In the quiet town of Woodbridge, Connecticut, the morning of April 4, 2018, was shattered by the discovery of a body lying in the road. The deceased was identified as Alan Robinson Jr., a 37-year-old Black/African American man from New Haven. An officer on patrol was alerted to the scene on Rimmon Road, between Deer Run and Robin Roads, just before 10 a.m.
The Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner would later confirm that Robinson had been shot in the head, torso, and an extremity, ruling his death a homicide. The grim discovery prompted a brief lockdown of nearby schools as Woodbridge police, with the assistance of the State Police Major Crime Squad, cordoned off the area to begin their investigation.
As investigators delved into Robinson's life, a narrative of a prior dispute over drug-related debts began to emerge. This led them to a home at 135 Rimmon Road, where Christopher Spear and his wife, Aninha Spear-Zuleta, resided. Though neither has been charged with Robinson's murder, court documents revealed compelling evidence suggesting their involvement in the events surrounding his death. Months prior, in November 2017, Spear-Zuleta and her husband had robbed Robinson, with whom Christopher Spear had a narcotics sales partnership. Spear claimed Robinson owed him money, leading to a violent confrontation and the theft of cash, a gun, and expensive clothing from the home Robinson shared with his girlfriend.
The investigation into Robinson’s death uncovered a crucial piece of evidence from the Spear-Zuleta’s own home surveillance system. Video footage from moments after the shooting showed Aninha Spear-Zuleta running into her house clutching what appeared to be a handgun, believed to be the weapon used to kill Robinson. Audio from the recording captured her frantically asking her husband, "Put this where, Chris! Put this where!" to which he replied, "Out of the house! In the car! Out of the house!". This evidence, combined with the earlier robbery, painted a picture of a volatile relationship that had escalated to a fatal conclusion on that April morning.
In the wake of the investigation, both Christopher and Aninha Spear-Zuleta faced federal charges for the November 2017 robbery. Aninha Spear-Zuleta was arrested and charged with kidnapping, interference by threats, and aiding and abetting criminal conduct. Christopher Spear, who had fled Connecticut, was later apprehended in San Francisco, where he was living under a false identity. Both eventually pleaded guilty to interfering with interstate commerce by robbery. While the homicide investigation into Alan Robinson Jr.'s death remains ongoing with no direct murder charges filed, the conviction of the Spear-Zuletas for the preceding robbery brought a measure of resolution to a case that began with a shocking discovery on a quiet suburban road.
