Dr. Dolly, Finally - 4/27/2007
Family Statements
Many of you have offered to write a letter to the parole board urging them to deny parole to Bart Corbin and why. We would appreciate your doing so, and please pass on this info to anyone else who might be interested. The district attorneys urged us to write now instead of waiting until a possible parole is close.
Our sincere thanks,
The Hearn family.
Reference Barton Thomas Corbin, EF 613182
Complete the online form (county of conviction is Gwinnett, case number is EF 613182, date of conviction 9/15/2006) or mail your letter to:
The Board of Pardons and Paroles
Victims Services
2 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., SE
East Tower
Atlanta, GA 30334
Tabitha can finally rest in peace
Tabitha, Dolly’s beloved cat, and ours, died on Tuesday, March 6. (Strange coincidence – Dolly was born on July 6, and died on June 6.) Tabby was our only indoor cat, and lived with us almost 17 years. She was a great companion and comfort, and we are glad she lived long enough for there to be a resolution to Dolly’s case (she was with Dolly on June 6, 1990), and for the dental school to announce the awarding of Dolly’s DMD degree.
Tabitha was 21, and already is greatly missed.
Barbara Hearn
September 15, 2006
Dorothy Carlisle Hearn, our beloved Dolly, was taken from us over 16 years ago when she was a senior in dental school, one year shy of becoming Dr. Dolly Hearn. Since then we have been living two nightmares.
We now live without Dolly's contagious smile, her positive outlook on life, and the joy that she brought to every room she entered. The pain of her loss is awakened each time we tell our children and grandchildren that Aunt Dolly was more than just a photo, we have thoughts of the dental practice that never was, and we think of all of the lives that remain untouched by her inspiring acts of kindness, her free-flowing words of encouragement, and the spontaneous manifestations of her unique sense of humor. This is the nightmare that we will never escape.
In our second nightmare, we've lived knowing that Dolly was the victim of a pointless, cowardly act of murder and believing that every path for justice was seemingly exhausted. We've felt helpless, hopeless, and robbed of any remedy to set the record straight and to see justice served. We have always known the truth. Today we rejoice that this truth has been publicly revealed and that Dolly's name is now officially cleared. This nightmare is over.
We remain forever indebted to the Richmond County, Gwinnett County, and Troy, Alabama teams who made every possible effort to see these cases through to the happiest ending they could have. We thank our families, our friends, our communities, and those whom we've never met who have prayed for and supported us through these trying times.
September 1, 2006
The family spent the first 14 1/2 years after Dolly's death with little or no hope for justice. Although we have always been confident of the circumstances surrounding her death, we deeply regret that a second tragedy had to occur to reveal this truth. We pray that there are no other connected tragedies that have yet to be discovered.
As we continue through this long and arduous process, we anxiously prepare ourselves as Dolly's character will inevitably be attacked through half-truths, exaggerations, and false statements as evidenced through the pre-trial hearings. Most importantly, we remain cautiously optimistic that justice will be served through the continued hard work of those in official capacities who are affiliated with both cases.
Over the past 20 months we have been given not only hope, but the opportunity once again to share the joy and happiness that Dolly brought to the world through her smile, unique personality, and passion for life. We have made a conscious decision to focus our comments during this experience on the positive elements, because that approach is consistent with the way Dolly embraced life and reflective of the manner in which she would want to be remembered.
January 6, 2005
Our family has been greatly impacted by the events of the last few weeks. We have been through a range of emotions and are processing information daily. We have been uplifted by the outpouring of support from friends, the community, and countless others whom we have never met.
The Barber family has been uppermost in our minds as we sympathize with their terrible grief.
As far as Dolly’s case is concerned, we are very grateful for the efforts of Sgt. Scott Peebles and the Richmond County Sheriff’s office.
We also appreciate the courtesy shown us by the press. Until further notice we choose not to comment publicly and prefer instead to let the authorities handle the investigation.
In closing, so many have asked about our daughter, Dolly. She was beautiful, intelligent, vivacious, compassionate, artistic, honest, and cheerful. Like Dolly’s favorite flower, the long-stemmed red rose, she was an American Beauty, and she is greatly missed.