Bobby Love was a father to four, and grandfather to more, working a job at a Baptiste Medical Center in New York City. He and his wife, Cheryl, had built a life together over the course of 40 years. When the police came knocking on their door one night, Cheryl's entire world flipped upside down.
Cheryl and Bobby
Cheryl and Bobby Love were married for 40 years and built a beautiful life together. They had four kids, a great house, and stable jobs. So, when police came to arrest Bobby, Cheryl was absolutely shocked. Why was her sweet-tempered husband getting led away in handcuffs?
"This Goes Way Back"
"This goes way back, Cheryl," he said. "Way back before I met you. Back to North Carolina." Cheryl was confused and upset, not knowing what her husband's heavy words meant. It took a while, but the truth was finally uncovered... Cheryl didn't know what to believe anymore.
North Carolina, 1964
Bobby Love grew up in North Carolina. Back then, he was Walter Miller. He was a young kid who was prone to mischief. Back then, getting into trouble meant much bigger consequences for Bobby. Since he came from a big family, it was easier for him to sneak around under the radar...
Sam Cooke
According to Bobby, he was a trouble maker in the smallest way. His misdeeds never went further than petty crimes... until one night at a Sam Cooke concert. Bobby was just a teenager. He had no idea what he was about to do would change the course of his life.
"I went to a Sam Cooke concert at the age of 14,” Bobby said on the site. “I was excited to be at that concert, so I pushed my way to the front row — right near the stage. The crowd was really moving because it was dance music. And Sam Cooke didn’t like that. He kept telling people to sit down."
Disorderly Conduct
Bobby, being the jokester that he was, yelled profanity during a quiet part of a song. "And after only two songs, he got so angry that he walked off the stage. So I screamed at the top of my lungs: ‘Sam Cooke ain’t s**t!’” He was immediately arrested for disorderly conduct. "Things went downhill pretty quick after that," Bobby explained. Inside him, a fire had been ignited...
Juvie Time
Bobby was caught stealing from his school, and that was the final straw. He was sent to juvie. "I hated everything about that place," he remembered. "I still have scars." At night, he would hear a nearby freight train running in the distance... He knew that was his only way out.
Gotta Get Out
“I always wanted to know where that train was going,” he said. One night, he heard the train and knew that it was the time to go. “I ran out the back door—toward the sound of that whistle.”
The Great Escape
Somehow, Bobby made it out. He followed the train tracks all the way to Washington D.C., conveniently where one of his brothers lived. He went back to school. All Bobby wanted was to start over...
In The Wrong Crowd
Sadly, old habits die hard. Bobby somehow attracted a bad group of people that he go into trouble with. This time, he was robbing banks and convenience stores. “The fun didn’t last for long," Bobby said. "One of those banks had a silent alarm.”
In The Slammer
Before he knew it, Bobby was surrounded by a mob of cops. His fight or flight instincts kicked in, and he decided to try and flee. He woke up later in the hospital with a bullet hole in his back and handcuffs on his wrist. He was sentenced to thirty years in prison.
The Perfect Inmate
Bobby didn't even want to try and escape this time. “I sorta got used to it,” he said. It didn't take long for him to reach perfect inmate status. He was transferred to a prison with less security due to his good behavior. “I was relaxed…I had no plans to escape.”
Falsey Accused
Bobby was still living an unproblematic life in prison when he was falsely accused of talking back to a guard. To punish him, they put him on road duty. That meant that he was working on the side of a highway doing back-breaking labor.
Time To Plot
Bobby had been on good behavior for years. Now, all of a sudden, the guards put a target on his back. "That's when I started planning and plotting," he said. "That was going to be my last night in prison."
More Road Work
The very next day, the bus made a stop while they were on the way to the highway for more road work. "I swung open the back door—and I was gone," he said. He didn't stop running. He hopped on a Greyhound with the money he stashed in his shoe. He never looked back.
I'm Bobby Love
A passenger on the bus next to him noted his attire and behavior. He asked, "What's your name, friend?" That was the moment that Bobby became Bobby Love. "I thought for a moment, and said: 'Bobby Love.' And that was the death of Walter Miller." They were on the way to New York City.
New York City Livin'
"All I had was $100 in small bills, a single pair of clothes, and a brand new name," Bobby remembered, "I was glad to be free." He was able to get a social security number, birth certificate, and a driver's license under the name Bobby Love. Then, he managed to secure a job.
His Life Was Changed
He started working at Baptist Medical Center where he met Cheryl. Every decision that he had made thus far led up to the point of meeting her. "Cheryl was innocent. The opposite of me. And that's why I was attracted to her," Bobby said.
Walter Miller Is No More
Despite getting married, Bobby never told Cheryl about his life as Walter Miller. "Walter died a long time ago, on that Greyhound bus out of Raleigh," Bobby said. That life was behind him. He and Cheryl ended up having four kids and built a beautiful life with each other.
Bobby Wasn't Walter
Bobby and Walter were not the same people. He left the life of pain and crime behind. "Bobby Love didn’t have a criminal record. Bobby Love was a family man. Bobby Love was a deacon at his church," he said.
Cheryl Always Had a Feeling
Cheryl was an intuitive woman, and she always knew that he had some sort of secret that he kept from her. "All these years I loved my husband…but something was missing," she said. The biggest red flag that she always thought he was paranoid and looking over his shoulder.
Everything is Fine
Bobby always told her that nothing was going on with him, but something told her differently. So, she turned to God. "I begged God to change my husband’s heart," Cheryl said. "I'd reached the end of my rope." Little did she know that his past was catching up to him.
He was Running from Something
She could always see that he was running from something, but she never knew what. He never wanted to leave the city, and when they did, he never wanted to go far. He was secretive about random things with her that most couples would be open about. She just wanted to make sure that he was okay...
The Cops Come
Late one night, the cops come knocking at their door. Nobody ever wants a cop at their door, so the Loves were hesitant to open it. That was when the officer stated, "Walter Miller, you're under arrest." Cheryl was immediately on the defense. "That's not Walter, that's Bobby!"
What's Going On?
That's when Bobby told her that his past was catching up to him. "My world came crashing down," Cheryl described. "Bobby had deceived me for all those years. There was no truth in our house." Cheryl didn't know what to do...
Jail Time
Bobby was faced with jail time. Cheryl had spent her entire life with him, and for this information to come out was life-changing. She had no idea what to do... But, she wasn't going to give up on him.
Visiting Bobby
"When I first visited him in prison…he broke down crying," Cheryl described. Bobby told her that he was going to wait this out and do his time, but Cheryl had other plans...
For Better Or Worse
"I married you for better or for worse," Cheryl told him. She decided to get into action. She wrote the governor and President Obama and told them Bobby's story. She wasn't sure what would happen, but she wanted to make sure that she tried something...
Would Her Letters Work?
Cheryl had absolutely no clue if this would work. She wrote the media, other politicians, political activists, lawyers... anyone to help alleviate Bobby of his wrongdoings. The government had no idea who Bobby Love was, and they were punishing him for Walter Miller's past mistakes.
Freedom
Finally, after a year of spreading his story and speaking on his character, he was free to leave jail. His community and family rallied behind him, which helped, but it was Cheryl's footwork that sold it.
Free At Last
"I didn't know a thing about Walter Miller. But I told them all about Bobby Love," Cheryl said. The day he was finally freed, Cheryl asked him a very important question. This would determine the state of their family and lives...
Who Are We?
"I asked, 'Are we the Loves? Or are we the Millers?' And he said: 'We Love. We Love.'" It hit her that that's why her husband chose Love as his last name... Because he wanted to lead the rest of his life with love. And he did!
Happily Together
Cheryl had no idea that her husband's past was so complicated and twisted. This changed how she viewed her life in the past, and how she will view her life in the future. "I got my own story to tell," she said. "I might not have escaped from prison, and started a whole new life…but I forgave the man who did."
Bobby is Truly Free
Even though Bobby led a free life after he fled the South, he still felt trapped. He felt like his past was going to catch up to him. “I feel like a big burden has been lifted off my shoulders,” Bobby, now 69, said. "I'm excited to be back with my children and my wife. I'm trying to put my life back together."