State of Texas

In Re Linda Carty
County of Harris

AFFIDAVIT OF CHRISTOPHER ANTHONY ROBINSON

I, Christopher Anthony Robinson, state that the following is true and correct to the best of my
knowledge:
1) I testified at Linda Carty's trial on February 13 and 14, 2002.
2) When I was arrested in connection with this case, I was interrogated by the Houston Police
Department several times.
3) Each time the police interviewed me, before they turned on the tape recorder, they would talk
to me and tell me what I was to say first, or at least what their 'version of events' was, then they
would put the tape on.
4) The DA and the Police (particularly Detective Novak) told me repeatedly that the only reason why
I had been caught and was in this trouble was because Linda Carty had snitched to them and
told them everything. They kept telling me they already knew everything about what happened
and that everyone had snitched on me. They really wound me up about this and, as a result, I got
angry with Linda. Also, there is a general code on the street that you do not rat on your friends,
but Linda was not our friend and it ended up that it fell to her to take the heat. This was especially
so because the District Attorneys seemed only interested in blaming Linda and getting the death
penalty for Linda.
5) While I was incarcerated in County Jail, Carliss Williams, my half-brother Zebediah Comb, my
cousin Armand Combs, Toby Caldwell and I were held in such a way that we were able to talk to
one another.
6) We all spoke and were able to discuss what we would say and what we would not say. I told
Carliss Williams, Zebediah Comb, Toby Caldwell and Armand Comb not to say anything.
7) When I had been in County Jail for about two or three weeks the District Attorney came to visit
me. The District Attorneys who came to visit me were Connie Spence and Craig Goodhart.
8) I had eight or nine interviews with Connie Spence and Craig Goodhart where they made it really
clear what I had to say in Linda Carty's trial.
9) Spence and Goodhart would come and get me from my cell and take me in the elevator to a room
upstairs with a big window looking onto the outside. They'd buy me drinks and snacks from the
vending machine.
10) Spence and Goodhart recorded me on a tape recorder for some of these meetings . I don't think
the first ones were recorded, but some of the later ones were.

11) They would use a little silver recording device about 3 - 4 inches long. During the meetings
where they did record me, they would keep it out on the table nearly the whole time. I do not think
it was on the table for every meeting. Connie Spence would switch the silver recording device on
and off as we were talking.
12) Spence and Goodhart took a lot of notes during the meetings. They took notes on yellow legal
pads.
13) Connie Spence and Craig Goodhart threatened me and intimidated me, telling me I would get the
death penalty myself if Linda Carty did not get the death penalty. They told me I had to testify at
Linda's trial to avoid the death penalty, and they made it clear what it was I had to say.
14) Spence and Goodhart had a version of events in their minds and they were alternating between
coaching me and threatening me to get me to say their version . My testimony had to satisfy what
they wanted; and what they wanted was Linda to get the death penalty. They both edited out
things they did not want me to say, and edited in things they did.
15) For example, I told Craig Goodhart and Connie Spence that I had not seen Linda Carty putting a
bag over Johanna Rodriguez's head but they were persistent in telling me that the jury must think
that Linda Carty killed Johanna Rodriguez.
16) Craig Goodhart and Connie Spence spent a lot of time rehearsing my testimony with me. They
consistently told me what they believed happened -i.e., Linda Carty killed Johanna Rodriguez by
putting a bag over her head. It didn't seem to matter what my eyes had actually seen, they were
always pushing me to change things around and add more.
17) One example of this would be, as mentioned above, the fact that I had not seen Linda putting a
bag over Johanna Rodriguez's head, but they really wanted me to testify in a clear way that I had
seen Linda killing Rodriguez by holding a bag over her head.
18) Another example was adding a detail that Linda had instructed us to kill all the guys in the
apartment during the lick. The truth is, Linda didn't instruct us to kill all the guys in the apartment.
This was a detail that got included at trial through the various rehearsals with the District
Attorneys.
19) Another example would be the fact that Linda never instructed anyone to tape up Johanna
Rodriguez, but this was ultimately what I said at trial.
20) Another example would be how they wanted me to say I'd seen Linda bathing the baby, but I
never saw Linda bathing the baby; this was entirely invented by the District Attorney.
21) The District Attorney really wanted me to testify that Linda Carty was the ringleader, but I couldn't
really do that truthfully. It was Josie Anderson who was the one who put everything together. It
was Josie who sold the idea to us and she was the one who was buddies with everyone. It was
her plan and if the plan had fallen like she said it would, she would have got a cut of the money
and the drugs .
22) One of the most rehearsed areas of our testimony was the section where I was meant to testify
that I saw Linda bent over the trunk, holding the bag over Johanna Rodriguez's head in the car
and whether I had seen Johanna Rodriguez dead in the car at that point.

23) Spence and Goodhart were adamant that I testify that I had seen Rodriguez dead at this point
in time . I kept telling Craig Goodhart that I had not seen Johanna Rodriguez dead in the car on
the night of Tuesday May 15, 2001, so I could not know if Johanna Rodriguez died in the car that
night. I repeatedly told Goodhart and Spence that I did not think Rodriguez was dead and that, in
fact, she was breathing. Both Goodhart and Spence kept telling me "you know she was dead" or
"she was dead, she was dead". In the end this whole section became so distorted from the truth
that, at the trial, I just said what Goodhart and Spence wanted me to say.
24) Goodhart kept telling me the story needed to be that I had seen Linda putting a bag over Johanna
Rodriguez's head and that immediately afterwards I observed Rodriguez dead, not breathing and
motionless in the car.
25) At trial I testified that I saw Linda Carty killing Johanna Rodriguez with a bag over her head. In
fact, I did not see Linda Carty putting the trash bag over Johanna Rodriguez's head .
26) At trial I testified that I saw Linda with "[h]alf her body in the trunk, like, one leg on the ground and
one leg in the trunk, like up''. The truth is, I did not see this . This was a detail that was added by
Spence and Goodhart as part of the rehearsals.
27) Finally, because Spence and Goodhart were adamant that I say that immediately after I had seen
Linda putting a bag over Johanna Rodriguez's" head I observed Rodriguez dead, not breathing
and motionless in the car, I testified to this at trial.
28) At trial, I said that when I ripped the bag open "she wasn't breathing". Goodhart asked me "(d]id
you see her begin to breathe when you ripped the bag off her head?", and I answered "no Sir".
Goodhart asked me "(s]he didn't move, did she?" and I answered "no, Sir". But this was not true
and Goodhart knew that it was not true.
29) The truth is , I did see Rodriguez in the trunk of the car on the night of Tuesday May 15, 2001 or
the early hours of Wednesday May 16, 2001. But, she was definitely alive.
30) At some point in the night, I cannot say for sure at what point exactly. I opened the trunk and saw
Rodriguez with a bag over her head . I ripped the bag open and off her head. When I ripped the
bag I saw Rodriguez visibly do a big inhale. She was definitely breathing.

'I

31) I did see Johanna Rodriguez dead in the trunk of the car on the following day. It was when we
were using Lysol to clean the car for prints. It was during the following day of Wednesday May
16, 2001. The trunk was opened again at some point and I saw Rodriguez then; I believe she
was dead at that point because she was not moving and she looked dead.
32) I do not believe Linda Carty intended for Johanna Rodriguez to be killed. No-one ever intended
for Johanna Rodriguez to die. There was never a plan to kill anyone. I think this was an accident.
33) Spence and Goodhart repeatedly told me that I was the "key witness" and that "what you will say
will nail Linda". But, there were only fragments of things I knew. Despite this. I had to say their
version and it was critical to Spence and Goodhart that I knew the whole story. I needed to be
able to say the whole story in a continuous way. When we were rehearsing I would say the story
back to them, they would stop me and add something in. or take it out then make me keep going.
They would stop me by saying "wait, wait, this is what happened" and then correct what I said .
Then I would get back into the flow. Spence and Goodhart wanted me to have an answer for
everything , so if I did not know an answer. they would give me one.

34) I was very scared at Linda Carty's trial. My fear came from the threats and statements made by
the District Attorneys, Craig Goodhart and Connie Spence. For years I just didn't want to talk
about this case ; but this is the truth of what happened.

I have read this affidavit. I affirm that it is true and correct to the best of my knowledge, and I so state
under penalty of perjury.

~
~WdJ;!"v
CHRISTOPHER ANTHONY ROBINSON
Signed and sworn before me on

My commission expires
~

o o

t>

at

o o

this~ day of~.(JfeiV\.Ji e.f'

. 2014.

3 .~ /5-d tJ/7
~

e " o

!!!

"

\~~~ '~~,~~~~)~;,~: l
l'I

"ei 0

"~

I') ()

(1'

o o e 0-~ o e e 111 e@
Notary Without l:3011d

GJ Ii< 0 e,

0 G $1

Ge