Shortly after counsel delivered closing arguments in an East Baltimore attempted murder trial, jurors acquitted 35-year-old Richard Robinson of all nine counts he faced in connection to a family dispute-turned-shooting that occurred on the front porch of a Brendan Avenue residence last May.
Robinson initially faced charges of attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment, as well as five firearm violations for allegedly shooting his 36-year-old neighbor in the leg during an attempt to retrieve his 15-year-old stepdaughter from the neighbor’s residence. Police responded within minutes to the shooting, which occurred around 4 p.m. on May 21, 2025.
Robinson later told detectives that he “wanted to beat the living sh*t out of” his neighbor, whom he found “creepy” and called “that guy from the P. Diddy house”–an apparent reference to the rap star sentenced to prison in a high profile prostitution case. Counsel described how Robinson’s stepdaughter is not related to the victim, but often ran away from home to reside across the street on the 3100 block of Brendan Avenue.
Defense attorney Christopher O’Meara painted a picture of contradictions, claiming Robinson’s stepdaughter “had a reason to lie.” On the stand on Jan. 14, she initially said she didn’t call police the day of the shooting. However, when shown body-worn camera footage in which she admitted to making the call, she retracted her original statement and conceded that she had indeed made the call.
O’Meara went on to accuse investigators of failing to retrieve key evidence, noting crime scene investigators did not attempt to dust the .45-caliber cartridge casing found on the scene for latent fingerprints. He added that Robinson’s “brutal honesty” when describing his neighbor to detectives pointed to his innocence.
“If he was lying, why wouldn’t you lie all the way?” he asked jurors.
The state’s attorney, however, pointed to expert testimony from a firearms examiner, who had explained on the stand that firing a bullet through a heated chamber often strips casings of forensic evidence, including latent prints.
“It doesn’t work that way,” the state’s attorney rebutted. “The heat from firing is enough to destroy latents.”
She argued Robinson acted with both premeditation and deliberation, noting he “armed himself with a gun before he came” and “repeated over and over again” his desire to harm his neighbor.
“He tells you the result he wanted,” she told jurors. “There was time for Mr. Robinson to consider any other option.”
Jurors ultimately agreed with O’Meara’s defense, acquitting Robinson of all nine charges.
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Charles H. Dorsey III presided over proceedings.
