can you understand how she might not think you give a damn about her daughter when you yell and scream at her in the interview one I never yelled and screamed at sir but you think it's okay because you think that her conduct deserved that sir for the fourth time let him answer the question for the fourth time I told you I didn't yell at her and I didn't say that it was okay to yell at her stop it either I said what she had showed us was that she was more worried about that phone and
at that point the most important thing that night was a dead 5-year-old we ain't the dope police we the murder police we worry about dead bodies I don't care if she had sold dope to everybody in Knox in that phone that was not my concern my concern was why a little girl was dead and why we weren't getting answers from the only witness that was my concern that night [Music] Knoxville is the kind of city where historic homes line the streets the riverfront provides a quiet escape and the Great Smoky Mountains loom majestically in the
background it's a place where families sit on their front porches in the soft glow of late afternoon and neighbors greet each other by name but just like any City Darkness can find its way in that's exactly what happened in the Fountain City neighborhood one quiet September evening in 2019 when a tragedy unfolded that would leave a lasting mark on Knoxville's peaceful reput a robin howington 36 years old lived with her two young children in a modest three-bedroom two bath house in Fountain City inside it seemed like a picture perfect family her 5-year-old daughter destiny full
of energy and creativity was just weeks away from her sixth birthday Destiny's 2-year-old brother was always by her side the two were inseparable and their laughter filled the house captured in countless family photos that painted a happy picture but behind that facade Robin was dealing with serious issues a single mom struggling to make ends meet she turned to selling drugs to survive and her past wasn't clean either she had a DUI conviction from 2010 where she admitted to police she'd taken Xanax earlier that day then came the night of September 14th Robin returned home from
the park with her kids settling into what should have been a normal evening the kids were watching TV completely absorbed but in an instant everything changed a deafening blast tore through the air shattering that fragile sense of normaly Robin grabbed her phone and dialed [Music] [Music] 911 please please hurry right now yes yes who who did it the guy that just walking to your door yes okay what's your name Robin Robin okay where's your daughter at on the cou on on our way we're on our way now and she's laying on the cou oh my
God what do I need to do what do I need to what do I need to do let me you speak with M the guy who did that white black his he's black okay what was he wearing he on a black shirt on okay CH thing when he open when you guys open the door no okay my baby just my God please calm down as the call taker transfer the call to medical assistance Robin exits her home appears to drop an object behind a bush and then returns [Music] [Music] came here my she's here please
she not okay you pleas turn light everything she is breathing she is breathing yes yes yes sheo yes okay all right I've got on the way she first okay is that crying no that's my son that's your son okay yes okay I to you as fast as I can I promise okay you said she is breathing is she able to speak to you at all is she conscious at all no no oh my God I can't believe you IDE it no I Robin and claimed that a random black male entered her home shot her 5-year-old
daughter and fled in a black Chrysler 300 sedan Knoxville police officer andrell Cummings was the first to arrive just minutes after the 911 call upon entering he was struck by how eerily quiet the scene was based on his experience it lacked the typical chaos that usually follows such a traumatic event in court he testified about what happened next and um I walked in I think I maybe just kind of cracked the door and I said did you call 911 and she was like yeah kind of waved me in um and I kind of walked in
I go does anybody hurt and she just kind of points to uh behind her and that's when I saw officer Cummings discovered 5-year-old Destiny with severe wounds to her chest and right hand with his EMT training kicking in he wasted no time placing her in the back of his police cruiser and immediately calling for emergency medical help he did everything he could until the ambulance arrived Destiny was rushed to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in critical condition after securing the scene more officers arrived and cumming started searching the area in court he later testified
about a key Discovery he found something in Robin's yard specifically in the bush where a neighbor's surveillance camera caught her placing an object during her 911 call did you have an occasion to go look on the side of that house that night we did so a couple of us got together and decided to go uh search um that um again we'll say the left side of that uh the house in that yard and um there on that side under a bush we found a uh firearm investigators started getting suspicious Robin's story just didn't add up
why would she need to hide a gun if an unknown man burst through the door then things took another twist a doctor requested that police bring Robin to the hospital to discuss Destiny's condition while waiting Robin excused herself to the restroom but what happened next raised even more red flags a concerned citizen approached an officer explaining that Robin had made a bizarre request to his wife who was a complete stranger that same woman later testified in court about the odd encounter so you exit the stall um you see this individual what happens next um she's
trying to hand me a phone and she's like please take my phone and just throw it anywhere um did she tell you why she wanted to get rid of her phone I asked her why and she said a man had come into her house and shot her daughter and that um she was needing to get rid of her phone cuz the cops were going to take it were there any other reason she said um she might want to get rid of that phone to you she had mentioned something about selling drugs but and she said
the cops would think she had something to do with it okay um do you recall the um this individual's demeanor when you're interacting with her she was just nervous acting a viy okay um did you take that phone from her that even no I didn't what did you do I just kept telling her I'm sorry I don't want to be a part of it then I went on up to wash my hands and she kept following me up there there like begging please please just help me and after the witness tipped off police about Robin
suspicious actions officer seized her phone and here's the kicker they found it wet when retrieved now keep in mind that Robin wasn't initially considered a suspect but things quickly changed investigators grew increasingly alarmed by the inconsistencies in her story and her strange Behavior at the hospital once she learned from doctors that her daughter had tragically died police transported Robin to the Knoxville Police Department for questioning but here's where things get messy her story shifted not once not twice but three times first she stuck to her claim that an unknown black male was responsible for the
shooting then Under Pressure she pointed the finger at Destiny's father Antoine Oliver saying he had barged in and fired the gun to scare her but later Robin changed her story a third time claiming it was her 2-year-old son who accidentally shot Destiny during a struggle between her and Oliver detectives weren't buying it they informed Robin they were aware she had an altercation with Oliver just two days before the shooting where she pointed a gun at him and he actually took the gun from her and disassembled it her changing stories didn't hold up and in the
end Robin was arrested and charge with felony murder evidence tampering and aggravated child neglect she was later released on bond fast forward 3 and a half years Tennessee versus Robin howington finally goes to trial with new charges including making a false report and attempted evidence tampering the trial ultimately came down to Dueling narratives about what really happened to Destiny and it would be up to the jury to decide which version of events they believed state has the burden of proof for that reason you will always hear first from the state general Ammons you are recognized
on behalf of the state for your opening statement thank youor September the 14th 2019 Destiny Oliver is 5 years [Music] old with her brother Gavin's two years old and her mother Robin howington the defendant in this case went to a park it would have played they would have laughed just like any kids just like any family and they they return what was different about this kniv is that was the last time this thing Oliver would have playing the park that's what this case is about a 5-year-old little girl my life far too short one person's
deceit lies and deception to cover up their crime negligence person the defend in their opening statement the state presented doorbell camera footage showing Robin arriving home with her two kids at 8:42 p.m. 4 minutes later a man briefly entered the house for 63 seconds before leaving police later questioned him but cleared him of any involvement in the homicide by the time Robin stepped out to move her car and returned at 8:50 p.m. only she and her children were inside 3 minutes later she made the 911 call the state presented its case as straightforward Destiny Oliver
was dead and because of Robin's lies and deceptive Behavior the exact details remain unclear but they believed one thing was certain Robin's Reckless actions led to her daughter's death and her attempts to cover it up proved she had something to hide the defense though took a different approach attorney Michael whan focused on three main arguments first he claimed it was Robin's 2-year-old son who accidentally shot Destiny alleging the toddler climbed this stool grabbed a loaded gun from this top shelf and fired the Fatal shot second he argued that Robin shouldn't be held fully accountable for
negligence due to her mental health issues and third he aggressively attacked law enforcement pointing to the police interrogation as so unprofessional and dishonest that it called the entire case into question attorney whan insisted that the officers had targeted Robin from the start and failed to explore any other possibility Beyond her being a coldblooded murderer judge told you the opening statements are not Li I'll tell you one thing you can do you can hold us to those [Music] statements if you recall in board iron they stood up there and said well nobody's going to try to
tell you miss hington intended to shoot her daughter that sure sounds like what he was saying at the end her gun she had the gun all these slides all these inconsistencies I want you to pay attention to that stuff because we've talked already and you will hear again that she was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder for about 18 months medically treated and the police go through her purse at the end of the interview and ask her what every one of them for and that's what they were she tells them that she's been raped and she's
nervous speaking in a room with two male police officers there's a female police officer right out the hallway they don't offer to bring a female in the two of them sit there and talk to her and when she says she's been raped Mr ridd there loses his mind he jumps up and starts yelling and screaming are you kiding me that's what you're concerned about your daughter's day now how do you think that helps with the PTSD this is the interview room that we're in you called somebody from that house I D to try to take
your baby boy over across the street okay you are using that phone then what happened to happened to that phone in a 30 minute time frame from the time you got or left that house till you got to UT hospital that okay that phone has been thrown somewhere wet we do this for a living we're not dumb this is your this the truth I said let's let's try cuz I know at the hospital you said you go to bom right and you tried to give your phone to some lady correct and she wouldn't take it
so after she didn't take the phone what you do with it charge me with something what you what did you do with phone I don't want to talk man cuz I'm afraid so your child your child is dead and you don't want to talk it's so what no no so what you're telling us is you don't care it's police officer are you kid me are you serious your daughter is dead I know that and you don't want to tell us who kills your child Lord have mercy you have a heart you have a soul worri
about being charged for throwing that phone in the toilet no she will be charged you're going to be charged with tampering that's tampering with evidence I'm serious to God you going to go jail for that tonight you can L up do what you want to we want the truth from you if you tell us the truth then SP call D va's office and tell them hey what's the slower roll here but if you sit here us on this then we're not going to help you detective as a professional who deals with rape cases do you
get training on how to deal with rape I've dealt with several rapes over my career do you get training on how to deal with rape yes sir would you say that's what you did in response to her informing you she was nervous because she's in a little room with two male police officers and 18 months before she was raped by police officer I think at the point where uh I got a little out well let's just say frustrated I was extremely frustrated yes sir oh but that's not what you said yes sir no you told
w law says uh you say I'm sorry after after you work through all that after a bit you say I we came off oh I'm sorry I came off a little like an asshole I'm sorry okay and Ward law says it deals this we're dealing with a 5-year-old we take this seriously yes sir and you said no I'm angry I was angry no we take this seriously and you said no I'm angry I agree who were you angry at I was angry with Miss hington The Grieving mother I I would disagree with your explanation I'm
I'm not sure how she was grieving but to not cooperate with the investigation baffled Me 2 minutes and 40 seconds into your interview 10 10 minutes and 30 seconds into your interview you were so angry with her that you leap from the chair and start screaming at her come over the table pointing your finger and saying are you kidding me your daughter's dead and that's what you're concerned about yes sir I said that and you tell her you don't care about tampering charges right I want her to be truthful with me about what happened at
this point in time we weren't aware that Gavin was the suspect in the crime you told her you don't care about tampering charges as well as I told her I didn't care about drugs as well you told her yes I did tell her that and then you jump from your chair and say you're going to jail tonight she's lying she's lying sir well does that sound like a man who doesn't care about tampering charges you I'm trying to get her I'm trying to get her to cooperate with this investigation I believe someone in this interview
used the term once a fber always a f I believe later on I I saw it yesterday and you shaking your head yes sir that was you right I said that yes sir so when you tell her I don't care about tampering charges and then burst out into your outrage about your to jail tonight for tampering would she have any reason to believe that you're anything but a fiber I'm not sure what she believes I can't speak for her yeah F right I don't care you're going to jail for it after about 10 or 12
lies yes she's she's committing crimes correct and you believe that couch looks High tall SE party sure and in that video the walk through you and wlar standing beside it it comes up out to your knee that's sound like a high couch to okay I'll agree with you it's an average couch it's a normal couch so why was it necessary to talking about how high the couch was Sir it's a normal couch right talking about how high it was made the story sound less likely that gin could have shot her you know what again how
many versions did she give us I'm not asking you about how many versions she gave you I'm asking you about the versions you gave I did not believe her son was capable of shooting his sister how in the world can a 2-year-old child know where a gun is go get a gun drag a stool that this is all my thought process so I'm telling me that as a homicide investigator you were not aware of the multiple times a year that small children get guns and shoot people with it it's happened absolutely it's happened why are
you acting so shocked that a 2-year-old could get a gun and shoot someone it's just not believable sir you've seen the interview I'm not going to tell you to put your you do this for living I do it for living you're you're a criminal defense attorney I disagree with you she's she was lying and being dishonest I I'm trying to understand and comprehend this mess so you thought that you would get more Tru from her if you lied and were dishonest sir I don't I don't know that I lied to her I disagree with your
that's misre misrepresentation of my words you told her the couch was too high for him to be I did say that oh you did and now you say I'm just it didn't happen it's a normal C for conversation I'm going to agree with you because it's going to be an argument it's it's a normal couch agree with me because it's it's a normal couch sir a normal cou normal couch sir when you said it was to high I agree with you you were I agree sir I was not I did not have any intent to
lie this young lady I'm not trying to put anything in her head besides get the truth how do you have to put people things in people's head to get them to tell the truth sir we're investigating the death of her 5-year-old little girl I know and you know that no matter how many times you say that it doesn't change anything right absolutely it doesn't change things in your mind no it doesn't we're talking about what was said why and how and we're talking about who was the fiber in this interview and I'm telling you you
didn't come off too good on the fiber scale either did you sir are you calling me a liar yes sir okay then I disagree with you attorney whan kept up his aggressive approach with Witnesses throughout the trial hammering them with tough questions to expose inconsistencies his goal was clear to convince the jury that the police were not being truthful if whan could get the jury to question the officer's honesty it could weaken the prosecution's case possibly leading to a lighter sentence for Robin or even an aqu quiddle do you recall making that statement correct and
the statement that you made was I'm going to be straight with you I feel like her it's her dad and I feel like you don't want to tell us that I feel like he's pissed off about all this stuff that's going on you won't let him see her she scared of him I feel like he came in here pissed off and he did it and you're scared to say something because it's going to be the same thing that's been going on down in the past I feel like that's what happened you don't want to say
it because you're scared that's what you said right correct that next statement that Mr riddle made in your presence I think you are too I think he I think he's hit the nail on the head I don't think he intended to kill the little girl I think he was going to shoot and scare so that's you laying out that Antoine did it Mr riddle here saying oh you hit it right on the nail I think that's what happened too and that's when the attitude changed from yelling and screaming and it's shortly after that that you
decided all you need this and you give her all right all you need sir again from the onset when I dealt with her my concern was you need someone here with you at the beginning of the interview when I come in the room I told her I've checked on Gavin I've tried to call somebody to be here with you she says the only person I know is my mom so from the onset even though you're trying to play like it's not I was concerned with her having someone there with her I understand all of that
that's not what I'm asking you officer here's the thing you're saying you are only concerned about Miss harington's wellbeing and if she have somebody there to support her and then you watch riddle lose his mind and yell and scream at her did you ever stop and say oh whoa on thereo let's talk a minute did you ever say that no you didn't care and then you I'm sorry I I sir you I don't think you can tell me what I thought at that moment how many times did you say to her you don't care you
you can't tell me what I thought at that moment sir you want I can tell you what you said how about that what did I say at that moment you don't care I don't think you care you said that I didn't care about what investigator riddle was doing and you can't tell me that what that how I felt about investigative rle I'm saying you didn't have any problem with telling her that she didn't care about her 5-year-old being dead but you didn't bother to tell him hey riddle back up a minute her actions her actions
were showing that she was only worried about herself in that phone okay so we have clarified that you believe that that was perfectly good conduct on R's part did I say that sir did I say that sir you just said it was her actions that brought all that on no sir I did not say that those are your words you just said I just said me what I said is that she was more worried about herself on that phone she wasn't worried about her fivey old I never said anything about what investigator riddle did or
how I felt about it you just told The Grieving mother she was more concerned about her phone than her dead 5-year-old what does the evidence show sir I'm asking you I'm asking you what does the evidence show she was more worried about that phone she tried to give a phone to a random stranger in the restroom then break it and then put water on it you're more concerned about that phone and the contents of that phone then you are about making sure we find out who killed your daughter I don't know how else you can
look at that well can you understand how she might not think you give a damn about her daughter when you yell and scream at her in the interview one I never yelled and screamed at sir but you think it's okay because you think that her conduct deserved that sir for the fourth time s let him answer the for the fourth time I told you I didn't yell at her and I didn't say that it was okay to yell at her I said what she had showed us was that she was more worried about that phone
and at that point the most important thing that night was a dead 5-year-old we ain't the dope police we the murder police we worry about dead bodies I don't care if she had sold dope to everybody in Knox in that phone that was not my concern my concern was why a little girl was dead and why we weren't getting answers from the only witness that was my concern that night one of the key Witnesses was a crime lab technician and he dropped a bombshell that grabbed the jury's attention gunshot residue was found not only on
Robin howington clothing but also on her 2-year-old son's as the tension in the courtroom escalated more witnesses testified before the state rested its case then in a bold move the defense put Robin howington on the stand Mr way you are recognized on behalf of the defense thank you callington Miss hington come around please if you would come up to the witness stand before you take the witness stand ra your right hand and be sworn you solemly swear or affirm the testimony you're about to give to be the truth the whole truth and nothing but the
truth so help you got yes sir have a seat adjust the microphone so that you can speak directly into it so are you going to want your water please thank you thank you tilt that down there you go s you can speak direct and you can tilt the endf as well if you need to tell the jury your name Robin howington and you are the robin howington we've been talking about since Monday right yes sir and how old the woman are you 41 okay and where were you born Bristol Tennessee how long did you live
in Bristol till I was 14 scoot that a little bit more pull it right up there to you P pull it up closer to you there you go okay let's try that so you lived in Bristol till you were 14 yes sir and where did you move then Knoxville and have you lived in Knoxville since yes sir and do you have family here my son Gavin okay now your mother lived in Bristol right yes and and for a time she lived with you here yes and and and she passed during this pendency of this case
yes okay where back in September of 2019 where were you living 502 bostom Drive okay and how long had you been there for about 4 years and who did you live with Destiny Gavin and myself okay and just to be clear did did Antoine Oliver ever live at that address no sir he ever spend the night at that address no sir was he ever there when you alone that you know of no sir okay and so when you got home from the park what did you do I brought the kids in because they were asleep
did you bring them in together or separately separately okay and you parked your car and brought the kids in right yes then later you went back out to move the car yes when you came home do you do you remember where you parked yes in right in front of the sidewalk okay is that where you normally park no why not because the mailbox is there so the mailman can't get to the mailbox and that doesn't make the mailman happy does it no so was there a time at which you went back outside to the car
yes what were you doing I was smoking because I do not smoke in my house around my kids what else did you do I moved my car okay and you've seen that video from the neighbors porch right yes sir if you hadn't seen that video would you have known any of those times no sir and after you get the kids inside there's a fellow that comes to your door and he's there for 63 seconds or something right yes do you know who that was yes and who was it don't tell me don't say the last
name because it's being broadcast but if we need to we can get that from his name was Jay excuse me Jay Jay and why was he there he was getting payment from where he tinted my windows on my car when did he tin the windows the day before and why didn't you pay him on Friday because there was bubbles in the tent and I wanted to know if they were going to go away or not and did he come and fix that or did he just no I just pay I didn't pay him as much
as he originally asked me to so after you had got through dealing with Jay what happened what did you do I made sure the kids was okay and I went outside to smoke and moved my car when you came back from moving the car what what did you do I was walking up to my house and it's a glass door and I seen a flash of light go off and when I walked in Gin was screaming and crying and the gun was on the ground there's there's some tissues up there in that box everyone may
have a seat wave a call for the state for the defense call General good you were recognized for cross- examination okay Miss hington so we're gonna we're going to get into the story that you've told for the first time today here in just a minute but before we get into that I want to back up okay yes ma'am I want to take you back to the very first story that you told to the 911 caller when you called 911 talk about that yes ma'am you initially said that it was an unknown black male is that
correct yes ma'am you said that that black male had essentially broken into your home correct yes ma'am and that that black male who you'd never seen a day before in your life shot your daughter in Cold Blood right in front of you is that correct yes you said that Gavin was in the room that right yes ma'am and you said that when this unknown black male who drove a black which you believe to be Chrysler 300 you recall telling yes ma'am okay you said that he looked at you and his eyes got really big and
that he just ran out is that right yes ma'am okay so that was your initial story to 911 when you first called correct okay let's talk about the 911 call you just testified that you are walking up into your house and you see the gun go off when Gavin shoots Destiny is that what you just testified to yes and you've seen the video the surveillance video from your neighbor's house you not you've seen that you walk you enter your home at 8:50 correct correct and now you know that the 911 call was not placed until
over 3 minutes later at 85353 is that correct yes so you go back in your home after seeing your daughter get shot by by your 2-year-old son according to you today and you wait almost 4 minutes to call 911 is that your testimony I had to find my phone it had fell in between the cushions in the other living room okay so you see Gavin get shot you call 911 4 minutes later but again you don't tell any of this to the police initially do you no ma'am you you blame it on some some stranger
that you've never seen before in your life that came in and shot your 5-year-old In Cold Blood that was your story initially un unidentified person yes to unidentified black male is what you said is it not yes ma'am in a black Chrysler 300 you were pretty specific about that right yes ma'am you said that he wasn't wearing a hat yes ma'am that he was a little bit darker uh complexion than than uh officer of w law you actually even I mean you described it even to that extent correct you clarified now we're on to the
interview with officer ww they were talking about the 911 call we could break that up so she knows what she's being asked all right we'll rephrase the question some point in time did you later describe him as being darker than officer W ball yes all right ask your next question all right so that's 911 so please get on scene J that's not one 911 she says okay I apologize going back to immediately after the 911 call was placed police arrive on scene about three minutes after the call is initially placed is that correct I assume
you've seen the videos yes okay and you said just now that you didn't even realize that officer Cummings had taken Destiny outside until the trial today is that correct that's what you just testified to yes that's not true today he testified on Tuesday we need until until the trial her testimony was she didn't realize that off Cummings had taken Destiny out is that an accurate statement yes all right ask your next question and so at 85642 So within about 30 seconds of Officer Cummings arriving you were on your phone trying to call cie yes is
that why you didn't pay attention to the fact that he was taking your daughter outside no but again your daughter's outside at some point you don't even know she's out there you don't even know that the police officer has taken your your daughter that's been shot outside I had went out there and asked if she was okay and if Gavin was okay that was also on the video that you just spoke of okay but again miss Allington you just testified that you didn't realize that Destiny had been taken outside because you were tending to Gavin
was that not your testimony just now okay so you knew where Gavin was yes according to your own statement just now but you didn't know that the officer had taken Destiny outside to wait for the ambulance until until the trial you didn't know that no but you were on your phone trying to call cie if that's what you it says then yes I went out there and they told me to step back that they were doing everything that they possibly could okay so let's talk about when you um meet officer riddle for the first time
at your house before you are taken to UT hospital okay you once again make a claim that it is an unknown individual an unknown male broke into your house and shot your daughter in Cold Blood didn't you yes to protect my son I sure did okay you didn't say anything about the gun being outside at that point did you no again you're you're sticking with the story that this it's this unknown man so to the police officers they think that there is a murderer on the loose based on your statement correct yes and that statement
that you made was made prior to you ever talking to a law enforcement officer that night yes so you are the one that put it that put this idea that this was a murder in the investigator's head correct that's what you want to say yes well ma'am it's not my words okay are you the one that told police officers that that someone had came in and murdered your child yes and so that is the reason that these officers treated this as a murder investigation is it not yes but I was trying to protect my son
at even cost okay do you initially remember telling officers that you had no idea that there was even a gun outside of your house do you recall that I will continue to say the same thing ma'am I was trying to protect my son and you just can't accept that this was an accident you just can't accept it ma'am listen my question was you initially told the officers that you had no idea about a gun out side of your house didn't you ma'am I was not in my right mind I had just seen my baby shoot
my daughter do you not understand I hear what you're saying but my question to you was did you initially tell the officers that you had no idea about any sort of gun outside of your home if it's on the video then that's what I said ma'am can we get the screen please again right here you tell the officers that you don't have a gun right yes ma'am you tell the officers that it would surprise you if a gun was found outside your home correct yes ma'am but seeing is how you were the one that put
the gun out there that's not true is it I was trying to protect my son I was not in my right mind and at that time you had also asked multiple people to go and pick up that gun had you not because I did not want it to come back to Gavin do you not understand what I'm saying miss howington my question is at that point in time you had asked multiple people to come and pick up that gun that you put outside your home had you not to protect Gavin maybe it's a yes or
a no had you told asked multiple people to get that gun from outside your house yes or no yes ma'am now she may explain her answer Jud when she's answer I think she has but if you want to again explain your reasoning for doing so I was trying to protect my son and nobody wants to accept that what would you do can I after 5 days of testimony the jury entered their chamber to decide Robin howington fate the prosecution pushed hard asking for convictions on all charges including felony murder arguing that Robin was fully responsible
for the outcome the night of on the other hand the defense argued for diminished responsibility claiming the shooting was a tragic accident and Robin's actions afterward were driven by extreme distress the jurors now held the power to decide her future if found guilty of felony murder Robin would not see the light of day again it took the jury less than two hours to return a verdict everyone may have a seat W the call for the state for defense if you could pass the verdict form up here please um Mr Morgan Mr Mars I understand you
are the poor person of this jury is that correct yes sir understand the jury has reached a unanimous verdict as to each of the counts contained within this indictment is that correct yes sir if you would stand please sir Mr hington if you would stand in face the jury Mr March as to the first count of this indictment charging uh felony uh first degree felony murder as the jury reached a unanimous verdict yes we have and that verdict is what please uh the jury uh we the jury find the defendant Robin Rebeca Howton guilty of
Reckless homicide as to the second count alleging aggravated child neglect has the jury reached a unanimous verdict yes sir that verdict is what please we the jury find the defendant R Rebecca howington guilty of aggravating child neglect after the verdict was read Judge Scott green ordered Robin howington into custody and set her sentencing for a later date she was now facing a minimum of 15 to 25 years without parole prosecutors along with Destiny's father Antoine Oliver pushed for the maximum sentence and asked that each charge be served consecutively in a powerful written statement to the
court Oliver who had once been a suspect due to Robin's misleading statements shared his anger and grief barred from attending his own daughter's funeral while the investigation was ongoing Oliver didn't hold back he wrote they ruined my life while I was trying to process the death of my baby girl she's a llife who cared nothing about Destiny only herself Robin is the reason my daughter is dead I want her to rot in prison despite the prosecution's plea for consecutive sentences judge green handed down a 22-year prison sentence with the accounts to be served concurrently in
his closing remarks the judge flatly rejected Robin's claim that her 2-year-old son had fired the gun I will never believe that he said I don't think you were honest with the jury about that you are not the victim in this case District Attorney General charm Allen in a press release expressed thanks to the hard work of everyone in this case a small measure of Justice was achieved for a little girl whose life was tragically cut short
