Missouri Bigot Admits to Shooting Teen Eight Times Because He’s Gay – The Daily Beast
A Missouri man pleaded guilty this week to shooting a teen eight times because he was gay, the Department of Justice said.
Malachi Robinson may now face a lifetime behind bars if handed the maximum sentence for the crime, which the 26-year-old initially boasted about to friends and family before panicking as police centered their investigation on him, according to federal prosecutors.
A plea agreement that details the May 29, 2019, incident says Robinson fired a Taurus 9mm at an unnamed teen, striking him eight times, with three bullets to his chest, three to his right arm, one in his backside, and another that nearly detached his index finger.
Miraculously, the teen survived the shooting. But he was hospitalized for two weeks and still requires ongoing treatment, the plea deal says.
The teen was shot in the woods of Swope Park, near the Kansas City public library where the two initially met and added each other on Facebook.
The boy then messaged Robinson, asking if he wanted to have sex in the library bathroom, the plea deal said. Robinson responded, “I’m not really gay,” but later said he was willing to receive oral sex if the boy paid him $5.
That’s when Robinson lured the teen to the woods near the library. The plea deal says M.S. thought they were searching for a place to have sex, while Robinson was actually looking for a concealed spot to shoot him.
“Might shoot this boy if he try some gay shit,” Robinson allegedly wrote to his girlfriend that day.
Before any sexual acts were performed, the feds say Robinson opened fire on the teen and left him to die. He then fled toward his apartment complex where two maintenance workers—who heard the gunshots—spotted him with a gun in hand and confronted him. But Robinson wasn’t immediately arrested.
Instead, Robinson spent the day boasting about the shooting to his cousins, declaring that he fired at the teen because he “tried that gay ass shit.” He later wrote on Facebook messenger that he “shot a n***a” because he “was being gay af and following me like a mf.”
As police closed in on Robison, however, it appears he began to panic.
“How to know if the police are looking for you,” Robinson allegedly googled.
“When will police arrest you after a murder,” said another search, followed by: “What guard to shave head bald.”
Robinson also googled how to get away with murder “in real life” and outright searched: “Police investigate shooting in Swope Park.”
Robinson was arrested on June 3, 2019, and has remained in custody ever since. A date was not set as of Friday for his sentencing hearing.
“This attempted murder is a reminder that hate crimes against the LGBTQI+ community are real and must be confronted,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke. “Violent acts targeting people based on their sexual orientation are heinous crimes that have no place in our country.”