Bob Fenenbock: Justice After 28 years
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Bob Fenenbock spent 28 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. The truth finally set him free two weeks ago. Despite how much he lost, he was all smiles and focused on small wonders. He was thrilled that he could give his daughter a real hug, overjoyed to walk among trees, and overwhelmed by all that's changed. But Bob’s not focused on what he’s lost, but rather on rebuilding a life, playing with his grandkids, and getting back to nature. We want to help.
Bob and his daughter, Shanea, as he enjoyed his first beer in 28 years.
In 1991, Robert “Bob” Fenenbock, a Vietnam veteran, was in his late thirties. He had moved to Northern California from Hawaii to help his brother build a home in the mountains. He fell in love with the Trinity river and the mountains and built himself a life there, with a mining claim and wood cutting business.
But in October of 1991, tragedy struck. Bob was arrested for and then convicted of a murder that he had nothing to do with. He spent the next 28 years behind bars until the evidence of his innocence, including a confession from someone else, and some help from the Northern California Innocence Project (NCIP) and Morrison & Foerster, finally set him free.
On August 30, 2019, Bob walked out of jail with no money, no wallet, no phone, no identification, just hand-me-down clothes from the jail and the grin on his face.
Bob and his attorney, Paige Kaneb.
The day Bob finally walked free, we went into a local bar where kind strangers heard Bob's story and passed a hat around the bar to collect money for him. They inspired us to do the same.
Imagine spending the past 28 years in prison for a crime you did not commit, and then getting out with nothing. What would you need? How much money would it take to suddenly build a life from scratch?
I'm one of the members of his legal team at NCIP and we, along with his family, are trying to help him get back on his feet -- and we need your help. Bob missed out on building a career, a savings account, and a retirement fund. He worked during his years in prison but the prison never paid him more than 55 cents per hour. He also needs the very thing our State stole from him: time. Time to spend with his family and live the life that was stolen from him. We can't give him back those 28 years, but we can give him time now with the easiest thing to give - money. You can give Bob time to go hiking in the mountains, time to spend with his family, time to play with his grandchildren, and time to enjoy his freedom. You can give him time, and the ability to travel.
Bob and his grandchildren enjoying their first free moments together on August 30, 2019, the day he walked free.
Bob didn’t have any pockets or a wallet (or anything other than the clothes on his back) so he put the money the generous citizens collected for him in his sock.
Free at last and doing what he wanted to do most, reconnect with his family.
More about Bob and his wrongful conviction:
In October of 1991, a man accused of molesting a young girl was stabbed to death in Hawkins Bar, CA, near where Bob lived. Police, through a complete misunderstanding, came to believe that a nine-year-old witnessed the stabbing and that Bob was one of a group of men who had stabbed the victim. The child told them repeatedly that he had not seen anything, but they insisted that he had, took him to the crime scene, told him their theory of the case, and then asked him to play detective and make up a story. The child was placed in therapy, where the therapist told him he had to testify to the story as if it were fact. Understandably, the child did as he was told and tragically, that led to Bob being convicted of a murder he had nothing to do with.
Worse still, it took 28 years for the truth to set him free. But Bob never gave up. He wrote to everyone he could think of for help, including the NCIP, who, along with Morrison & Foerster, was able to finally win Bob’s freedom based on the evidence of his innocence that was not available at his trial. That evidence included the confession of the victim’s friend, who admitted he alone had killed the victim after learning of the molest allegations.
Bob visiting the NCIP office for the first time.
Even though he spent 28 years imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, Bob made the best of that time. He worked to educate other prisoners through a peer-education program and taught health classes. He worked in the law library and assisted other inmates with legal claims. He made friends, he tried to maintain relationships with his family, and he walked out full of joy, forgiveness, and ready to live the dreams that had been deferred for far too long.
Bob and two of his daughters, Shanea and Meleana.
If you would like to read more about Bob’s case, please read the San Francisco Chronicle article , which reports on Bob’s remarkable journey to freedom.
I am a student at NCIP and a member of Bob's legal team. I will be withdrawing the funds raised in this campaign and helping Bob manage them for the items outlined above. Thank you for your generosity and support.
Bob and his daughter, Shanea, as he enjoyed his first beer in 28 years. In 1991, Robert “Bob” Fenenbock, a Vietnam veteran, was in his late thirties. He had moved to Northern California from Hawaii to help his brother build a home in the mountains. He fell in love with the Trinity river and the mountains and built himself a life there, with a mining claim and wood cutting business.
But in October of 1991, tragedy struck. Bob was arrested for and then convicted of a murder that he had nothing to do with. He spent the next 28 years behind bars until the evidence of his innocence, including a confession from someone else, and some help from the Northern California Innocence Project (NCIP) and Morrison & Foerster, finally set him free.
On August 30, 2019, Bob walked out of jail with no money, no wallet, no phone, no identification, just hand-me-down clothes from the jail and the grin on his face.
Bob and his attorney, Paige Kaneb. The day Bob finally walked free, we went into a local bar where kind strangers heard Bob's story and passed a hat around the bar to collect money for him. They inspired us to do the same.
Imagine spending the past 28 years in prison for a crime you did not commit, and then getting out with nothing. What would you need? How much money would it take to suddenly build a life from scratch?
I'm one of the members of his legal team at NCIP and we, along with his family, are trying to help him get back on his feet -- and we need your help. Bob missed out on building a career, a savings account, and a retirement fund. He worked during his years in prison but the prison never paid him more than 55 cents per hour. He also needs the very thing our State stole from him: time. Time to spend with his family and live the life that was stolen from him. We can't give him back those 28 years, but we can give him time now with the easiest thing to give - money. You can give Bob time to go hiking in the mountains, time to spend with his family, time to play with his grandchildren, and time to enjoy his freedom. You can give him time, and the ability to travel.
Bob and his grandchildren enjoying their first free moments together on August 30, 2019, the day he walked free.Bob didn’t have any pockets or a wallet (or anything other than the clothes on his back) so he put the money the generous citizens collected for him in his sock. Free at last and doing what he wanted to do most, reconnect with his family.More about Bob and his wrongful conviction:
In October of 1991, a man accused of molesting a young girl was stabbed to death in Hawkins Bar, CA, near where Bob lived. Police, through a complete misunderstanding, came to believe that a nine-year-old witnessed the stabbing and that Bob was one of a group of men who had stabbed the victim. The child told them repeatedly that he had not seen anything, but they insisted that he had, took him to the crime scene, told him their theory of the case, and then asked him to play detective and make up a story. The child was placed in therapy, where the therapist told him he had to testify to the story as if it were fact. Understandably, the child did as he was told and tragically, that led to Bob being convicted of a murder he had nothing to do with.
Worse still, it took 28 years for the truth to set him free. But Bob never gave up. He wrote to everyone he could think of for help, including the NCIP, who, along with Morrison & Foerster, was able to finally win Bob’s freedom based on the evidence of his innocence that was not available at his trial. That evidence included the confession of the victim’s friend, who admitted he alone had killed the victim after learning of the molest allegations.
Bob visiting the NCIP office for the first time.Even though he spent 28 years imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, Bob made the best of that time. He worked to educate other prisoners through a peer-education program and taught health classes. He worked in the law library and assisted other inmates with legal claims. He made friends, he tried to maintain relationships with his family, and he walked out full of joy, forgiveness, and ready to live the dreams that had been deferred for far too long.
Bob and two of his daughters, Shanea and Meleana.If you would like to read more about Bob’s case, please read the San Francisco Chronicle article , which reports on Bob’s remarkable journey to freedom.
I am a student at NCIP and a member of Bob's legal team. I will be withdrawing the funds raised in this campaign and helping Bob manage them for the items outlined above. Thank you for your generosity and support.
Organizer
Lauryn Barbosa
Organizer
Santa Clara, CA