FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

District Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Killing Woman in Northeast Washington

Three Children Were in the Home at Time of Shooting

            WASHINGTON – Steven M. Robinson, 30, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for fatally shooting his girlfriend at point-blank range at her apartment in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Robinson pleaded guilty in June 2021, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of second-degree murder while armed. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a sentence of 10 to 12 years in prison. The Honorable Neal E. Kravitz accepted the plea on Nov. 9, 2021, and sentenced Robinson accordingly. Following his prison term, Robinson will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, Robinson was in a romantic relationship with the victim, Shanika Williams. In the early morning hours of July 12, 2020, Robinson was at Ms. Williams’s apartment in the 800 block of 19th Street NE; at the time, she was alone with her three children. While inside, he quarreled with Ms. Williams, and at one point, got his gun and shot her at close range. After shooting her, he fled, leaving Ms. Williams on the floor of her apartment.  The Metropolitan Police Department responded at approximately 4 a.m., and Ms. Williams, 28, was pronounced dead at the scene.

            Robinson was arrested on Feb. 5, 2021 and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker, Litigation Technology Supervisor Leif Hickling, and Paralegal Specialist LaShone Samuels.  Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah C. Santiago, who investigated and prosecuted the case.