When Ronald Robinson jumped into a jitney with an assault rifle and headed to Penn Hills on Dec. 6, he knew the man who owed him $500 for cocaine was home -- because the man's housemate called to tell him, testimony revealed Friday during a hearing for the defendant accused of killing a Penn Hills policeman.
A district judge ordered Robinson, 32, to stand trial for the shooting deaths of Officer Michael Crawshaw, 32, and Danyal Morton, 40, after a hearing in Pittsburgh Municipal Court. About a dozen police officers, mostly from Penn Hills, sat stoically in the courtroom.
Robinson, clad in a red Allegheny County Jail jumpsuit and shackles, stared straight ahead as Morton's housemate, Lamar Jay, testified that he told Robinson when Morton got home that night.
Jay said Robinson, whom he knew as "Black," called the day before, looking for Morton.
"I told him Danny had a history of owing people money; that he burned a lot of bridges. (Robinson) said to give him a call when Danny got home because he wanted to talk to him about his money," Jay testified.
Jay said he called Robinson twice Dec. 6 -- once at 6:49 p.m. to let him know Morton was planning to come home, and then at 7:42 p.m. to let him know Morton was home. Jay told Robinson that he'd like to "get" Morton with a screwdriver. Morton lived with Jay and his girlfriend at the Johnston Road house for several months after his release from prison and didn't pay rent, Jay said.
Jay was upstairs watching television at about 8:20 p.m. when he heard an argument downstairs, he said. Morton was talking on the phone and yelled "I got your money" through the door, Jay testified. Morton then ran upstairs.
Jay said he pulled the window shades back and saw a man standing there. When Jay opened the door, he realized the man had a gun, he said.
"I was like 'Whoa, I'm not Danny.' I was terrified," Jay testified. "He said, 'Turn on all the lights. Where's Danny?' I pointed upstairs."
Jay said he led Robinson upstairs, where he confronted Morton in the bathroom. Jay testified that he went into his bedroom and shut the door, but could hear the men arguing and Robinson open fire. An autopsy report showed Morton had four gunshot wounds, Deputy District Attorney Mark V. Tranquilli said.
Jay said Robinson walked down the steps and a minute later he heard "10 to 20" shots outside. Police have said Crawshaw was responding to Morton's 911 call. The officer was sitting in his police cruiser waiting for backup when Robinson left the home and sprayed the car with bullets from an assault rifle, police said. Crawshaw was struck once in the head and once in the left arm, Tranquilli said.
Tranquilli said Jay would not be charged because he was only following orders from a man with a gun when he led Robinson upstairs.
"(Jay) had no indication there was going to be any trouble when he called (Robinson)," Tranquilli said.
Allegheny County Police Detective Lawrence Carpico testified that Robinson confessed to police the morning after the shooting, when they confronted him with a taped statement from his mother.
"We told him what his mother had told us -- that he had gone to her house and told her he killed a police officer. We played a portion of (his mother's) taped statement," Carpico testified. "Mr. Robinson then told me he was willing to tell what happened."
During his confession, Robinson told detectives he and Morton met a year ago in Braddock at a halfway house. He said while taking classes Downtown to get his GED he ran into Morton. Robinson said he "fronted him" a 1/4 ounce of cocaine and then had trouble getting in touch with Morton for payment, Carpico said.
"Mr. Robinson said he encountered Mr. Morton in the bathroom and he said, 'The (expletive) went haywire' and he shot Mr. Morton," Carpico testified. "He said as he left through the front door a police car was arriving. The police officer told him not to move. He said he was scared so he shot at the police car and officer."
A group of Robinson's friends and family said little after the hearing. Eva Taylor, who has a 10-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter with Robinson, said he is a good person.
"It's a shock. It's very hard on the kids. I told them the truth about what happened. They see the news," Taylor said. "I'm going to leave it in the Lord's hands and pray."
Robinson's attorney, Robert Foreman of the county Public Defender's Office, declined to comment.
District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. has not said whether he will seek the death penalty against Robinson.
Larger text
Smaller text
