A Family Torn Apart: The Murder of Indiana Firefighter Robbie Doerr

The Night That Changed Everything

On a cold February evening in 2019, the quiet neighborhood of Evansville, Indiana, was shattered by gunshots that would expose a sinister plot and destroy multiple families. Robert “Robbie” Doerr, a 51-year-old firefighter who had dedicated 28 years to serving his community, was simply coming home after picking up an extra shift—a decision that would cost him his life. As he pulled into his driveway on February 26, someone opened fire, striking him multiple times. His stepson, Nathaniel Guthrie, would later describe the horrifying scene he encountered when he arrived: police officers everywhere, chaos, and the incomprehensible reality that his stepfather had been murdered in their own driveway. The beloved firefighter, who came from a family tradition of service—his own father had also been a fireman—died alone on the cold concrete while his family’s world fell apart. What made this tragedy even more heartbreaking was that the investigation would eventually lead to the most unexpected suspects: Doerr’s own wife of just six months, Becky Fox-Doerr, and her sister’s fiancé, Larry Richmond Sr.

A Daughter’s Unbearable Loss

Lindsey Griffin’s world collapsed when she learned her father had been killed. In her emotional interview with “20/20,” she described Robbie Doerr not just as her father, but as her best friend—the person she could always count on, the one who was always there for her. The image that haunted her most was thinking of her father lying alone on that driveway, without her by his side in his final moments. “All I could think about was I needed to be next to my dad. Like my dad was alone on that concrete. He didn’t have me. I needed to be with him,” she shared, her words capturing the raw pain of losing someone so suddenly and violently. For Griffin and the entire Evansville Fire Department family, Doerr’s death left an unfillable void. He wasn’t just a colleague or a family member—he was someone who had dedicated his entire adult life to saving others, following in his father’s footsteps to serve his community. The cruel irony that he couldn’t be saved himself, and that his death was allegedly orchestrated by people who should have loved him, made the tragedy all the more devastating for everyone who knew him.

Suspicious Circumstances and a Tangled Web

As investigators began piecing together what happened that night, red flags emerged almost immediately. Becky Fox-Doerr had called 911 after hearing the gunshots from inside the house, but detectives soon discovered something troubling: she had been on the phone with someone just minutes before making that emergency call, and she had deleted the record from her phone. When confronted, she initially denied it before finally admitting she had spoken with Larry Richmond Sr., her sister’s fiancé. Her explanation—that she regularly deleted call records to free up storage space—seemed suspiciously convenient. The revelation became even more disturbing when investigators learned about Richmond Sr.’s criminal past: he had previously pleaded guilty to killing a man in 1996 and had spent more than two decades in prison before being released on probation. But perhaps the most damning evidence came from Richmond Sr.’s own son, Larry Richmond Jr., who testified that his father had admitted to having an affair with Becky Fox-Doerr. According to Richmond Jr., when he confronted his father about sleeping with his fiancée’s sister, Richmond Sr. responded, “Man, I had to.” Both Fox-Doerr and Richmond Sr. have consistently denied having an affair, but the allegation painted a picture of betrayal that extended far beyond Robbie Doerr’s murder.

A Marriage Built on Secrets and Greed

The investigation uncovered additional troubling details about Becky Fox-Doerr’s past and possible motives. She had been married five times before wedding Robbie Doerr, and their marriage had lasted only six months before he was killed. The day after her husband’s murder, while his family was still reeling from shock and grief, Fox-Doerr appeared at Doerr’s firehouse asking about his pension and life insurance benefits, according to authorities. This cold, calculated behavior immediately raised suspicions among investigators and Doerr’s colleagues. Prosecutors would later argue at trial that Fox-Doerr had orchestrated her husband’s murder specifically to collect his firefighter pension and other death benefits. However, there was a problem with her plan: Doerr’s daughter, Lindsey Griffin, was listed as the sole beneficiary of his life insurance policy. Defense attorneys seized on this fact, arguing that Fox-Doerr “had no financial interest” in her husband’s death and therefore had no motive. But prosecutors maintained that Fox-Doerr either didn’t know about the beneficiary designation or believed she would still be able to access his pension and other benefits as his widow. The combination of the alleged affair, the suspicious phone call and deletion, the inquiries about money immediately after the murder, and the timing of everything painted a damning picture of premeditation and cold-blooded greed.

Justice Served, But Questions Remain

It would take three years before Larry Richmond Sr. and Becky Fox-Doerr were finally charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder in 2022. Both pleaded not guilty and maintained their innocence throughout the legal proceedings. During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence of the affair, the suspicious communications, the financial motive, and a timeline that placed Richmond Sr. in a position to commit the murder. Richmond Sr.’s defense attorney, Denise Turner, insisted on her client’s innocence, telling “20/20” that “Larry was never at the Fox-Doerrs’ house during the time of the shooting. He’s at his mom’s house, the entire time.” Despite these denials, the jury found both defendants guilty on all charges. Becky Fox-Doerr was sentenced to 90 years in prison, while Richmond Sr. received a life sentence. Fox-Doerr attempted to appeal her conviction in 2025, but her appeal was denied. In perhaps the strangest twist to this already bizarre case, Becky’s sister Mandy Fox-Fillmore—Richmond Sr.’s fiancée—revealed that she remains engaged to him despite his conviction, his life sentence, and the alleged affair with her own sister. In her interview with “20/20,” Fox-Fillmore explained that she needs his emotional support, describing how he wants to talk to her every morning and needs her to tell him when she gets home safely from work. “He has begged me not to leave him. He says he needs me, and I want to be loved and wanted and needed and all the things,” she told correspondent John Quiñones, offering a glimpse into the complex and dysfunctional relationships that surrounded this tragedy.

A Stepson’s Courage and a Father’s Legacy

For Nathaniel Guthrie, the decision to testify against his own mother at trial couldn’t have been easy, but he found the strength to do what was right for his stepfather’s memory. When the guilty verdicts were announced, Guthrie felt a sense of relief, knowing that justice had finally been served. “The next time that she is going to be a part of the free world, will be in a funeral, in a graveyard, somewhere,” he told “20/20,” his words reflecting both the finality of his mother’s sentence and his own acceptance that their relationship is over. Guthrie has no communication with his mother and has instead chosen to honor Robbie Doerr’s memory every day. In one of the most touching moments of the “20/20” episode, Guthrie shared what his stepfather meant to him: “When little boys dream of or talk about their hero, sometimes they say Spider-Man. Mine was a true hero, he was a fireman. He was my dad.” Those words encapsulate the real tragedy of this case—not just that a good man was murdered, but that he was betrayed by someone he trusted, and that his death robbed his children and stepchildren of a genuine hero. The Evansville Fire Department has dedicated a truck to Doerr’s memory, ensuring that his legacy of service will continue to inspire future generations of firefighters. While Becky Fox-Doerr and Larry Richmond Sr. will likely spend the rest of their lives behind bars, the families they destroyed continue to pick up the pieces and find ways to remember Robbie Doerr not for how he died, but for how he lived—as a dedicated father, firefighter, and friend.