Naman Shrestha
In 1999, when 5-month-pregnant Melody Lopez and her boyfriend, Shawn Barrett, went missing, the former’s father embarked on a mission to look for them. As the detectives closed in on the perpetrator/s, they discovered something horrific buried outside a cabin on St. Joseph Island, Ontario. The episode titled ‘Alone at the Cabin’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Cabin in the Woods’ provides the viewers with a detailed account of the entire case and the investigation that ensued, with the help of exclusive interviews with the victims’ loved ones and the officials connected to the investigation.
Melody Lopez and Shawn Barrett’s Charred Remains Were Found Buried Outside of a Cabin in 1999
Melody Blue “Blue” Lopez was the daughter of loving parents, David Lopez and Robin Masullo, who welcomed her into the world on February 27, 1978, in Ohio. Although she lived with her father after her parents got divorced later, she was still close to her mother, who resided in Eugene, Oregon. As time went by, Melody also formed a great bond with her stepmother, Christa Dowell. In the 1999 Mardi Gras, she first met Shawn Barrett, son of Robert and Suzanne Barrett, from Nepean, Ontario. When both the free-spirited souls collided, sparks naturally flew between them quite quickly.
Sooner rather than later, they began dating and even got pregnant. High in love, the couple decided to hitchhike from Toronto to Oregon, where they would visit Melody’s mother, before getting married and entering parenthood in December 1999. In August, 5-month-pregnant Melody and her partner, Shawn, were in the middle of their travel to Oregon. However, when David stopped getting updates from his daughter, he became concerned. Due to his determination to find Melody and Shawn, the police were led to a secluded cabin, seated deep in the woods on St. Joseph Island, Ontario.
As the investigators began excavating sites around the cabin, they discovered something horrific. They recovered more than 2,000 grams of cremated bones and teeth, along with other possible belongings of the victims. Upon examining the evidence, they learned that the couple’s bodies were cremated in a bonfire, after which the killer/s pounded the bones into small pieces. In December 1999, the police also found a charred bracelet, which was used to identify Melody, who had bought the identical bracelet with her mother.
The Killer Murdered Melody Lopez and Shawn Barrett After an Intense Argument With the Latter
Apart from Melody Lopez’s father, David Lopez, another individual who played a significant role in helping the police capture the perpetrator/s was Chris Rogers, who accompanied Melody and Shawn on their travel. While the trio was near Brampton, Ontario, on their way to the destination, they hitchhiked with a guy named Robert Armstrong, who owned a cabin on St. Joseph Island. After he suggested that they spend the night and rest there before moving ahead, Melody, Shawn, and Chris agreed. The first night went by so smoothly that they decided to stay there another night, as they had a fun time at the Armstrong cabin, along with Robert, his brother Richard, and cousin Dale McRae.
Unfortunately, that turned out to be a bad decision, as the second night was far from smooth. At some point in the second night, Robert and Shawn got into a heated argument when the former commented something about Melody, and Shawn took offense to that. This resulted in Robert picking up a shovel and hitting Shawn with it before shooting him to death and putting him into the bonfire. The killer then went inside and told Melody that her boyfriend was calling her outside.
When she found his burning body in front of her, she begged for her life, but Robert shot her to death, too. With the help of Dale McRae, he put her body into the fire as well, along with their dog, backpacks, and other belongings. When the police had gathered enough evidence against Robert Armstrong in December 1999, they finally took him into custody and charged him with the murders of Melody Lopez and Shawn Barrett. Along with him, Richard and Dale McRae were also charged with being accessories after the fact.
While Robert is Possibly Still Incarcerated, Dale Keeps Matters of His Personal Life Private
Robert Armstrong pleaded not guilty to the first-degree murder of Melody Lopez and the second-degree murder of Shawn Barrett. During his 2001 trial, the prosecution presented all the evidence they had gathered against the defendant, while the defense came up with a different version of what really transpired in the cabin on the fateful night of August 1999. After hearing both sides of the coin, the jury took some time to deliberate before returning with a guilty verdict.
Finally, Robert Armstrong was convicted of both the charges against him. Later, he was sentenced to life in prison, without the possibility of parole for at least 25 years. Meanwhile, Dale McRae received six years in prison for his crimes. As of today, Robert is seemingly serving his life term in an Ontario prison facility while awaiting his parole hearing date. On the other hand, his cousin, Dale, leads a private life away from the prying eyes of the media.
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