A Falls County man, branded by a prosecutor as the “masked face of evil,” was sentenced to life in prison Thursday in a 2017 robbery in which the owner of a smoke shop shot him three times.
Jurors in Waco’s 19th State District Court deliberated about three hours before deciding punishment for Carlos Dawayne Robinson, 32, of the Satin community.
Robinson, who was on probation for possession of 11 grams of methamphetamine when he robbed Tee’s Smoke Shop, 3528 N. 19th St., in July 2017, pleaded guilty and elected to have the jury assess his punishment.
He previously rejected a 20-year plea bargain from prosecutors. But that was before he was linked to the robbery of another smoke shop on Lake Air Drive when his DNA was found on a pistol magazine he mistakenly ejected during the robbery.
After that, prosecutors Amanda Smith and Christi Hunting Horse offered him 40 years in a subsequent plea bargain that Robinson also rejected. Robinson must serve at least 30 years in prison before he can seek parole.
“The jury sent a clear, swift message to anyone considering committing a violent crime at any place in this county,” Smith said. “They also told law enforcement with their verdict that the people of the community will back them with their verdicts. We are happy with the result.”
In jury summations, Martinez asked jurors to consider that Robinson suffered pain after being shot during the robbery, that he accepted responsibility for his actions by pleading guilty and that defense witnesses said he was an attentive father to his son and stepson. [
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Isaiah 40:31 - But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
“They’ve got us surrounded again, the poor bastards.” - U.S. Army Paratrooper at Bastogne
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