Teen Shot 8 Times Because Of Sexual Orientation; Man Pleads Guilty

KANSAS CITY, MO — A man pleaded guilty Thursday to shooting a teenager eight times because of the victim’s sexual orientation, according to federal authorities.

Malachi Robinson, 26, of Kansas City, faces a sentence of up to life in prison after pleading guilty to one count of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.

“This attempted murder is a reminder that hate crimes against the LGBTQI+ community are real and must be confronted,” said Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, in the news release.

Robinson encountered the teen May 29, 2019, at the Kansas City Public Library, the news release said. The two communicated over Facebook Messenger before leaving the library and walking together around Swope Park after Robinson led the teen to believe that Robinson wanted to have sex, according to the news release. Once they were in a wooded area, Robinson pulled out a Taurus 9 mm pistol and started shooting, the news release said.

“Such callous disregard for the life of a teenage victim, gravely wounded in a failed murder attempt, must be challenged by a commitment to protect the civil rights of all our citizens,” U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore, of the Western District of Missouri, said in the news release.

Robinson fled toward his apartment after the shooting, according to the news release. Prior to the attack, Robinson had written to his girlfriend, telling her that he “might shoot this boy” because of the teen’s sexual orientation, said the news release, which noted Robinson also told others that he shot the teen due to the victim's sexual orientation.

“Hate crimes — and the violence we saw in this case — are especially cruel because victims are attacked because of who they are,” Assistant Director Luis Quesada, of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, said in the news release.

Robinson, who has been in federal custody since he was indicted by a grand jury nearly a year ago, will remain in federal detention until his sentencing hearing, which has not yet been scheduled, according to the news release.