Froberg pleads guilty in Morgan Violi kidnapping and murder case
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Nearly 30 years after 7-year-old Morgan Violi was kidnapped and killed, the man accused in her death has pleaded guilty in federal court.
On Wednesday, Robert Scott Froberg pleaded guilty to the federal kidnapping charge in Violi’s death during a hearing before U.S. District Judge Greg Stivers at the William H. Natcher Federal Building in Bowling Green.
The plea comes just two days before the 30th anniversary of Morgan’s kidnapping and murder.
U.S. Attorney Kyle Bumgarner said Froberg admitted responsibility for the crime after decades of unanswered questions for Morgan’s family.
“Here we are, two days before the 30th anniversary of Morgan’s kidnapping and murder, and Robert Scott Froberg appeared before Judge Stivers to finally admit and accept responsibility for the heinous acts that he committed against Morgan 30 years ago,” Bumgarner said. “Today he pled guilty.”
Under the plea agreement, federal prosecutors and the defense have agreed that the appropriate sentence is life imprisonment.
“Mr. Froberg, once this plea is ultimately accepted, will serve the rest of his life in prison for what he did to Morgan,” Bumgarner said.
For Morgan’s family, Bumgarner said the guilty plea cannot erase the pain of losing their daughter, but it does provide long-awaited answers.
“There’s a mom and a dad that are heartbroken. There are sisters that are heartbroken that they did not get to live a life with all of those milestones that you would want to have with a sister and a daughter,” he said. “I can’t say that they have closure, but I think they have answers. I think they have satisfaction knowing that someone finally accepted responsibility for what happened to Morgan 30 years ago.”
Judge Stivers scheduled sentencing for Nov. 2 at 10:30 a.m. During that hearing, Violi’s family will have the opportunity to address the court before the judge decides whether to accept the plea agreement and formally sentence Froberg to life in prison.
The case remained unsolved for decades before federal investigators announced earlier this year that advances in DNA technology led them to Froberg, resulting in federal charges nearly 30 years after Morgan’s death.
