Naman Shrestha
The episode titled ‘He’s One Hundred Percent a Monster’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Evil Lives Here’ chronicles the horrific killings of Frank Carnevale, Rita Bushman, and Kathleen “Kathy” Cordell, committed by Robert Cordell. Besides the murders, the documentary also digs deep into his early life as his former stepdaughter, Trina Vito, later claimed he was physically abusive and controlled various aspects of her life growing up. Not long after his crimes, the investigators linked him to the killings and brought him to justice.
Robert Cordell Was Involved in Three Murders in a Cincinnati Suburb
While little is known about Robert Cordell’s early life, he was born on December 18, 1959. He reportedly began dating Cindy in the 1980s, while her daughter from a previous relationship, Trina Vito, was just 7 years old. At the time, he reportedly worked in the military police. As per Trina’s account, Robert was a controlling figure in her and her mother’s lives. She added that things worsened when he moved in a few months after they began dating. Trina alleged that he also got rid of her two furry friends, Buster and Rocky. A few years later, Robert got married to her mother. Following that, Trina further alleged in the documentary, Robert began subjecting the then-10-year-old to physical abuse. Not long after, he faced legal action for the murder of his best friend, Richard. Per records, he pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated vehicular homicide and received a 3-year probation sentence.
In 1990, Trina’s mother divorced Robert, but it was alleged that he continued stalking her and her family and leaving threatening messages on the phone. The alleged phone calls and stalking eventually stopped. About a decade later, in 2002, Robert had been living in a Cincinnati suburb, Reading, with his sister-in-law, Kathleen “Kathy” Cordell. On the fateful day of April 1, 2002, he reportedly got into a heated altercation with Kathy when she confronted him regarding her belief that he had stolen the medicine from her. He consequently strangled his sister-in-law to death in the residence.
After that, Robert confronted his neighbor, Frank Carnevale, about getting his loaned truck back. It led to Robert shooting him 12 times at his home while he was asleep in a recliner. When Frank’s ex-wife, Rita Bushman, got inside to check the situation, Robert shot her four times in the head. In order to cover up his crimes and get rid of possible evidence against him, he reportedly set Frank’s house on fire. The following day, the remains of Frank, Rita, and Kathy were discovered by the authorities. Eventually, a few days later, he was arraigned on aggravated murder and aggravated arson charges in connection with Frank and Rita’s deaths. He was also indicted for aggravated murder in the death of Kathy. In addition to all that, Robert was charged with aggravated robbery.
Robert Cordell is Currently Incarcerated at an Ohio Prison Facility
A few months after his arrest, on October 1, 2002, Robert Cordell pleaded guilty to killing Frank Carnevale and Rita Bushman and setting fire to Frank’s residence in order to cover his crimes. He also pleaded guilty to strangling his sister-in-law, Kathleen “Kathy” Cordell, after a heated argument. Initially, the prosecution planned to try and obtain death penalty convictions for Robert, but the family members of the victims agreed to accept the plea arrangement and dropped the death penalty specifications.
Robert claimed that he didn’t have any recollection of the killings he committed in April 2002, insisting he suffered from blackouts at the time. In the end, he managed to avoid the death penalty but was sentenced to 81 years to life in prison. As of today, the 67-year-old killer is serving his life sentence at the North Central Correctional Institution in Marion, Ohio, with his parole eligibility date scheduled for March 2083.
