This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A jury has found Ryan Randy Robinson to be guilty of murder and other charges in the 2012 shooting death of his girlfriend in Murray.
Robinson, 34, was charged in 3rd District Court with first-degree felony murder for the April 9, 2012, slaying of 25-year-old Shantelle Reid.
The jury on Tuesday night determined Robinson shot Reid in the head after a domestic dispute and later pointed a gun at a Murray police officer, who shot and wounded Robinson. The decision rejected defenders' call to find Robinson guilty for the lesser crime of manslaughter on his claims that the shooting was an accident.
Robinson also was found guilty of third-degree-felony aggravated assault and third-degree-felony possession of a firearm by a restricted person.
After listening to four days of testimony, jurors began deliberating at about 1 p.m. Tuesday.
The defense called Reid's shooting a tragic accident that occurred while Robinson was handling his new gun — given to him for his birthday one day earlier — "like a toy."
But prosecutor Robert Neill said every piece of evidence demonstrates that the shooting was intentional and that the gun could not have gone off accidentally. He claimed Robinson was furious after he and Reid got into an argument.
"This man wanted to hurt and control Shantelle," Neill told the jury in his closing argument.
In testimony last week, neighbor LuAnn Abeyta and her son Alex described watching Robinson chase Reid down the street prior to the shooting, dragging her by her hair and punching and kicking her. LuAnn Abeyta said she told Robinson to stop, when Robinson took several "lunging" strides toward her.
Alex Abeyta called police, and the couple returned to Robinson's parents' home down the street, where the couple was house-sitting at the time of the shooting.
Police said they went to the Robinsons' house and knocked and waited for about a half-hour before Ryan Robinson came outside.
"He came out, and he was quite agitated," said Kenny Bass, an officer at the scene. "He did not want to talk to us. He told us he didn't like the police."
Eventually Robinson let officers inside and called to Reid to "come up and let the cops know I didn't hurt you," Bass said.
Officer Margaret Rowland said she interviewed Reid, who denied that the fight was physical. Rowland said she also examined Reid for any injuries or evidence of a fight, but she could find none.
"[Reid] was very unemotional," Rowland said.
The officers, unable to corroborate the Abeytas' 911 call, left the home.
But Rowland returned less than two hours later on reports that Reid and Robinson had been shot; Reid by Robinson, and Robinson by Murray Officer David Stallings.
Stallings had confronted Robinson after dispatchers received a call that Reid had been shot; Robinson ran away, again passing the Abeytas.
"Ryan told us to go inside," LuAnn Abeyta said.
Moments later, she heard gunfire.
Prosecutor Chou Chou Collins told the jury Robinson had pointed a gun at Stallings, who fired twice at Robinson, striking him in the abdomen.
When Rowland returned to the scene, she was told to go help investigators in the Robinsons' basement. She said she recognized Shantelle Reid immediately.
"I saw blood on the stairs ... and she was no longer with us," Rowland said.
Robinson's sentencing was scheduled for Jan. 14. He faces up to life in prison.
Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC