The first of two local murders that Anthony Eugene Robinson is charged with is set to go to trial next month. The prosecution plans to use DNA evidence in the case. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.
Robinson stands accused of killing Tonita Lorice Smith, of Charlottesville, and Allene "Beth" Redmon, of Harrisonburg, in a motel in Harrisonburg in late 2021. Law enforcement in Fairfax County, Washington, D.C., and Prince George's County, Md. are also investigating him in connection with four other women's deaths. Police have dubbed him the "Shopping Cart Killer" for allegedly transporting victims' bodies in a shopping cart.
The trial for Smith's murder begins on September 23rd. The one for Redmon’s murder is scheduled for January. Court documents filed in June of this year indicate the Commonwealth's Attorney plans to use DNA evidence at trial next month. A report from the Virginia Department of Forensic Science states that multiple samples recovered from the scene of Smith's body contained both sperm and non-sperm DNA that, in layman's terms, were a match for Robinson.
I went over the results with a molecular biologist to be sure I understood. In the report's terminology, Robinson "cannot be eliminated as a contributor" of the samples. The analysis tested 24 loci, or specific locations on genes, to either match or rule out a match between the samples from the crime scene and one taken directly from Robinson. For multiple samples from the crime scene, there was less than a 1 in 8.1 billion chance that the DNA came from someone unrelated to Robinson.
As the National Institute of Justice explains in an article on DNA evidence, "a point is reached at which the tests have excluded virtually the world's population and the unique identification of that individual as the source of the DNA has been achieved."
A motions hearing has been scheduled for September 9th. The judge will likely consider multiple requests from the defense, including banning terms like "serial killer" from the courtroom, as well as the mention of "unadjudicated bad acts," such as the possible murders of other victims.
Editor's note, Sept. 3 — a previous version of this story misspelled Tonita Lorice Smith's name. It has been corrected.
