Robbie Middleton was just eight years old when he was tied to a tree, doused with gasoline

Robbie Middleton was just eight years old when he was tied to a tree, doused with gasoline, and set on fire by a 13-year-old neighbor in Splendora, Texas. 


Despite surviving the attack, Robbie suffered burns over 99% of his body and endured years of medical treatment before he passed away at the age 20.

Details of the Incident and Aftermath
  • The Attack: On his eighth birthday in Splendora, Texas, Robbie was ambushed by Don Collins, who was 13 at the time. He was tied to a tree, doused in gasoline, and set alight. Robbie miraculously managed to free himself when the rope burned through and staggered home while in flames, suffering third-degree burns over 99% of his body.
  • Survival and Suffering: Robbie endured more than 200 surgeries and over a decade of relentless pain and skin grafts. Doctors initially believed he would not survive.
  • Motive and Prior Assault: Before his death, Robbie gave a video deposition in which he revealed that Collins had sexually assaulted him two weeks prior to the burning and the attack was an attempt to silence him.
  • Criminal Case: Collins was initially arrested but released due to a lack of evidence. The case was reopened after Robbie's death was ruled a homicide. In 2015, Collins was found guilty of capital murder and sentenced to 40 years in prison, the maximum allowed under Texas law for a juvenile offender at the time of the crime.
  • Civil Suit: In 2011, a jury awarded the Middleton family a symbolic $150 billion in a civil lawsuit against Collins, one of the largest personal injury awards in U.S. history. The aim of the lawsuit was to pressure authorities to pursue criminal charges, which it successfully did

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