Detroit man sentenced to three life terms without parole for murders of three LGBTQ people

Witnesses at trial claimed that Devon Robinson fired so many bullets that the victims' blood seeped through the walls

By John Riley on July 2, 2020 @JohnAndresRiley

Devon Robinson – Photo: Detroit Police Department.

A 19-year-old Detroit man has been sentenced to three life terms in prison, with no chance of parole, after being convicted of a brutal shooting of two gay men and a transgender woman in May 2019.

In March, a Wayne County jury convicted Devon Robinson of first-degree premeditated murder for the killings of gay men Alunte Davis, 21 and Timothy Blancher, 20, and transgender woman Paris Cameron, 20.

The three victims were attending a house party at a Detroit home with about a dozen other people when Robinson opened fire on them.

Robinson allegedly shot and wounded two other people inside the house. A survivor testified at trial that Robinson fired so many bullets that the victims’ blood seeped through the walls, reports the Associated Press.

Prosecutors alleged at trial that Robinson targeted Davis, Blancher, and Cameron due to their sexual orientation and gender identity.

However, Robinson’s attorney, Evan Callanan Jr., said during a November hearing that there was no evidence against his client, calling the allegations against his client a “fanciful theory.”

In addition to the first-degree murder charges, Robinson was also sentenced to 10 to 20 years for each of two counts of assault with intent to murder, and two years, consecutively, for five counts of felony use of a firearm.

“The defendant’s actions were disturbing on so many levels,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement at the time Robinson was charged. “We will continue to be vigilant in our fight to eradicate hate in Wayne County and beyond.”

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