In the quiet hours of a February night in Columbia, Missouri, the life of 15-year-old La'Abryion 'Aubry' Doxley was tragically cut short. On February 19, 2022, the bright and bubbly Battle High School tenth-grader was at her home on McKee Street when gunfire erupted from a car outside. A bullet pierced the walls of her home and struck her while she was in her bed. An African American female, Aubry was known for her strong personality and for being a loving caregiver to her younger siblings.
Two other individuals, a juvenile male and an adult male, were also injured in the shooting.
The investigation into Aubry's death led authorities to three teenage suspects: Samarion Robins, Oscar Ashford, and Tavan Williams-Patrick. The three were subsequently arrested and faced charges of second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon. Prosecutors have asserted that the shooting was an act of retaliation connected to a prior incident. It is believed the three suspects acted in concert, driving a black Nissan to Aubry's residence before opening fire.
The legal proceedings that followed have been complex. One of the suspects, Samarion Robins, was certified to be tried as an adult. In a later development, the charges against Tavan Williams-Patrick were dropped, though with the possibility of being refiled. Defense attorneys for Williams-Patrick had argued for his separation from the other defendants, stating he was at a hospital for a gunshot wound at the time of the fatal shooting. Both Samarion Robins and Oscar Ashford were denied a reduction in their bond. Prosecutors pushed for a joint trial for the remaining suspects to spare Aubry's family the emotional toll of multiple trials. The trial for Robins and Ashford was scheduled to take place in November.
