A 35-year-old woman from Centerville, Ohio, pleaded guilty on Friday to interstate stalking that led to the death of her ex-husband. Tawnney Caldwell admitted to her role in the gruesome murder of her former husband, Robert Caldwell, in August 2017.
At the time of her ex-husband's killing, Tawnney Caldwell is said to have been in a romantic relationship with Sterling Roberts, the assailant of Robert Caldwell. A sentence of 20 to 35 years in prison has been recommended for Caldwell by parties involved in the case.
Conspiring With Her Lover and Family
According to official records, Robert Caldwell was accompanied by his three minor children as he left from a counseling appointment in Riverside, Ohio, at around 6 PM on 15 August 2017. As he crossed the parking lot, he was shot multiple times in front of his children by an assailant who fled the scene after firing at him. The shooter was later identified as Tawnney Caldwell's lover, Sterling Roberts, who is the co-defendant in the case.
An ugly dispute surrounding the custody of their children had been going on between Tawney Caldwell and her former spouse. It is said that she had discussed killing Robert Caldwell with Roberts on at least two occasions. At the time of the discussions, Roberts was in prison in Montgomery County.
Also, the families of Tawnney Caldwell and Roberts are said to have collaborated with the mother of three to plan, execute, and cover-up the brutal slaying of Robert Caldwell. The family members are Sterling Robert's brothers, Chance Deakin and Christopher Roberts; James Harmon (Tawnney's step-father); and Chandra Harmon (Tawnney's mother).
An Elaborate Assassination Plan
The encounter, in which Robert Caldwell was slain, however, was not the first attempt on his life. Court documents state that Roberts had approached him pretending to be a customer seeking stonework and texted him to lure him into a meeting in early August 2017 in Jamestown, Ohio. Armed with a gun, Roberts supposedly ambushed the victim. However, Cladwell managed to escape and called 911, and also reported the incident to the Greene County Sheriff's Office.
In her plea, Tawnney Caldwell said that between the first attempted homicide and the second encounter that led to her ex-spouse's murder, Robert had fled to Tennessee and was staying at a relative's home. She traveled to Tennessee to bring Roberts back to Ohio and stopped in Kentucky on the way to illegally obtain an AK-47 rifle for him.
The plea also stated that the two had discussed and planned the nitty-gritty of the assassination plan at Tawnney Caldwell's residence. They were in communication with each other before and after the murder through cell phones. Roberts will be facing a jury trial on 30 November 2020.
