A Texas man was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday, Nov. 1, for fatally shooting his neighbor in front of his apartment.
In addition, a jury ordered Edward Murray, 57, to pay a $10,000 fine in connection to the death of Antonio Robinson in September 2020, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
“I feel sorry for the family and the kids,” Murray said in court, per the outlet, also admitting he drank vodka before the encounter. “I’m sorry that I let this happen. “It’s not about me. It’s about everybody else that I hurt.”
Antonio Robinson was killed by his neighbor Edward Murray. (shown in photo). (@mingoramirezjr/Twitter)
The sentence comes three years after Murray grabbed his hammerless revolver and opened fire at Robinson, a Black man, ultimately killing him, according to the report. Robinson lived in the apartment across from Murray with his girlfriend and three children.
The kids — aged two, three, and nine — would play with their toys on the concrete sidewalk outside of both units, leaving Murray angry, per the Star-Telegram. The sidewalk reportedly connected the doors of apartments separated by about 10 feet and belonging to the two men. On the day of the shooting, Murray saw a ball belonging to the children, kicked it, and decided to go inside his home to grab his firearm.
Unprovoked, Murray fired three shots at Robinson, and his family attempted to stop the bleeding, as the outlet reported, citing court records, adding that he pointed his gun at the victim’s girlfriend before he left the scene. Robinson was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Authorities arrested Murray hours later, and he was charged with murder. He was reportedly found guilty on Tuesday.
Robinson’s girlfriend, Ashley Lacy, said that Murray, who is white, had a habit of calling the family racial slurs. Lacy said she believed the shooting was a “hate crime,” according to KXAS-TV.
“My children are going to be so traumatized because they went to sleep and took a nap, and they woke up to no daddy,” she told the outlet in 2020.
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