Friday, September 7, 2012
A year-plus after Michael Rowe allegedly killed his wife and set their Ponderosa Lane house on fire, Bank of America has cleared what was left of the structure.
In January 2011, Michael Rowe, 52 at the time, allegedly hit his wife multiple times in the head with what his arrest warrant called "intent to murder" and set their Ponderosa Lane house on fire. His wife, 55-year-old Kathy R. Robinson, died in the incident. A few weeks after, some residents noted the property's unsightliness and suggested something should be done to prevent loose objects from flying out and kids from getting in. But for about a year and four months, the house's charred remains appeared just as they had in January 2011. Wooden beams blackened. Rubble strewn into the yard. The scorched, crushed remains of a truck where perhaps a carport once stood. In June of this year, during a presentation on unkept, unsightly properties …
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
It has been nearly 40 days since the house was fully engulfed in flames.
Kappy and Dennis Maton agree that the remnants of the burned home across the street from theirs on Ponderosa Lane are unsightly. Charred items are piled in the yard, a destroyed truck sits among rubble and ash, and what appear to be a few purple paramedic gloves lay near the road. “It looks like they would at least put something over it,” Mrs. Maton said. Nearly 40 days ago, during the early morning hours of Jan. 24, the house at 3544 Ponderosa Lane in Powder Springs was fully engulfed in flames. When they were doused, 55-year-old Kathy R. Robertson was found dead inside. Police say Robertson’s 51-year-old husband, Michael Rowe, is to blame for her death and the fire. He is being held at the Cobb County Jail without bond. City Manager Rick…
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
The 51-year-old Powder Springs resident could not appear before a judge Tuesday because he did not have legal representation.
Michael Rowe did not appear at a bond hearing Tuesday, though he was on the docket to come before Cobb County Magistrate Judge Joan Vaughan Bloom. Rowe, a 51-year-old Powder Springs resident accused of killing his wife and setting the couple’s house on fire, was put on the hearing docket following his initial bond hearing last month. Placing him on Tuesday’s docket was an automatic action, said Misty Wilbur, a deputy clerk for Cobb County Magistrate Court. “We have to automatically set those cases,” she said. But since he does not yet have a private attorney or public defender, he could not have a bond hearing Tuesday, Wilbur said. “If their attorney is not present in the courtroom, we cannot have a hearing,” she said, adding that until …
Monday, February 21, 2011
The 51-year-old Powder Springs man accused of killing his wife is set to have a bond hearing.
Michael Rowe, who allegedly killed his wife and set the couple's house on fire last month, is set to have a bond hearing Tuesday. Rowe is on a Superior Court docket that includes 23 names and is scheduled to start at 12:30 p.m. The docket is attached to this article. Judge Joan Vaughan Bloom will be over the hearing at the Cobb County jail at 1825 County Services Parkway in Marietta. The charges against Rowe on the docket are felony murder, aggravated assault and first degree arson. Originally, he was also charged with malice murder. Charges can be changed once they're handed over to the district attorney from police, said Kathy Watkins, a spokeswoman for the Cobb County District Attorney's Office. "Anything on a warrant can change once it…
Saturday, February 12, 2011
The Powder Springs man lived, and weeks later, was charged with murdering Kathy R. Robertson.
Three months before Michael Rowe was accused of killing his wife and setting his house on fire, he shot himself, according to a Powder Springs police report. The report, dated Oct. 28, 2010, says police were dispatched to Rowe’s house at 3544 Ponderosa Lane on a report of a person shot. When they arrived, his wife was crying while on the phone outside the house. The report identifies her as Kathy Rowe, though police have maintained since she was found dead on Jan. 24 that her name is Kathy R. Robertson. Her body was discovered that morning in the couple’s house after the flames that engulfed it were extinguished. Rowe allegedly struck his 55-year-old wife’s head multiple times with an unknown weapon and set their house on fire before …
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
The husband of Kathy R. Robertson allegedly hit her in the head multiple times with "intent to murder," police say.
The arrest warrant for Michael Rowe says he struck his wife’s head “multiple times” with an unknown weapon Monday morning, set their house on fire and left. The warrant isn’t clear regarding what police believe killed 55-year-old Kathy R. Robinson, whether it was the fire or alleged assault. Powder Springs police spokeswoman Kathryn Raines said Wednesday that any further information cannot be released, citing the ongoing investigation. When Rowe, 52, struck Robertson, he had “intent to murder,” according to the warrant. Rowe allegedly assaulted his wife and started the fire between 12 a.m. and 3 a.m. Monday, the warrant says. The couple lived at 3544 Ponderosa Lane in Powder Springs. Rowe is charged with malice murder, felony murder, …
Those who are accused of murder are not awarded an amount at their first hearing.
Michael Rowe, a 52-year-old Powder Springs resident who is accused of killing his wife and setting his house ablaze, wasn’t awarded a bond amount Wednesday morning. Law states that those accused of murder are not awarded bonds at their first appearance. Rowe was not represented by an attorney Wednesday. Robin Haun, with the Cobb County Circuit Defenders office, said public defenders are not required for initial bond hearings. Rowe appeared before Magistrate Judge Charles Chesbro. His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 22. Haun said that if Rowe has not hired an attorney by Feb. 22, a public defender will represent him. Rowe is charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and first-degree arson. Rowe’s house at …
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
His wife's body was found after a fire destroyed their home Monday.
Michael Rowe, 52, the husband of a woman found dead after a Powder Springs house fire Monday, was charged Tuesday with malice murder, felony murder and aggravated assault in her death. Rowe also faces a charge of first-degree arson for the fire that destroyed the couple’s home at 3544 Ponderosa Lane. Kathy R. Robertson, 55, was found dead Monday after the fire was extinguished. "The charges (are) the result of the investigation," said Kathryn Raines, a spokeswoman for Powder Springs police. "At this time, there has not been a confession." Rowe was being held at the Cobb County jail Tuesday without bond. Cobb County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Nancy Bodiford said Rowe will have a bond hearing at 8 a.m. or shortly thereafter Wednesday at …
Monday, January 24, 2011
Michael Rowe remains unaccounted for after his home burned down and the body of Kathy Robertson was found in the remains.
A Powder Springs woman was found dead after what Powder Springs police are calling a "suspicious" early morning house fire Monday, and the other resident of the house was unaccounted for late into the night. Police are asking for help in finding Michael Rowe, 52, who is believed to be driving a green 1995 Ford Taurus with a tag number of 356-ZMR. Police spokeswoman Kathryn Raines said officials want to find Rowe because he lived at the house. Arson hasn’t emerged as a possibility, she told a group of reporters outside the house Monday afternoon. Some news reports initially said Rowe had died in the fire, but police identified the body as 55-year-old Kathy R. Robertson. Rowe and Robertson were the only two residents of 3544 Ponderosa Lane, …
