On a tragic day in Memphis, Tennessee, August 21, 2015, the life of 29-year-old Ronnie Joe Winborn, was violently cut short. Winborn, an electrician and devoted father to his two young children, was at his home in the Nutbush area with his 59-year-old mother, Laura Winborn. The horrific events unfolded when two individuals, Derrick Smith and Robert Beman, visited the residence on Vivia Avenue with the intention of viewing some guns that Ronnie Winborn possessed.
The visit took a fatal
turn, resulting in the shooting deaths of both Ronnie and Laura Winborn. Ronnie was discovered in his bedroom, having been shot five times, while his mother was found in the kitchen, having sustained eight gunshot wounds. The most heart-wrenching aspect of this tragedy was that Winborn's two children, aged just 3 and 5, witnessed the brutal murders of their father and grandmother. In a remarkable act of courage, the children managed to escape the home and run to a neighbor's house to get help, telling them their 'daddy' and 'nana' were dead.
The investigation into the double homicide led authorities to Derrick Smith and his 17-year-old accomplice, Robert Beman. Both were subsequently arrested and indicted on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated robbery. The case concluded not with a trial, but with plea agreements from both men. Derrick Smith, then 30, pleaded guilty to two counts of facilitation to commit first-degree murder. Robert Beman, who was 18 at the time of his plea, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder. A Criminal Court judge sentenced both men to 30 years in prison for their roles in the killings. Beman's sentence specifically came with no possibility of parole.
