On July 24, 2022, a violent incident occurred in Chesnee, South Carolina, resulting in the tragic death of 46-year-old Rafahel Levi Castro. Authorities were called to a residence on Pickens Avenue where they discovered the Hispanic male victim suffering from a severe gunshot wound to the head. The shooting set off an urgent investigation by the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office, which quickly identified a suspect at the scene.
Deputies arriving at the Chesnee home spotted a vehicle
belonging to the suspect, 56-year-old Willie Earl Robinson, attempting to leave the area. When law enforcement officers initiated a traffic stop, Robinson refused to yield, leading deputies on a high-speed pursuit that spanned approximately 20 miles across the county. The chase concluded in Spartanburg when Robinson abandoned his car in a vacant lot next to the Brookwood Inn on College Avenue and fled on foot into a nearby wooded area. He was subsequently apprehended by officers and taken into custody.
Following the arrest, Robinson was transported to the Spartanburg County Detention Center. He faced serious charges stemming from the incident, which family members described as a senseless act of violence. During a bond hearing shortly after the shooting, a judge denied bond for Robinson. At the time of the hearing, the victim's brother, Hector Castro, addressed the court, expressing the family's devastation and confusion over the motive behind the attack, noting that his brother was in critical condition fighting for his life before ultimately succumbing to his injuries.
Robinson was held without bond as the legal process moved forward. The case was investigated as a homicide following Castro's death, with Robinson identified as the primary suspect responsible for the fatal shooting. The community and the victim's family were left to mourn the loss of Rafahel, while the judicial system prepared to prosecute the accused for his role in the killing.
