In the autumn of 2016, a quiet residential street in the Bronx would become the scene of a heart-wrenching tragedy that claimed the lives of a mother and her son. On the evening of October 1, fire officials responded to a call about a gas leak at a home on Fulton Avenue. What they discovered inside, however, was far more sinister than a simple utility issue. There, they found the bodies of 50-year-old Sharon Epps and her 27-year-old son, Tyrell Bell, both of whom had been fatally shot.
The male victim was a transit worker.
The ensuing investigation quickly focused on a person close to the family. Authorities arrested Antonio Robinson, Sharon Epps's longtime boyfriend. Robinson, who had a criminal history that included a prison sentence for robbery in the 1980s, had lived with Epps for over two decades and had helped raise Tyrell. Despite this long history, there were indications of domestic trouble, with police having been called to the residence for domestic incidents in the years leading up to the murders. Friends of Tyrell Bell also reported that Robinson had frequently threatened him.
Following his arrest, Antonio Robinson was charged with the murders of his girlfriend and her son. The legal proceedings that followed would ultimately lead to a conviction. In a court decision dated January 12, 2024, Antonio Robinson was found guilty of murder in the first degree for the shooting deaths of Sharon Epps and Tyrell Bell. The case concluded with the man who had been a part of their lives for so long being held responsible for their violent deaths, bringing a somber end to a case that had deeply affected their community.
