A chilling crime of domestic violence played out for a horrified online audience in Shreveport, Louisiana, when Johnathan Robinson, a 37-year-old male, murdered his ex-girlfriend, 27-year-old Rannita Williams. The harrowing incident, which occurred in April 2018, was broadcast on Facebook Live as Williams was streaming. Robinson appeared in the video before he ultimately shot and killed her, a horrifying final few moments of her life shared with her friends and followers.
The violence
did not end with the death of Williams. Following the murder, Robinson engaged in a tense standoff with police that lasted for approximately 80 minutes. During this confrontation, he fired at officers, resulting in one officer sustaining a gunshot wound to the wrist. After the prolonged standoff, law enforcement was able to take Robinson into custody. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder in the death of Rannita Williams, as well as multiple counts of attempted first-degree murder for his actions toward the police officers who responded to the scene.
In January of 2019, Johnathan Robinson entered a guilty plea for the first-degree murder of his former girlfriend. In doing so, he accepted a plea deal that spared him the death penalty, instead resulting in a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. He was also given a concurrent 100-year sentence for shooting at the police officers. During the court proceedings, in an emotional exchange, Robinson offered an apology to the mother of Rannita Williams. In a testament to her strength, she told him that she forgave him for his violent and deadly actions.
