What would you do if you find out that the person you decided to spend the rest of your life with is not really who you think they are? What if you found out your marriage was built on a foundation of lies?

Source: Living Magazine

This is the dilemma this woman had to be in when the FBI suddenly showed up in her house one morning. It turned out that her husband had been living a lie and she was shocked when she found out his real identity.

Meet Cheryl and Bobby

Cheryl Love woke up to an ordinary morning. Her husband of 40 years, Bobby Love, was still sleeping soundly in bed when she heard a knock on the door. Cheryl looked at the clock and saw that it was still early in the morning.

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When she peeked to see who’s in the door she saw police officers. Cheryl opened the door without thinking twice. Maybe they were here for one of the neighbors or they wanted to ask for directions. But as soon as she opened the door, about 12 officers from the FBI pushed their way into the house.

Arresting her husband

Cheryl was surprised as she was pushed back against the wall amidst the commotion. The officers spread out all over the house and she immediately followed the officers that went to their bedroom where Bobby was sleeping.

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The officers asked for his name and her husband replied “Bobby Love.” The officer asked again with more anger and Bobby answered something else quietly. To which the other officer handcuffed Bobby and told him “You’ve had a long run.”

Watching the FBI take her husband away

Cheryl watched helplessly as Bobby was led out of the room in handcuffs. She demanded to know what was going on so that she could defend her husband. She can’t believe this was happening to them. Maybe it was a case of mistaken identity?

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But then, Cheryl also realized that Bobby was not fighting back. What could he have done that was so wrong it took a dozen FBI agents to get him? Bobby told her that this was from something that happened before they met and all she could do was watch as the FBI took her husband away from their home.

Meet Walter Miller

It turned out that Bobby Love is just a front. His real name is Walter Miller, who has had several run-ins with the law. In the 1960s, Walter grew up in North Carolina with seven other siblings. Their family was financially strained and struggling.

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Because his mother had to work all the time to support the family, Walter was able to go out freely unnoticed. And most of his rebelliousness was not disciplined. It did not take long for his simple rebellious ways to grow into criminal behavior.

The first offense

It all started in 1964 when Walter attended a Sam Cooke concert. It was a huge crowd so when Sam started playing dance music, everyone was really moving around. Sam did not like it cause this could compromise the safety of everybody in the already tight venue.

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Sam kept telling his audience to sit down. But the audience was really feeling it and danced around so Sam had to cut his performance short. Walter shouted violently at the stage in protest and because of this, he was charged with disorderly conduct by the event handlers.

Taking more risks

After the Sam Cooke incident, Walter began to do bolder things that were against the law. He started taking purses from cars, stealing government checks from mailboxes, and many more. This was one of the ways that he could get quick cash. He got bolder and started taking more risks.

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Until one day, he got caught stealing from the band room of his school. Walter was brought to a juvenile detention center after that. Juvenile detention was not an easy ride for Walter. Aside from having to live with strict rules, the other inmates were very violent. Walter still had scars from his time in the center. All the bullying and the stress made him desperate to get out of there.

Planning an escape

One night, as Walter was trying to sleep, the sound of a train passing by caught his attention. It reminded him of the freedom he wished he had and wondered where the trains were heading. Then, he started to plan an escape. If he waited for his sentence to be over, Walter would not be able to survive in the juvenile detention center.

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One day, Walter managed to have an opportunity to cut his detention short. One of the guards was distracted and Walter immediately ran out the back door, following the sound of the train. He ran as quick as he can and did not dare to look back.

Starting all over again

Walter ended up following the train tracks and discovered that they were headed to Washington DC. Fortunately, Walter had a brother in Washington and he was able to contact him and live with him. Walter managed to enroll in a local high school. His time in the juvenile detention center gave him a new appreciation for his education.

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However, his newfound appreciation for his classes and friends was not enough to keep him out of trouble. Somehow, he ended up hanging with the troublemakers in school. It turned out that these so-called friends of his also had their criminal activities. But it was not what Walter was used to – this group was robbing banks.

The gangster life

Walter found out that his friends were able to get away with it because they do not do it locally. The group traveled to North Carolina to do their robberies. This is because security was not as high tech or tight over there so pulling off the robberies was very simple. It did not take long for Walter to join them.

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Walter was on a high as he was able to join the group from one successful robbery to the next. It was a very appealing and addicting activity for him. He and his friends felt like rich and powerful gangsters every time they were able to pull a job off.

Their luck ran out

Growing up in poverty, Walter enjoyed the feeling of having money. It was a new experience for him to have more money than he really needed. And this made him look forward to more robberies with the group.

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Unfortunately, in 1971, Walter and his friends run out of luck. They did a bank robbery with their usual procedure but they had no idea that this particular bank was a little better with their security. The bank had a silent alarm.

Getting caught

By the time Walter and his friends left the building, the cops were already there waiting for them. Walter and his friends tried to escape. He ended up running through traffic and one of the cops was able to shoot him in the leg. Walter ended up getting caught.

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By this time, Walter’s crimes were so serious that he was not allowed to go back to the juvenile detention center even if he was a minor. Instead, he was sentenced to 25 to 30 years in a maximum-security prison. To make things worse, Walter’s mother had passed away and he would not be able to see her again for the last time.

Time to change

Grieving over his mother made Walter realize his mistakes. From that point on, he decided to live his life for the better. He decided to behave his best so that he could get into a less secured facility. Walter tried to get an appeal on his case but he was denied.

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So, Walter focused on being the best inmate and managed to have no marks on his record. Because of his good behavior, Walter was able to transfer from a maximum-security prison to a minimum-security facility.

A better environment

Walter discovered that things were so much better there compared to where he had been. There were more still precautions and security in place so that nobody escapes but he was able to move more freely and he no longer feared for his life.

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Being in a minimum-security facility had its perks. Things were more relaxed. Inmates were able to contact their families and go outdoors. They can even participate in a radio show. And Walter was able to be a radio show host.

A wrong accusation

Being on the radio show made Walter feel more liberated. He finally felt that he found his passion and that things were looking up for him now. But just when Walter thought he was making progress, things went downhill when he started having trouble with the prison captain.

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Somebody had yelled out rudely at the prison captain and Walter was accused to be the culprit. Walter denied this but the prison captain still blamed him and started to go hard on Walter. It was quite clear that the prison captain was holding a grudge.

An unjust treatment

The prison captain started to give Walter violations often to the point that he was just one negative report away from being sent back to a maximum-security prison. The prison also gave him early morning chores so Walter had to wake up before the other inmates did to do tasks like collecting the trash or cleaning up the grounds.

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Among the early morning tasks, Walter hated collecting trash from the roads – especially during wintertime. It was too cold and some people can be awful when they spot an inmate cleaning the road. Aside from the mockery and insults, Walter had experienced having a hamburger and milkshake at him.

Planning another escape

Walter knew that the prison captain was assigning him all these tasks out of spite. As long as the prison captain was in charge, his chances of getting out early on good behavior were very slim. So, Walter had reached his limit again with being imprisoned and started to plan another escape.

Source: Creepy World

The advantage of his early morning duties was that he was able to sweep the whole perimeter of the facility and observe the surrounding areas and roads. Walter started keeping a close eye on everything so he could plot an escape plan.

Taking his chance

Walter was able to observe that the Tuesday morning guard did not follow the procedure of patting down the inmates before they get onto the bus for community service tasks. Walter also observed that the bus often made a stop in the intersection near the woods.

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Knowing this, Walter put his civilian clothes beneath his prison clothes and emptied out his locker. When he fell in line to get on the bus on that Tuesday morning, Walter was able to ride the bus and he chose a seat near the emergency exit.

Running for freedom

As soon as the bus started to slow down in the intersection, Walter opened the emergency exit and ran as fast as he can into the woods. He did not dare to look back despite the sounds of sirens behind him.

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Walter was able to rip off his prison clothes and kept running until he was sure he lost the cops. Walter then managed to find his way to a Greyhound bus station and caught a ride headed to New York.

The birth of Bobby Love

When he arrived in New York, it was the start of Bobby Love’s life. it was 1977 and Walter was able to get a false birth certificate, social security number, and a driver’s license. Having these documents allowed him to live his second life as Bobby Love and he was able to get jobs.

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During the 80s, Walter’s identity as Bobby Love was pretty solid. Bobby was able to create a new life for himself – free from crime and trouble. He managed to get a job at the Baptist Medical Center and this is where he met Cheryl.

Love wins

Despite his desire to lay low, Cheryl’s innocence and simplicity were very attractive to Bobby. He soon could not resist asking her out. They went to see Purple Rain in the theaters and Bobby took her to a Gladys Knight and the Pips concert. Soon enough, the couple decided to tie the knot.

Source: Living Magazine

Cheryl was just 21 years old when she married Bobby, who was 34 years old. They soon had a baby daughter, Jasmine, followed by another girl, Jessica. Ten years later, they were blessed with twin boys named Justin and Jordan. This turned Bobby into a full-time family man.

Haunted by his past

Bobby did his best to support his family. He worked two jobs and he found time to volunteer at their local church. Bobby would never want his family to go through what Walter did. Although he managed to create a new life, he was unable to forget the past and the huge secret he had kept from his family.

Source: Living Magazine

Countless times, Bobby was tempted to tell Cheryl the truth. But he knew that Cheryl was a righteous woman. Once the truth was out, she would want him to come clean to the authorities. Bobby was not ready to leave her and the kids just yet. So, Bobby made a deal with his sister. He assigned his sister to tell Cheryl the truth if he passed away.

There were signs

While Cheryl had no idea about Bobby’s past, looking back, she did notice some signs. She remembers how Bobby would look spooked and worried every time a stranger approaches him. Cheryl also recalled how Bobby often shied away from others in public.

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Bobby also often secluded himself – even at home. It turned out that he was in hiding all along and feared being recognized. But what had gone wrong? How did the authorities track down Bobby after so many years?

Cover blown

It turned out that Bobby’s cover was blown when he attended the funeral of one of his siblings in North Carolina. Bobby thought that enough time had passed so nobody would recognize who he was.

Source: Living Magazine

It turned out someone did recognize him. That person reported his homecoming to the police and the rest was history. It did not take long for the authorities to track his trail down from that funeral.

For better or for worse

The sudden revelation was hard for Cheryl. All this deception and drama made her feel like she was living the plot for a Lifetime movie. She could not believe that her husband had deceived her after all these years. Although she still had to process this new reality, she decided to see him in prison.

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When Cheryl visited Bobby in prison, Bobby immediately broke down crying in front of her. He believed that Cheryl would leave him the moment she knew. But Cheryl told him that she will stick by his side no matter what. “Bobby Love, I married you for better or for worse. And now this is the worst.” Cheryl chose to stay committed to her husband and to support him in his fight for freedom.

Focus on the present

Bobby was facing the remainder of his prison sentence and extra time for his escape. Cheryl reached to everyone in their lives and ask them to write testimonials about Bobby as a witness to his good behavior. She also did the same thing.

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Cheryl recalled that although she did not know a single thing about Walter Miller, she did know Bobby Love and Bobby Love was different man. Cheryl believed that the focus should be on who Bobby is now and not who he was.

Layers of freedom

There was no doubt that Cheryl was a committed wife. She did everything she could to defend her husband. She still painted him in the best picture to others. And miraculously enough, Bobby was soon released after just one year in prison, thanks to his good behavior and Cheryl’s hard work to fight for Bobby’s freedom.

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Bobby was liberated in more ways than one. Now that his secret past was out, he no longer had to worry or shy away from others. He became more open to everyone he met. His once secluded nature was now gone and this had strengthened his marriage with Cheryl. Cheryl was now able to connect to Bobby on a deeper level because now, Bobby was free from fear.

A love that was tested and true

When Bobby was released from prison, Cheryl asked him jokingly if they were now the Millers or the Loves. Bobby lovingly responds that they would stick to the Loves because of the love that had helped them withstand this trial.

Source: Creepy World

What Bobby and Cheryl had gone through was no easy ride. But they decided to go through this difficult time together. Their perseverance was rewarded as they came out having a better relationship than before.