Robert Hale (Alaska)
Encyclopedia
Robert Allen Hale, also known as Papa Pilgrim (1941 - May 26, 2008) was an American criminal who mentally, physically, and sexually abused
his wife and 15 children in the Alaska
n wilderness.
and Virginia Kingsbery Hale of Fortune Road, Fort Worth, TX. Warren Commission
exhibit CE 1891 states that Mrs. Virginia Hale of Fortune Road, employed in the Fort Worth office of the Texas Employment Commission, sent Lee Harvey Oswald
out on the job to the Leslie Welding Company in July, 1962.
In April, 1959, Robert Allen Hale was cleared by a Florida Coroner's Jury of responsibility related to the shooting death of his teenaged wife of only 44 days, Kathleen Connally Hale, the daughter of the future Texas Governor, John Connally
. Kathleen was already pregnant and they eloped to Oklahoma. They moved to Florida and lived in a small apartment for a month when Kathleen was killed by a shotgun blast below her right ear. Kathleen's family family blamed Hale, but John Connally himself thought it might have been a suicide pact that Hale backed out of.
On November 22, 1963, John Connally
was in the seat in front of President John F. Kennedy
when he was shot and killed in their open-air limousine in Dallas by Lee Harvey Oswald
, according to the Warren Commission
.
Prior to living in Alaska, Hale had been involved in another notable incident with the law, also linked to President John F. Kennedy
. On August 7, 1962, Hale and his twin brother William were observed by an F.B.I. agent, as they burglarized the Los Angeles apartment of one of John Kennedy's alleged mistresses, Judith Exner
.
In 1974, Hale met a 16-year-old girl named Kurina in the California desert. She would give birth to 15 children.
Robert Hale had gained notoriety through his family's iconoclastic lifestyle. A self-proclaimed devout Christian
, Hale moved his family of 17 to Alaska from New Mexico
in 1998 and kept them isolated from nearly all outside influences, including churches.
In 2002, Hale launched a legal battle with the National Parks Service over his plan to bulldoze a road to land his family owned inside the remote Wrangell-St. Elias National Park near the small town of McCarthy, Alaska
. The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which refused to hear the case.
In 2005, family members told police that Hale had routinely beaten and rape
d his eldest daughter for years. He was incarcerated in September 2007 and died eight months later on May 26, 2008.
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
his wife and 15 children in the Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
n wilderness.
Early life
Robert Allen Hale was the son of I. B. HaleI. B. Hale
Insall Bailey "I. B." Hale was an American football offensive tackle at Texas Christian University who was voted an All-American. He was drafted in the first round of the 1939 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins, but never played football professionally.Hale later became a FBI agent in Fort...
and Virginia Kingsbery Hale of Fortune Road, Fort Worth, TX. Warren Commission
Warren Commission
The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known unofficially as the Warren Commission, was established on November 27, 1963, by Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
exhibit CE 1891 states that Mrs. Virginia Hale of Fortune Road, employed in the Fort Worth office of the Texas Employment Commission, sent Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald was, according to four government investigations,These were investigations by: the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the Warren Commission , the House Select Committee on Assassinations , and the Dallas Police Department. the sniper who assassinated John F...
out on the job to the Leslie Welding Company in July, 1962.
In April, 1959, Robert Allen Hale was cleared by a Florida Coroner's Jury of responsibility related to the shooting death of his teenaged wife of only 44 days, Kathleen Connally Hale, the daughter of the future Texas Governor, John Connally
John Connally
John Bowden Connally, Jr. , was an influential American politician, serving as the 39th governor of Texas, Secretary of the Navy under President John F. Kennedy, and as Secretary of the Treasury under President Richard M. Nixon. While he was Governor in 1963, Connally was a passenger in the car in...
. Kathleen was already pregnant and they eloped to Oklahoma. They moved to Florida and lived in a small apartment for a month when Kathleen was killed by a shotgun blast below her right ear. Kathleen's family family blamed Hale, but John Connally himself thought it might have been a suicide pact that Hale backed out of.
On November 22, 1963, John Connally
John Connally
John Bowden Connally, Jr. , was an influential American politician, serving as the 39th governor of Texas, Secretary of the Navy under President John F. Kennedy, and as Secretary of the Treasury under President Richard M. Nixon. While he was Governor in 1963, Connally was a passenger in the car in...
was in the seat in front of President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
when he was shot and killed in their open-air limousine in Dallas by Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald was, according to four government investigations,These were investigations by: the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the Warren Commission , the House Select Committee on Assassinations , and the Dallas Police Department. the sniper who assassinated John F...
, according to the Warren Commission
Warren Commission
The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known unofficially as the Warren Commission, was established on November 27, 1963, by Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
.
Prior to living in Alaska, Hale had been involved in another notable incident with the law, also linked to President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. On August 7, 1962, Hale and his twin brother William were observed by an F.B.I. agent, as they burglarized the Los Angeles apartment of one of John Kennedy's alleged mistresses, Judith Exner
Judith Exner
Judith Exner was an American woman who claimed to be the mistress of U.S. president John F. Kennedy and Mafia leaders Sam Giancana and John Roselli. She was also known as Judith Campbell Exner.-Early life:...
.
In 1974, Hale met a 16-year-old girl named Kurina in the California desert. She would give birth to 15 children.
Robert Hale had gained notoriety through his family's iconoclastic lifestyle. A self-proclaimed devout Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, Hale moved his family of 17 to Alaska from New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
in 1998 and kept them isolated from nearly all outside influences, including churches.
In 2002, Hale launched a legal battle with the National Parks Service over his plan to bulldoze a road to land his family owned inside the remote Wrangell-St. Elias National Park near the small town of McCarthy, Alaska
McCarthy, Alaska
McCarthy is a census-designated place in Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 42 at the 2000 census.- Geography and location:...
. The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which refused to hear the case.
In 2005, family members told police that Hale had routinely beaten and rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d his eldest daughter for years. He was incarcerated in September 2007 and died eight months later on May 26, 2008.
External links
- http://www.adn.com/pilgrims/story/417150.html Tom Kizzia, "Papa Pilgrim dies in jail, unrepentant and alone", Anchorage Daily NewsAnchorage Daily NewsThe Anchorage Daily News is a daily newspaper based in Anchorage, Alaska, in the United States. It is often referred to colloquially as either "the Daily News" or "the ADN"...
, May 26, 2008.] - ADN profile of Hale