In a story that sounds too chilling to be real, Lifetime’s new “Ripped From the Headlines” film tells the haunting true crime of Heather Robinson—portrayed by Rachel Stubington—a woman whose very identity was built on a lie. She grew up believing she had been lovingly adopted, but at just 15 years old, Heather learned an unthinkable truth: her biological mother was murdered by none other than her adoptive uncle, John Edward Robinson.
The 2025 movie dramatizes this horrifying story, with Steve Guttenberg as the creepy John Robinson and Jana Kramer as the determined detective trying to figure out what’s going on. That being said— the real story is even scarier than the play.
THE MAN BEHIND THE MONSTER: WHO IS JOHN ROBINSON?
John Edward Robinson was born on December 27, 1943, in Cicero, Illinois. From a young age, he struggled with authority and discipline. He dropped out of the Quigley Preparatory Seminary in Chicago and later Morton Junior College. In 1964, he married Nancy Jo Lynch and moved to Kansas City. Together, they had four children: John Jr., Kimberly, and twins Christopher and Christine.
While Robinson tried to keep up the image of a normal family man, the darker side of his life was hidden behind bars and business frauds. By the late 1960s and 70s, he had already been arrested multiple times for embezzlement. But that was only the beginning of his criminal journey.
THE SECRET OF TIFFANY STASI: A CHILD GIVEN AWAY
In 1985, John Robinson met Lisa Stasi, a struggling young mother with a 4-month-old daughter named Tiffany. He promised her job training and housing assistance and checked her into a motel in Overland Park, Kansas. What happened next would remain a mystery for years.
Robinson murdered Lisa Stasi. Then, in a move that shocked the world years later, he handed off her baby—Tiffany—to his brother, Don Robinson, and Don’s wife, claiming she was being adopted. The couple renamed her Heather and raised her as their own, never suspecting the truth.
It wasn’t until 2000, when John Robinson was arrested and Heather was 15, that the horrifying secret unraveled. Heather learned her entire identity was built on the death of her real mother, and the man she’d always called “Uncle John” was a serial killer responsible for her mother’s disappearance.
SERIAL KILLINGS AND THE “SLAVEMASTER” ALIAS
From 1985 to 2000, Robinson built a chilling trail of deceit and death across Kansas and Missouri. He often lured women through personal ads and later through online BDSM chat rooms under the name “Slavemaster.” He promised jobs, money, or a dominant-submissive relationship, but instead, he brought his victims to their deaths.
His known victims include:
• Lisa Stasi – Heather’s biological mother
• Paula Godfrey
• Catherine Clampitt
• Beverly Bonner
• Sheila Faith and her disabled daughter Debbie Faith
• Izabela Lewicka
• Suzette Trouten
Robinson used various tactics—emotional manipulation, financial fraud, and even fake businesses—to lure his victims. He kept meticulous records and often transported bodies in chemical barrels.
THE DISCOVERY THAT SHOCKED KANSAS
In June 2000, authorities finally closed in on Robinson. Initially arrested for sexual assault and theft, the investigation quickly escalated. Police searched his 16-acre property near La Cygne, Kansas, and a rented storage unit in Raymore, Missouri. What they found was horrific: five 85-pound chemical barrels containing the decomposed bodies of five women.
Two barrels on his property held the remains of Izabela Lewicka and Suzette Trouten.
Three barrels in his Missouri storage unit contained Beverly Bonner, Sheila Faith, and Debbie Faith.
These discoveries were vital in finally tying Robinson to the numerous missing persons cases that had gone unsolved for years. He was charged with three murders in Kansas and five in Missouri.
THE LONGEST TRIAL IN KANSAS HISTORY
In 2002, Robinson was tried in Kansas for the murders of Suzette Trouten, Izabela Lewicka, and Lisa Stasi. He was convicted and received two death sentences (for Suzette and Izabela) and life imprisonment for Lisa. To avoid the death penalty in Missouri, Robinson pleaded guilty to five additional murders and received five life sentences.
The Kansas trial became the longest criminal trial in the state’s history. Since then, Robinson has filed multiple appeals, including a civil suit in 2022 claiming ineffective legal counsel during his original trial. However, the Kansas Supreme Court upheld his death sentences.
In November 2015, some of his convictions were dismissed, but the most severe sentences remained intact. In late 2024, Robinson faced further discipline in prison after being reprimanded for theft.
WHERE IS JOHN ROBINS
ON NOW?
ON NOW?
Now 81 years old, John Robinson remains on death row at the El Dorado Correctional Facility in El Dorado, Kansas. Despite numerous appeals, his fate remains unchanged. He continues to serve multiple sentences for some of the most calculated and heartless crimes in Kansas and Missouri’s history.
THE SURVIVOR: HEATHER ROBINSON
Today, Heather Robinson has grown into a woman with an unthinkable past. Knowing that her life was built on the murder of her mother has shaped her journey in ways few could imagine. She has since become an advocate for victims’ families and continues to raise awareness about her mother’s story.
The Lifetime film serves as a tribute to Lisa Stasi and the many other women whose lives were cut short. It’s also a way to shed light on Heather’s journey—how one girl’s life was forever altered by a man the world never suspected until it was too late.
Stay tuned with tvacute.com for more true crime updates, Lifetime movie insights, and real-life stories that leave a lasting impact.
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