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Dpree Robinson sentenced in shooting of 9-year-old
A Hennepin County judge sentenced Dpree Robinson to 37.5 years in prison for the fatal shooting of 9-year-old Trinity Ottoson-Smith, who was jumping on a trampoline at a birthday party in Minneapolis.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A judge has denied an attempt by the man sentenced in the drive-by shooting of 9-year-old Trinity Ottoson-Smith in Minneapolis in 2021 to withdraw his guilty plea.
Judge denies motion
The backstory:
Dpree Shareef Robinson was sentenced in 2023 to 37.5 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder for the shooting of Trinity.
The 9-year-old girl was reportedly jumping on a trampoline in the backyard of a friend's home on North Illion Avenue when Robinson pulled up and fired shots at the house. A bullet struck Ottoson-Smith in the head. The girl was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead 12 days later.
Police said Ottoson-Smith appeared to be the "unintended target of a gang-related drive-by shooting."
Dig deeper:
Robinson was ultimately arrested and charged with the shooting. He eventually pleaded guilty to the murder charges in March 2023 but then attempted to withdraw his guilty plea, claiming he had decided to enter the plea while on oxycodone after undergoing hernia surgery and wasn't in his right mind. Robinson also claimed he was receiving poor representation from his attorney.
A judge denied Robinson's attempt to withdraw the plea and went forward with sentencing.
Big picture view:
By accepting the plea, prosecutors took a first-degree murder charge off the table for Robinson, which could have carried a life sentence.
Robinson asks for a trial
What we know:
After sentencing, Robinson sought postconviction relief, asking a judge to undo his plea and sentence and allow for a trial.
In his petition, Robinson made the same claims of being under the effects of oxycodone and receiving bad counsel from his attorney. In January, a judge allowed for oral arguments for the petition, including testimony from Robinson's former attorney, the prosecution, and a jail nurse.
This week, a judge handed down her ruling, denying a trial for Robinson. The judge ruled that there was no evidence that Robinson's judgment was clouded by the oxycodone given his final dose was administered more than two days before his plea hearing – and the medication only stays in a patient's system for six hours. In court, the judge, the prosecution, and Robinson's own attorney said he appeared to be alert and showed no sign of intoxication.
As for failures by his attorney, the judge found that Robinson failed to prove his attorney's standards fell below objective standards.
The Source: This story uses information taken from Hennepin County Court records and previous FOX 9 reporting.