH I WHITE
DOC Number 0394
First Name SARAH
Middle Name I
Last Name WHITE
Suffix
Date of Birth 06/24/1957
Gender Female
Race White
Facility/Location Indiana Women’s Prison
Sentence Information
Date of Sentence 05/21/1976
Description MURDER
Term in Years / Months / Days LIFE
Type of Conviction M
Indiana Citation Code 35-42-1-1
Cause Number 8463
County of Conviction JOHNSON
Projected Release Date 00/00/0000
Sentence Information
Date of Sentence 05/21/1976
Description MURDER
Term in Years / Months / Days LIFE
Type of Conviction M
Indiana Citation Code 35-42-1-1
Cause Number 8463
County of Conviction JOHNSON
Projected Release Date 00/00/0000
Sentence Information
Date of Sentence 05/21/1976
Description MURDER
Term in Years / Months / Days LIFE
Type of Conviction M
Indiana Citation Code 35-42-1-1
Cause Number 8463
County of Conviction JOHNSON
Projected Release Date 00/00/0000
Sentence Information
Date of Sentence 05/21/1976
Description MURDER
Term in Years / Months / Days LIFE
Type of Conviction M
Indiana Citation Code 35-42-1-1
Cause Number 8463
County of Conviction JOHNSON
Projected Release Date 00/00/0000
Sentence Information
Date of Sentence 05/21/1976
Description MURDER
Term in Years / Months / Days LIFE
Type of Conviction M
Indiana Citation Code 35-42-1-1
Cause Number 8463
County of Conviction JOHNSON
Projected Release Date 00/00/0000
Sentence Information
Date of Sentence 05/21/1976
Description MURDER
Term in Years / Months / Days LIFE
Type of Conviction M
Indiana Citation Code 35-42-1-1
Cause Number 8463
County of Conviction JOHNSON
Projected Release Date 00/00/0000
