Jaleesa Robinson, a 24-year-old Black / African American woman, was fatally shot in Frankfort, Kentucky on December 13, 2016. On that evening, Robinson managed to call 911 while driving, reporting that she had been shot. She pulled her vehicle into the parking lot of a Circle K on Schenkel Lane. From there, she was airlifted to the University of Kentucky Hospital, where she ultimately succumbed to a gunshot wound to her chest.
She was pronounced dead at approximately 8 p.m.
The investigation into the shooting led police to determine that the incident occurred in the parking lot of an apartment complex on Ridgeview Drive, about half a mile from where Robinson was found. The day after the shooting, 40-year-old Toma Delano Washington turned himself in to the Frankfort Police Department. Police had issued a warrant for his arrest on a murder charge in connection with Robinson's death. It was reported that Washington and Robinson shared a young daughter.
Toma Washington had an extensive and violent criminal history. At the time of Robinson's death, he was on probation for a 2015 assault and unlawful imprisonment case. His past convictions included cocaine trafficking, assaulting a corrections officer, and a 1997 murder conviction that was later overturned, leading to a guilty plea to first-degree manslaughter in that case. In January 2018, Washington pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of first-degree manslaughter in Jaleesa Robinson's death, as well as possession of a handgun by a convicted felon. He was sentenced to 19 years in prison. The Commonwealth's Attorney stated that Robinson's mother had approved the plea deal and that the resolution was reached in part due to reluctant witnesses.
