Dear Colleagues,

It is with sadness and a heavy heart that I write you today.

Last week at this time, Thursday, May 31, 2012, I was in my office when I received an email stating that a chiropractor in Los Angeles, CA was murdered earlier in the day. The email didn't state the chiropractor's name, but it did have the office address listed.

As soon as I saw the address, I knew.

I knew immediately, but just to be sure, I googled the address to confirm my suspicions.

"9225 Venice Blvd"

"Robert Rainey, D.C." came up and my heart sank.

After that I was "numb" and it wasn't just because I knew him from school, but that it was a chiropractor.

What is weird is that I just spoke to him on the phone just 2 weeks prior to this, and he was going to come to the Connect Conference and was excited to come and wanted to be a part of it and I was going to visit him at his office and go to lunch with him.

Before I was a chiropractor, I had been a police officer and had witnessed first hand murder scenes and dead bodies. I can't tell you how many dead people I've seen over the years but a lot! 

Every murder of a human being hits those who have to work on behalf of the victim and the victim's family to bring to justice those who committed the heinous act.

For the most part, I have always been a pretty tough guy, and I had to be, because of the culture of police work, and the nature of the job.

It was only after seeing murdered kids, and some as young as 2 ½ year old babies, that many of us, including me, would break down and cry and I guess for the most part it was cathartic but nevertheless it was the start of me becoming more sensitive to hurting people.

So, after I finished for the day at my office, I drove directly to Robert's office. Once I arrived, the Police were just breaking down the crime scene and wrapping up a 13-hour marathon crime scene investigation.

I walked up and spoke to one of the cops on scene who was ostensibly standing guard to prevent onlookers from walking thru or into the crime scene to prevent "contamination". You've all seen the yellow police tape that surrounds any murder or robbery scene.

At first, the cop was a little bit of a dickhead, and I guess if I had been him standing there for the last 8 plus hours or more, hungry, tired and bored, I'd be a dickhead too. I know, because I was once in his very same shoes doing the very same job.

After I introduced myself and produced I.D. and he knew that I had once been on the job, he became nice and accommodating.

 Police Seek Public's Help To Find Killer Of Popular Chiropractor Click Here To See The Newcast.  

So, up walks one of the Homicide detectives who's working Robert's case, and after a brief introduction and some chit chat, he shares with me his thoughts on what happened to Robert that morning.

"PHIL, you know, I've been on the job for 27 years, the last 17 being in homicide, and this is one of the worse cases I've seen... it was brutal, extremely brutal".

He went onto explain to me that apparently, Robert's practice or routine was to arrive at his office, very, very early in the morning, most times before 7am, but this morning he had arrived just before 7am.

Robert's office is in a commercial strip center and his particular office was upstairs on the 2nd floor. At 7am, it's pretty dissolute with no one around as all the other businesses nearby are closed and most don't open up till 10am and there's one downstairs that opened up at 9am.

The information that I'm now going to share with you has NOT been made public, but because I don't think that any of you had anything to do with Robert's murder or would know Robert's murderer, I'll tell you.

Apparently, after Robert parked his car, he was followed upstairs by a black guy who was wearing a heavy coat and from one of the surveillance tapes that police got, it appears that he was concealing in his coat a lead pipe or a baseball bat.

As soon as Robert opened up his office and entered, the black guy walks hurriedly down to Robert's office from the staircase at the end of the building that houses Robert's office.

Robert was supposed to have a 7:30am patient who had a scheduled appointment, but he didn't show and it was only at 8am that Robert was discovered barely alive back in his office by his 8am patient who arrived to find the office ransacked and out of sorts.

Immediately the patient called 911 and police were on scene in just 5 minutes. Paramedics were called and Robert was loaded up and transported to the hospital. Robert died enroute to the hospital trauma center.

I won't go into the graphic detail that was related to me but most of Robert's teeth were kicked out of his mouth, his jaw was broken in 3 places that was visible to the eye, and his face was all smashed in from being repeatedly struck in the face with a lead pipe or baseball bat. The blood splatter all over the walls, ceiling and throughout his office, suggest a violent struggle and beating. Robert's skull had been smashed in violently and he was basically dead on the floor when he was found, but still barely breathing. Robert had brain matter and tissue all over the ceiling, walls and floor from having his skull caved in and smashed like a pumpkin. 

I can't imagine the horror that must have went thru Robert's mind as this black guy came charging into his office making demands and assaulting him.

Apparently, Robert attempted to retreat back into his private office to call 911, and close his private office door, but was unsuccessful and was brutally attacked in his private office. Could you imagine, being trapped in your office where a guy who is striking you with a lead pipe or baseball bat is blocking the doorway opening for you to escape?

Being beaten to death is a slow, agonizing death.

The sad thing is that this could have been avoided and Robert would still be alive today, had he taken some precautions.

I'm not going to speak ill of the dead or Monday morning quarterback on what Robert should or shouldn't have done, but I do have a lot more experience with this kind of stuff than any of you.

If Robert had kept hours the same as his neighboring businesses, he'd probably still be alive today.

If Robert had only locked the door behind him, he'd probably still be alive today.

If Robert had a gun in his office, he'd probably still be alive today.

Police theorize that the offender, (that's a nice polite way of saying "Murderer") probably robbed Robert thinking either he had drugs, pharmaceuticals, or cash in his office.

Robert was a cheap guy. Robert was very frugal and most of his friends say that he probably only had $30 or $40 dollars total in his wallet. His wallet has not been found and was presumably taken by the murderer.

I went up to Robert's office that night, and the next day to talk to whomever I could find to try to get more information on Robert's murder.

 Surveillance Video May Help Lead Police To Chiropractor's Killer  Click Here To See Newscast Story! 

I gotta tell you, that since this has happened, I have had many restless nights and haven't been able to sleep very well, waking up after only sleeping 2 hours.

I didn't think that this would bother me so much, but it has in a profound way.

I guess it's because he was one of us.

It could have been anyone, but it happened to one of us.

This is why we must love our fellow chiropractor no matter what.

We must learn a lesson in this tragedy that life is short and we can't be petty and fight with our fellow chiropractors because we don't like or approve of what they do in their office.

Just because a guy uses therapy or spinal decompression or laser therapy in his office, doesn't make him a bad guy. Most of these guys are only doing what the idiot schools have taught them to do.

I can tell you that the guy who murdered Robert is on borrowed time, in that he'll be arrested and apprehended soon, the police only need to find him. They don't know his name yet, but they do have a picture of him from the surveillance tape although he's wearing a hoodie, they have at least something to go on.

On my second visit to Robert's office, a local news reporter who had told me that in his 2 days at Robert's office, I was the only chiropractor that he knew of, who had visited the office.

The reporter related to me that in his talking to other news reporters, they all thought that there would be a lot more chiropractors than just me coming to pay their respect to Robert. 

After Talking to Edward Lawrence the local reporter for Channel 2 news, we exchanged business cards and he said he'd like to use me for future stories dealing with chiropractors and get dialed in on my chiropractic membership program that I invented for the Profession...  

The reporter asked me if he could get me on tape for a commentary or my thoughts on Robert and at first I said no, but then the reporter said it would be nice to have at least one of his "chiropractic colleagues" on the news to say a few things about Robert.

So, I agreed reluctantly, believe it or not, I'm a little gun shy about being on TV or having attention drawn to me, and I certainly didn't want anyone to think that I was capitalizing on Robert's death in any way.

So, the guy asked me the standard questions: "How did you know Robert?" "Do you think most chiropractors are safe or worry about their safety in their offices?"

So, with the last question, I answered, "Most people love their chiropractor", and for me, I'm always cautious and careful, but then again, I have a gun in my office."

Later that night, on the newscast, they had cut out some of the nice things I said about Robert and Chiropractic and left it with my having a gun in my office.

Seriously, though, all of you should have a gun in your office and in your home. If you think that 911 will save you, think again. By the time the cops get to you, you could be dead.

I've always carried a gun, and have always had a gun in my office, and there has been only 2 times that I thought I might have to shoot someone in my office.

The first time, was when I was doing the build out of my first office and I was with my cop buddies who I had gone to the police academy with and it was like a summer night and at 2:30am we had the door wide open while we smoked cigars, drank cold beer, and were doing dry wall.

I think about it now, and it was kinda stupid for us to have the front door open in the middle of the night, but it was a new strip building and it was in a primarily Korean area of town so, it was basically safe.

Just for the record, you don't see too many Asians in prison, and if you do, it's almost always for fraud or killing their wife or something like that.

So, at 2:30am, in walks a tweaker guy who is all loaded up on meth and he says that he's the owner of this office and he wants us to leave now. I guess the fact that both my cop buddy and I had our guns in the small of our back and immediately pulled our weapons and leveled them at the tweaker guy took the guy by surprise and freaked him out.

My cop buddy has always carried handcuffs with him and I used to always tease him about it, but not after this incident.

So, after we had the guy in cuffs, we called the local P.D. to come pick the guy up, albeit, leave our handcuffs and use your own, and say adios to our Mr. Tweaker guy.

For those of you who don't know what a tweaker is, it's street jargon for a speed freak or methamphetamine user.

The next time, I had to use my gun, was when I had a crazy Korean guy walk into my office, accusing me of sleeping with his wife.

One day, a Korean guy walked in and immediately went off on me.

"You've been F'ing my wife"

"Wait, wait, wait a minute, who is your wife?" I ask.

"My wife is Eunice Park, and all she says every day is Dr. Kevin this, and Dr. Kevin that".

"Wait a second, I'm Dr. PHIL, You looking for Dr. Kevin?"

"You have the wrong chiropractic office, here, let me show you his office."

So, I walked the guy out of my office and to the parking lot and showed him Dr. Kevin's office.

"Okay, you see that office upstairs there? That's Kevin's office, and he's got a black BMW downstairs, and ah.... Yeah, he's there right now".

So, the guy apologized to me, smiled and left.

Unbeknownst to the guy at the time, I had just walked back in from lunch and had my fanny pack on with my gun inside, and police fanny packs are different in that we can pull with one hand a leather tab and our gun is in our hand in a second.

So, at the time, I was thinking, "Hmmmm, I don't want to have to shoot this guy, but if I have to, I guess, I can just drag his body outside so he doesn't bleed all over my floors and walls".

So, I watched as the Korean guy drove over to Dr. Kevin the chiropractor's office and then after he walked in, I waited for 5 minutes and called Kevin's office.

"Hello?"

"Kevin, this is PHIL, can you come over today for an adjustment, Or can I come over now and get an adjustment?"

As I was speaking to Kevin, I could hear the Korean guy going off on him and screaming at him.

"Hey PHIL, I'm sort of busy right now, I can't talk, can I call you back?".

But seriously, if everyone in the U.S. could learn what we as cops learn in cop school, there would be a lot less crime and a lot of people wouldn't be victimized like they are today.

A lot of you, like Robert, don't like to watch the news because you think it's negative.

If you don't watch the news, you are "not in the know".

Back when the Night Stalker was killing people here in L.A. back in the late 80's, 3 of his victims were killed because they didn't read the news or watch the news and they left their windows wide open to get fresh air at night while they slept whereas most people who did watch the news, kept their windows closed and they were scared of being killed by the Night Stalker.

If you are a lady, always be careful. Watch the news so, you know what's going on and you can be warned.

Just for the record, guys who go out and molest kids or rape women should be shot or thrown into the wood chipper on the first offense. These guys should never get out, ever. There is no such thing as rehabilitating a rapist or a child molester.

I can tell you that if my wife or kid was raped or molested, I'd kill the guy. Period. I might go to prison for a long time, but that's just me. I wouldn't be able to just let the justice system do it's job, because basically they don't do their job.

I've seen murderers, rapists, and child molesters get a free pass because of some stupid legal technicality.

I'm a nice guy for the most part, but if you were to harm my wife, or kids if I had any, you'd be dead. Period.

Also, there's no such thing as ever getting over being raped or molested, the guy might as well have killed them, because rape victims and victims of molestation are never, ever the same.  

Some of you don't like my being "Real" but this is real life.  

Some of you want to live in a perfect world, but the bible says we live in a fallen world.

Listen, think what you want, but when the fight is on, you'll always want a guy like me in your foxhole to fight the fight with you. I'm not afraid.  

Back to Robert, if you are a California chiropractor, especially, if you are in Southern California, I'd like you to come to Robert's funeral.

"But I didn't know him, PHIL, why would I go to a guy's funeral that I didn't know?"

Dr. Rainey: Culver City Chiropractor

When a cop gets killed or a firemen dies in the line of duty, at the funeral, there will be hundreds if not thousands of police and firemen who also didn't know the dead cop or dead fireman, but you know what? They go and attend anyway out of respect for the job, out of respect for the family of the deceased, and out of respect for the deceased guy.

We as chiropractors need to have that same kind of brotherhood that you see with police and fire. We need to love, support and defend our brother chiropractors.

So, I think it would be very nice and a comfort to the family of Robert to see a huge contingent of chiropractors at his upcoming funeral.

I don't believe that his body has been released from the coroner's office yet, but I'll let you know.

What happened to Robert could easily happen to any of us, including you.  

Some of you say that you'll "get right with God" later in life when you are older and getting ready to die.  

Don't gamble on this one folks.  

The most important decision that you'll ever make is where you'll spend Eternity.

Eternal Destination Status is very important, don't wait and then die and end up in hell. Hell is a very real place.  

Some of you are trusting in yourselves, good works, and religion to get you into the Kingdom.  

God hates religion.

You have to always be ready to go and you have to make the decision while you are still alive. Once you are dead, game over.

I have a friend who believes that "his god is a loving god and would never send anyone to hell" .  

It doesn't matter what you or I think, what does matter is what the bible teaches as it's the living word of God.  

Just for the record, God doesn't send anyone to hell. They send themselves by rejecting his son, Jesus Christ as Lord, and refusing the Free Gift of Salvation.

In closing, the question to ask yourself right now is, "If you were to die today, where would you end up? Heaven or Hell? "

There's only 2 places you go after you die, and the choice is up to you, and you alone.

People say that I shouldn't espouse my own personal beliefs, but what kind of friend would I be to you, if I didn't warn you?  

it's my newsletter and people want to know what works for me, and If David Singer can speak about Scientology, then I can speak about Jesus and Christianity.

Not proselytize

Robert's brother is an editor at the L.A. Times, and wrote a nice essay about Robert that I'll share with you now.

Robert Rainey

April 19, 1958 - May 31, 2012

Robert was a shy boy and quiet through his high school years. He didn't go out much for sports or extra curriculars. But when he got to Humboldt State up in the Redwood country, Robert was reborn.

The school was starting a crew team and Robert was one of the first to join. It turned out that inside this reserved, modest young man there was a beastly strong heart and a will to compete. Running and rowing with the Lumberjacks crew team began to transform Robert into the person he would become-powerful, hard-working, resilient and terribly loyal to the team.

Not long after college, he returned to Los Angeles. His athletic pursuits had turned him into something of a health nut, so it wasn't surprising that he went into that field. He trained at UCLA to become a respiratory therapist and worked in that profession for a few years before going to chiropractic school.

When he was going to Cleveland Chiropractic College (near Downtown), he continued to live on the Westside. He stopped virtually every morning for breakfast at the Original Pantry, sitting at the counter and eating eggs while bantering with Romeo and the other workers.

He married Peg Regan in 1993 in her hometown of Scranton, PA. Margaret Regan Rainey is one of nine Regan children, a close-knit family that greatly expanded Robert's world. That was both in the figurative and literal sense, since Robert now has 28 Regan nieces and nephews.

He opened his first practice on Motor Avenue in West L.A. before moving to his location on Venice Blvd., where he has been for about 15 years. Robert believed in chiropractic and alternative medicine. He wanted to see people healthy and always encouraged them to eat right and lose weight. He saw some patients who couldn't afford to pay much, so he would take $5, or whatever they could spare.

Besides Peg, Robert's three great loves were running, travel and his corgi dogs. The Raineys saved money for big trips every year or two. They were particularly enamored with Venice, Italy and had vacationed there several times, maybe throwing in a marathon or another distance run for good measure.

They also liked to travel in the Italian countryside and sample wine. Robert had become a bit of a connoisseur in recent years. He would bring a large, insulated storage container to Italy and return with it laden with new vintages. When he would share a bottle, he would always ask: "It's pretty good, isn't it?" His huge smile made it clear there only one answer was appropriate: Yes, the wine was fabulous.

Robert's love of running expanded when he joined the L.A. Leggers running group. He made a lot of friends who he would keep for decades. Later, he joined the Mountain Goats, a group that runs on weekends in the Santa Monica Mountains and points beyond. Robert loves the Goats, as they called themselves, and the Goats loved him. His friends announced his death Thursday by saying "a member of our herd has been stolen from us."

The Goats routinely run 10 or 15 miles or more. A few times a year some of the group meets at the Phidippides (later Fleet Feet) running store in Encino and runs over the hill to the Westside, where they feast at the Firehouse restaurant on Main Street in Santa Monica.

I once ran into my brother on the Venice boardwalk and said "How far have you gone?" Answer: "17 miles." My kids gaped in amazement and Robert beamed. He had a really, really big smile.

Robert had just made that run with his friends this past Sunday. He was a bit stiff when he and Peg came to visit me and my family in South Pasadena on Memorial Day. I always joked with Robert what a great advertisement he made for chiropractic-limping around like an octagenarian after another mega-run. (One of the contradictions of Robert, the spinal health guru: He wanted others to stretch but would never bother to stretch himself.)

Robert was well known among ultra-distance runners, as well. He traveled around California with Peg for the endurance tests. He was something of an anomaly for a distance runner-at almost 6-2 and about 210 pounds he was built more like a free safety. Some of the runs included a "Clydesdale" Division for the rare specimen would could run hundreds of miles and still keep their weight over 200 pounds. Robert was a Clydesdale.

Robert kept the pounds on by eating every meal as if it was his last. On Thanksgiving, he would tear away what seemed like a quarter of the turkey, pile his plate high with mashed potatoes (he insisted on making the potatoes himself, because only he understood how to get the consistency just right) and then all the other fixings. Again, my kids would gape in awe. The mountain man had come from the wilds to live among us.

Robert liked to finish meals with copious helpings of pie and, especially, ice cream. His bowl would overflow and he would power through it. Somehow, in his somewhat cockeyed universe, ice cream was a noble vice, but he couldn't understand how anyone would eat two or three cookies or some candy.

It was not uncommon for Robert to retire to the living room sofa after one of these eating bouts for a good, long nap...He really didn't mind if you carried on the conversation over and around him.

He loved the outdoors, gave to the Wilderness Society and recycled everything. If you began to throw a bottle in the trash instead of the recycle bin, he would spring up to correct the error.

We take some solace in knowing that Robert did a lot of the things he wanted to do. He climbed Mt. Kilimajaro a few years ago. He went so fast that the guides marveled. One of them told him he completed one stretch of the climb faster than anyone else that season.

Robert planned to run the Mountain Goats season-ending event this weekend at Sycamore Canyon on the coast. Also on the calendar: the 16th Annual Holcomb Valley Trail Run on June 10 near Big Bear Lake. Peg was going to run the 15-mile version. Robert had signed up for the 33-miler. Given a choice of moderation, Robert would inevitably choose the alternative.

The world travelers had reservations to hike in the Dolomites in August and in December to travel to South Africa for an extended trip, returning home through Paris, where they planned to spend New Year's Eve. There is a stack of seven travel books for that latter trip sitting on the coffee table as I write this at my brother's house.

Our father, Ford Rainey, lived to two weeks shy of his 97th birthday. Robert told people he would live longer. At first he said he was shooting for 100. At some point he moved his target to 105. Recently, he recalibrated again: 110 didn't seem unreasonable.

Robert would talk to every oddball door-to-door salesman who came by his office. He would give handouts to the homeless men who hung out in the neighborhood. Sometimes he would pay them for an odd job. Many of his friends agreed they wouldn't have been so open to people so different from themselves.

Robert and Peg loved to talk to their dogs, Cade, Henry and Zoe. The Raineys felt they were in charge of their household, but eyewitnesses confirm that the corgi brigade ruled the Culver City roost.

Robert Rainey was a gentle man. He didn't pick fights or look for trouble. He had a kind heart. When he watched his nieces and nephews singing in school plays or playing soccer he had that wonderful, broad smile. More than you can say of most men in their 50s, he was something of an innocent-wanting to believe the best about the world and the people who live in it.

He deserved a much better, more humane end. But the outpouring of so much good feeling from patients, running buddies, family and friends has made these first hours of our grief a bit more endurable. Peg and I and the rest of the family thank everyone so much for their support and love.

In closing, I cover Robert's family with Prayers, Tears and Hugs :)

 Police Hunt For Chiropractor Robert Rainey's Killer!   Click on preceding link to read Story! 

Chiropractor Killed... Click Here To Read Story! 

The Innate In me... Blesses The Innate In You... Peace!