BOISE - Thursday evening Robert Manwill's family addressed the community during a scheduled news conference. With Robert's dad, Charles Manwill, and his mom, Melissa Jenkins, standing behind her, Robert's aunt thanked the community for all their support.

"We also know that Robert is in your hearts and that you need closure just as we do," said Trish Burrill, Robert's Aunt and the family spokesperson.

The family has set up a website on Myspace for the community to learn more about Robert. On his Myspace page they wrote:

"Robert loved to meet new people and make new friends. He was so outgoing that we had to make new rules just for him. One of his rules was that he had to ask before he hugged someone. He loved life and people so much that he would run up to strangers and give them hugs."

Burrill invited the community to Meridian Speedway on Saturday as they race in Robert's name. She also shared funeral arrangements made for the little boy. Robert will be laid to rest on Sunday at Cloverdale Funeral Home. The service starts at 2 p.m.

On Friday night a community wide vigil is being held across the street from Robert's mother's apartment. Robert's family says they plan to attend the service that is currently being organized by several members of the community.
 

Gina Guzzetta-Dalrymple spent the night in a tent on Shoshone Street, keeping an eye on Robert Manwill's stuffed animal shrine near his mother's apartment in Oak Park Village. And with other neighbors, she covered the sidewalk memorial with tarps, protecting it from the storm. "Because if it got all demolished, the Ronald McDonald house couldn't use the stuffed animals," she said. "That's where they're going, and if they got all moldy and demolished, they have to be thrown away." Dark clouds soon followed the news Wednesday that police are

His body was found in the New York Canal near Kuna Monday. The remains were positively identified Wednesday.

"Justice will not be denied for Robert," said Deputy Chief Jim Kerns with the Boise Police Department.

While police now conduct a criminal investigation, the community continued with preparations for a public memorial for Robert Friday evening at 8 p.m.

"It makes me sad, but it's not surprising," said Gina of Robert's murder. "It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that something went awry."

Daniel Ehrlick Jr. and his girlfriend, Melissa Scott Jenkins, appeared in an Ada County Courtroom in Boise Wednesday Aug. 19, 2009 for an arraignment hearing. Ehrlick and Jenkins were arrested on Tuesday Aug. 18, 2009 on first-degree murder charges in the death of Jenkins' 8-year-old son Robert Manwill.

Daniel Ehrlick Jr. filed a surprise motion Thursday claiming his public defenders "lied and misguided me on my case."

In a boiler-plate one-page motion, Ehrlick indicated that he "feels badgered by the public defender's office" and that his attorneys have failed to file motions for him and have been hard to communicate with.

He wants to get rid of his court-appointed public defenders before his first-degree murder trial begins later this year.

Ehrlick, who is accused of killing 8-year-old Robert Manwill last summer, is being represented by Amyl Myshin and Gus Cahill - the Ada County Public Defender's Office's most experienced attorneys in murder cases.

Myshin and Cahill have each handled the defense of dozens of first-degree murder cases for Ada County over the past two decades.

Neither was available for comment Friday.

Ehrlick and his ex-girlfriend, Melissa Jenkins, are both charged with first-degree murder. Ehrlick is accused of beating the boy to death. Jenkins is accused of covering up the crime and lying to police about what happened.

Ehrlick and Jenkins will be tried separately, with Ehrlick scheduled to go first in October.

Ehrlick's request to get rid of his attorneys comes at a key time in pre-trial preparation, as both sides have filed motions asking for strict time limits on the exchange of the vast amount of evidence gathered in the case.

Fourth District Judge Darla Williamson told defense attorneys and prosecutors that both trials were going to happen as scheduled this fall and all sides had to meet their discovery deadlines to ensure that happened.

After Myshin told Williamson in January he was given more than 20,000 documents by prosecutors - saying "there is such a huge volume (of documents), it's almost useless" - Williamson gave prosecutors until March 15 to get their forensic testing scheduled and tell Ehrlick's attorneys what experts they intend to call.

Ada County Deputy Prosecutors Jill Longhurst and Daniel Dinger filed a motion last month to require Ehrlick's attorneys to disclose by April 1 the names of any experts they might have testify - if the defense makes any claims that Ehrlick was suffering from mental-health related problems like battered-child syndrome or post traumatic stress disorder.

The next hearing in the case is set for Thursday, where some of these issues should be discussed.

Prosecutors say Ehrlick beat Jenkins' son in a pattern of "escalating physical violence" that ended in Robert's death "on or about" July 24 - the day the boy was reported missing and the start of a community search effort that drew more than 2,300 volunteers, the FBI and national attention, and that sparked daily press conferences by the Boise police.

Both Jenkins and Ehrlick are accused of misleading Boise police for almost two weeks before Robert's body was found in an irrigation canal near Kuna.

For all the publicity surrounding the search for Robert last summer, the arrests of Ehrlick and Jenkins after the boy was found dead in an irrigation canal have been shrouded in secrecy.

A few hints have spilled out in court, including testimony that Jenkins has made incriminating statements against Ehrlick. But Boise police and prosecutors have refused to publicly disclose any of the evidence they have against the pair and have kept it secret by taking the case to a grand jury - which is closed to the public - instead of holding a preliminary hearing.

They have also refused to publicly release the search warrant documents that helped lead to the arrests.
 

BOISE -- The mother of an 8-year old boy found dead in a canal has pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting his murder.

Melissa Jenkins pleaded guilty to the charge of aiding and abetting in the second degree.

In July of 2009, thousands of people spent weeks searching for Robert Manwill, whose body was found Aug. 3 in the New York canal.

Jenkins, and her boyfriend Daniel Ehrlick made public pleas for help, but they were both eventually arrested in connection with the murder.

Melissa Jenkins will be sentenced on Aug. 11.  According to the Ada County Prosecutor's Office, the state will request a sentence of 25 years in prison, without the possibility of parole.

Monday's hearing was closed to our cameras.  NewsChannel 7 obtained an audio recording of the proceedings.

Jenkins admits she not only knew about her son's abuse, but she failed to stop it.

Fourth District Court Judge Darla Williamson presided over the hearing.

"So Miss Jenkins you understand that on or about July 24, 2009, Robert sustained a fatal and traumatic head injury.  Is that correct?" asked Williamson.

"Yes ma'am," replied Jenkins.

The court recording reveals Robert told his mom he was being abused by her boyfriend, Daniel Ehrlick, but Jenkins didn't stop the abuse.

"You knew during that time when you left your child with Daniel Edward Ehrlick Jr. that Mr. Ehrlick had intentionally inflicted extreme and prolonged pain, and extreme and prolonged acts of brutality on the child?" asked Williamson.

"Yes ma'am," replied Jenkins.

Jenkins described some of the abuse to the judge.

"Placing him against the wall for an extended period of times and in a position considered the dead bug, where you lay on your back with your feet and your arms straight up in the air," said Jenkins.

"Okay, so he'd have to lay like that for extended periods of time?" asked Williamson.

"Yes ma'am," replied Jenkins.

Jenkins says she left Robert with Ehrlick on the day of his death, July 24.  She went to work, but by doing so, she admits she failed to protect him from the violence that eventually led to his death.

"You understand that by leaving Robert with Mr. Ehrlick that day that there was reason for you to believe he would abuse Robert?" asked Williamson.

"Yes ma'am," replied Jenkins.

Jenkins also admits she kept Robert from family and friends to cover up the abuse, and just one day before his death, Jenkins says she hid Robert from social workers.

"You hid him in a closet.  Is that correct?" asked Williamson.

"Yes ma'am," replied Jenkins.

"You failed to inform authorities of Robert's pain and suffering and injuries that he had received.  Is that correct?" asked Williamson. 

"Yes ma'am," replied Jenkins. 

As for the case against Ehrlick, Ada County Prosecutor Greg Bower says "maybe" Jenkins will testify against Ehrlick.  He says he did not bargain for her testimony in this negotiation.

Ehrlick's trial is set to begin in April and is expected to last six weeks.

Call this number to report child abuse ANY WHERE in the United States!
1-800-4-A-Child  1-800-422-4453

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