Life Sentence for 1996 Murder of 7-Year-Old Morgan Violi

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Robert Scott Froberg, 61, was sentenced to life in federal prison on November 3, 2026, for the 1996 kidnapping and murder of 7-year-old Morgan Violi, federal prosecutors announced.

Read the Justice Department release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdky/pr/robert-scott-froberg-sentenced-life-kidnapping-and-murdering-7-year-old-morgan-violi

The 1996 Abduction, The Van, The Discovery

Morgan Violi was abducted on July 24, 1996, while playing with her sisters and friends at the Colony Apartments in Bowling Green, Kentucky, the release stated.

Witnesses saw a white man grab Morgan, put her in a maroon Chevrolet van and drive away, the release stated.

Two days later, the van suspected to be involved in the abduction was found in Franklin, Tennessee, and searched for evidence, the release stated.

Morgan's body was found discarded in woods near White House, Tennessee, on October 20, 1996, the release stated.

For years, Morgan's kidnapping and murder went unsolved despite significant national media attention and ongoing efforts by law enforcement, the release stated.

The Forensic Lead, The Fugitive Trail, The Admission

Relying on advances in forensic science, the FBI tested evidence found in the abandoned maroon Chevrolet van, the release stated.

A hair found in the abandoned van was tested by the FBI laboratory and returned an association with Robert Scott Froberg, who was serving a lengthy sentence in the Alabama Department of Corrections, the release stated.

Investigators determined that Froberg had escaped from the Alabama Department of Corrections during the timeframe Morgan was abducted and murdered, the release stated.

After escaping, Froberg traveled to Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, where he attempted to abduct a 7-year-old boy, the release stated. He was arrested and taken to the Northumberland County Jail, and subsequently escaped from that jail, the release stated.

He then traveled to Dayton, Ohio, where he stole a maroon Chevrolet van approximately half a mile from his parents' house, the release stated. Froberg traveled south, exiting Interstate 65 in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where he spotted Morgan playing in her apartment complex, snatched her and drove south, the release stated.

Froberg admitted to investigators that he drove Morgan to White House, Tennessee, and parked near a barn, the release stated. He acknowledged strangling Morgan to death and throwing her in a ditch, the release stated.

He fled to Franklin, Tennessee, where he left the stolen van on his way to Huntsville, Alabama, the release stated. He eventually made his way back to Pennsylvania, where he was arrested and returned to the Alabama Department of Corrections, the release stated.

The Plea, The Life Sentence, The Prosecution

On November 3, 2026, U.S. District Court Judge Greg Stivers accepted the plea agreement and sentenced Froberg to life, the release stated.

A life sentence in federal court means that Froberg will never be released from prison, as there is no parole in the federal system, the release stated.

Froberg was scheduled to be released from custody by the Alabama Department of Corrections in the near future but will now spend the rest of his life in federal prison, the release stated.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky, FBI Special Agent in Charge Olivia Olson, Chief Michael Delaney of the Bowling Green Police Department and Commonwealth's Attorney for the 8th Judicial Circuit Kori Beck Bumgarner, the release stated.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Bowling Green Police Department and the Robertson County, Tennessee Sheriff's Office, the release stated.

United States Attorney Kyle Bumgarner and First Assistant United States Attorney Brian Butler prosecuted the case, the release stated.

"Morgan Violi's kidnapping and murder forever changed the lives of her family and, indeed, the entire Bowling Green community. The terror of an unknown stranger lurking to steal and murder an innocent child hung over Bowling Green for three decades. Not a day has gone by that her family did not grieve Morgan and work for answers. Morgan's family and law enforcement's tenacity finally led to answers, the culprit's arrest, and ultimately, his life sentence. Fortunately, the man that committed this monstrous crime will never see a day outside of the custody of the Bureau of Prisons," United States Attorney Kyle Bumgarner and First Assistant United States Attorney Brian Butler stated.

"While Mr. Froberg's life sentence will never fill the void left in the hearts of Morgan Violi's loved ones, the FBI hopes it closes a dark chapter for her family and for the Bowling Green community. Even though thirty years has passed since the abduction and murder of Morgan, this FBI, alongside our law enforcement partners, never stopped tracking down every lead and exhausting all available resources. Through diligent, persistent investigative work, Mr. Froberg has finally received the punishment he deserves," Special Agent in Charge Olivia Olson of the FBI Louisville Field Office stated.

Froberg will spend the rest of his life in federal prison, the release stated.

Sources

U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Kentucky, "Robert Scott Froberg Sentenced to Life for Kidnapping and Murdering of 7-Year-Old Morgan Violi," November 5, 2026: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdky/pr/robert-scott-froberg-sentenced-life-kidnapping-and-murdering-7-year-old-morgan-violi