Teen sentenced to life in prison for killing Black trans woman, 2 gay men
Devon Robinson murdered three because he was afraid they might tell others that he engaged in same-gender sexual behavior at a party
A 19-year-old Detroit teen has been sentenced to three sentences of life without the possibility of parole after killing two gay men and a trans woman.
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A 19-year-old Detroit teen has been sentenced to three sentences of life without the possibility of parole after killing two gay men and a trans woman.
Devon Robinson met Alunte Davis, 21, Timothy Blancher, 20, and 20-year-old Paris Cameron-a transgender woman at a gas station. The trio invited him to a party, which he decided to attend.
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According to The New York Times, prosecutor Jaimie Powell Horowitz said that Robinson received oral sex from multiple people at the party on May 25, 2019. He later returned to the party wearing a ski mask, and with a gun. He shot and killed Davis, Blancher, and Cameron and wounded two others on Detroit’s east side.
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The Detroit News wrote that witness Clifton Keys, a friend of the victims who attended the party, described how the gunman came back to the house and sprayed the living room of the residence with gunfire. He said the blood of friends seeped from the walls.
“This is a case about hate.” Horowitz said in her closing statement, “This is a case about self-hate.”
Authorities later identified the gunman from the description as Robinson
Prosecutors argued that Robinson was determined to kill everyone at the party because they laughed at him and called him gay. Horowitz said that the man was afraid that people at the party would tell others what happened.
Robinson’s attorney plans to appeal.
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The case was prosecuted with the assistance of the Fair Michigan Justice Project, an organization that helps law enforcement officials investigate crimes against LGBT people.
“Devon Robinson murdered three members of Detroit’s L.G.B.T.Q. community in cold blood, and wounded two others,” Fair Michigan’s president Alanna Maguire said, “This conviction and life-in-prison sentence sends a clear message that crimes against our community can result in maximum penalties under the law.”
Wayne County prosecutor, Kim Worthy, said in a statement that she is “pleased” that justice has been served in the case. Worthy noted, “We will continue to be vigilant in our fight to eradicate hate in Wayne County and beyond.”
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