'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAcACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABfAAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABhAAAgIDAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDBAAFESEWIgEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABBEAAQMDBQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQACEQMEIRIxQVFS/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwCIA3+j101raQBajOsKGOUM0yt+ypHnF5wtlrrvqLevqWK+4sxQywRvFGXHVRlBAPh9AxjB2whsgu5ESeykXNUu3aw5GdI8hf/Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Bobby Fisk and Timothy Stephan, two Michigan men who attempted to rob a respected elderly couple, Robert and Norma Bean, in October 2006 before shooting them to death, were sentenced to life in prison. Stephan pleaded guilty to two counts of felony murder, while Fisk went to trial and was convicted of all charges, including two counts of first-degree murder and kidnapping.
The Beans were found shot to death in a gravel pit about 30 miles from their Howard City home. An investigation revealed that the shooters killed the couple after kidnapping them from their house in the early morning hours before arriving at the gravel pit and shooting them.
Reports state that Timothy Stephan was given life without parole and is currently serving time at St. Louis Correctional Facility. Bobby Fisk received two consecutive life terms and is at the Chippewa Correctional Facility.
ID's Murder in the Heartland chronicles the double homicide of Robert and Norma Bean in an episode titled The Gravel Pit Murders. The synopsis for the episode says:
"In Howard City, Michigan, detectives investigate a night of horror that ends with the shooting of beloved couple Robert and Norma Bean in a gravel pit; local tips provide alarming new clues, revealing the shocking timeline of their final hours."
The upcoming episode will air this Wednesday, April 4, at 9:00 pm ET.
Both Bobby Fisk and Timothy Stephan were given life sentences in Robert and Norma Beans' double homicide
Robert and Norma Bean were involved in their church and neighborhood events, owned a trucking business, and were quick to assist whenever their community required them to. The elderly couple were kidnapped from their Howard City home in the early morning hours of October 6, 2008, and were taken 30 miles away to a gravel pit, where they were shot with a weapon they owned.
Not long after, Bobby Fisk, 25, and Timothy Stephan, 28, were arrested and charged in connection with the killings, before which they robbed the victims, kidnapped them, and forced the two to use their cards. Two counts of first-degree murder, one count each of first-degree home invasion, felony murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, and firearm possession charges were brought against each defendant.
In April 2009, Stephan pleaded guilty to two counts of felony murder and was handed two life sentences later in May. A jury convicted Fisk guilty on all counts, including first-degree murder, felony murder, kidnapping, house invasion, and felony firearms charges, when he went to trial the following January. He was handed two consecutive life sentences along with other additional terms.
Timothy Stephan and Bobby Fisk are both currently serving their sentences at the St. Louis Correctional Facility and the Chippewa Correctional Facility, respectively.
Bobby Fisk and Timothy Stephan attempted to rob the respected couple before shooting them at the gravel pit
Reports state that Bobby Fisk and Timothy Stephan broke into Robert and Norma Bean's home in Howard City during the late-night hours of October 5, 2008, while the couple slept. The duo stole Norma's purse, a. 22-caliber gun, and 34 Vicodin tablets. They allegedly split the pills and consumed them with booze but were unsatisfied with the contents they found inside the purse.
Afterward, Fisk and Stephan, drunk and high on pills, returned to the couple's home, woke them, and demanded money from them at gunpoint before forcing the couple, still in their pajamas, into their van. The burglars then drove them around to ATM machines, making unsuccessful attempts at withdrawing cash until their accounts were frozen. They then drove to a gravel pit, where the shooting occurred.
Robert and Norma Bean both knew the perpetrators and had previously helped them with resources on multiple occasions.
Murder in the Heartland on ID airs with an all-new episode on Wednesday at 9:00 pm ET.
