He was charged with murder at notorious Tacoma motel. Here’s why charges were dropped

Murder charges were dismissed last week against a man accused of fatally shooting a person during a confrontation in a Tacoma motel parking lot. Prosecutors said key witnesses couldn’t be located.

Sirrone Newbern, 43, had been facing two counts of second-degree murder and a charge of first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. Those charges were dismissed March 6 in Pierce County Superior Court, and he was released from custody the next day, prosecutors said.

Three people were in or near a van parked outside the Econo Lodge on South Hosmer Street in the early morning hours of Sept. 23, 2021 when Antonio Robinson, 35, was shot to death while he allegedly confronted Newbern over a gun that had been stolen from him, according to court records. The Econo Lodge, which closed as a motel last year, had been among the most problematic lodging establishments on South Hosmer Street, a particularly dangerous corridor in Tacoma.

Deputy prosecutor Maureen Goodman said Monday that only one witness in the van complied with a subpoena. Bench warrants were issued for the arrest of the other two, who reportedly saw more of the altercation, but they weren’t found. The warrants were quashed after charges were dropped.

Even if those witnesses turn up, Goodman said, more work would be needed to refile charges. She said Newbern and his attorney denied the allegations and claimed the shooting was self defense, so prosecutors would need witnesses who saw the beginning of the confrontation between Newbern and Robinson to see whether the defendant’s claim holds up.

As disorder surged, why didn’t Tacoma crack down on South Hosmer Street motels?

“We’re still hoping for witnesses to come forward, and police are re-looking at the statements they had,” Goodman said. “We’ll hopefully be able to contact some additional witnesses who may or may not have seen more of what happened that night.”

According to court records, prosecutors expected the defense to argue at trial that Newbern was shot on the night of the homicide but didn’t seek medical care until days later. Goodman said she was never shown any evidence indicating Newbern was shot.

Newbern was identified as a suspect shortly after the shooting. Two witnesses pointed him out in a photo montage provided by Tacoma Police Department detectives, according to the declaration for determination of probable cause. Police shared a bulletin with the public asking for help finding him at the beginning of October, and he was arrested in Seattle later that month.

The defendant has several prior felony convictions in Pierce County, court records show. He pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree robbery in 2016 and was convicted of first-degree attempted murder in 1997.

Officers were dispatched to the shooting at 8820 S. Hosmer Street at about 5:40 a.m. and found Robinson in the front passenger’s seat of his car, records state. Investigators later determined several people moved him there from the ground. He was declared dead at the scene. The Pierce County medical examiner found he died of multiple gunshot wounds.

Police interviewed Robinson’s girlfriend, who had been staying with him in Room 129 at the motel. According to the probable cause document, she told police that Newbern, whom she knew by the nickname “Baby K,” stole a pistol from Robinson the previous night. The morning of the shooting, a man knocked on their door and told them “Baby K” was outside, so Robinson went to get it back.

Several witnesses saw different parts of the altercation that followed, according to court records. One reported seeing a struggle between the men and said she saw Robinson grab Newbern’s wrist, indicating that the defendant had the gun. She reportedly said multiple people told him to drop the weapon. Another witness, watching from a second-floor balcony, reported that he saw Newbern fire the gun at Robinson’s face.