Lake Como Crips member used rifle in Fort Worth killing, codefendant testifies at trial

Under the law enforcement theory, three men in a Hyundai Sonata terrorized east Fort Worth over the span of about an hour.

A teenage boy looking at his phone as he sat in a vehicle outside the Buttercup Apartments. Shot.

A man who pulled to the side of a street to fiddle with the unsecured hood of his red Mustang. Shot.

A 17-year-old girl who, when her back was struck by a tumbling round from a rifle, slumped to her brother-in-law in the driver’s seat as he made a turn. Shot dead.

Late on Jan. 12, 2020, Christopher Williams, Braylin Brown and Adrian Robinson were inside the Sonata, law enforcement authorities allege. One of the men, perhaps more than one, fired upon strangers without explanation.

Which if any of the defendants shot people and vehicles is a matter of disagreement, and the answer is informed by whether jurors in Robinson’s trial this week in 396th District Court in Tarrant County believe the account of Williams and other witnesses.

Prosecutors allege that Robinson, 21, shot Cheyenne Moore, a 17-year-old student at Arlington Martin High School, in the 5700 block of East Rosedale Street. A grand jury indicted him on murder.

Robinson was also indicted on murder in connection with the shooting death of Anjonae Eubanks, which occurred three days before Moore was slain.

Williams and Brown have also been indicted on murder in the Moore killing.

The Robinson case, the first to go to trial, relies in part on the account of Williams, who testified on Tuesday that Robinson shot Moore.

In an opening statement, defense attorney Randy Bowers forecast that the state’s most compelling witness would be revealed to be a serial liar whose latest story should be discounted.

Bowers told jurors that Williams has a significant motive to lie in the desire to protect himself and Brown, his half brother. And, she said, Williams expects a plea agreement in the case that would be, “a very nice deal.”

“Chris lies over and over and over again,” said Bowers, who represents Robinson with attorney Edwin Youngblood.

Williams testified on Tuesday that he, Brown and Robinson were in a vehicle and expecting to meet Javien Wright, a Fort Worth rapper known as J Dub with whom Brown had a dispute. Wright, 17, would be shot to death in February 2020 in the front yard of a house in the 1500 block of East Mulkey Street. Wright was documented by police as a member of a Blood gang set in Stop Six.

Christopher Wells, a Fort Worth police gang intelligence section officer, testified that, via self-admission and other evidence, Robinson is a documented Lake Como Crips member and a founder, with Brown, of a subset of that street gang, Brothers Over Everything.

Near his collarbone, Robinson has a tattoo that reads, “Murder Worth.”

With the plan to meet Wright abandoned, and for reasons not clear to Williams, Robinson focused on new targets along East Rosedale Street, the codefendant testified. At a stop sign at Andrew Avenue, Robinson hopped out and used a rifle to shoot a man near a Mustang, Williams told jurors.

The group continued on Rosedale, and a white Chevrolet Tahoe pulled next to them.

Robinson, from the back seat, opened fire on the sport utility vehicle in which Moore was a passenger, Williams testified.

In his time on the witness stand, Williams was not asked about the first shooting of the night, at the Buttercup Apartments. Fort Worth Police Homicide Unit Detective Ernie Pate later testified that it was his speculation that Williams was the shooter at that scene.

In his testimony, Williams said he expected prosecutors to agree to a five-year prison sentence in exchange for his truthful testimony at Robinson’s trial in Moore’s killing.

Williams said that about two months ago he received letter from Robinson that contained a threat. In it, Robinson suggested, “I’m safe in jail but not out there,” Williams testified.

Tarrant County Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Katie Owens and Sarah Bruner are prosecuting the case.

In his first time testifying at trial in Tarrant County since he was appointed in November 2021, Dr. Kendall Crowns, the chief medical examiner in Tarrant County, described Moore’s injury. His predecessor at the office, Dr. Nizam Peerwani, performed the autopsy.

Crowns said he reviewed the case and concluded, as Peerwani did, that the bullet that killed Moore cut a path from her back, perforating her liver, kidney, adrenal gland and aorta.

She died of blood loss.

The state and defense rested on Wednesday afternoon. Robinson did not testify. A witness whom the defense intended to call but was subpoenaed by the state did not appear to testify and law enforcement authorities were unable to find her. The witness rented the vehicle from which Robinson is alleged to have fired upon Moore.

Jurors will receive instructions on Thursday morning and begin to deliberate in the trial, over which Judge George Gallagher is presiding.