In the early morning hours of September 5, 2014, Edwin Gibson, a 32-year-old Black male from East Orange, New Jersey, was tragically killed in a senseless act of violence outside his home on Rhode Island Avenue. His 14-year-old daughter was inside the residence at the time of the incident. Gibson was confronted by an assailant in what began as an attempted robbery.
Tragically, despite not having any money or valuables on his person, he was fatally shot.
The investigation into Gibson's death quickly led authorities to a suspect. Five days later, on September 10, 2014, Cory Robinson, a 26-year-old man from the neighboring city of Newark, was arrested. At the time of his arrest, Robinson was found in possession of a gun. Subsequent ballistic testing confirmed that the weapon in Robinson's possession was the same one used to kill Edwin Gibson.
Faced with the evidence against him, Cory Robinson ultimately pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated manslaughter and a weapons offense. By accepting the plea agreement, he avoided a trial that was set to begin with jury selection. The Honorable James Donohue, a Judge of the Superior Court, accepted the plea. Under the terms of the agreement, Robinson was sentenced to a lengthy prison term, requiring him to serve 18 years before becoming eligible for parole. Following his release, he will be subject to five years of parole supervision.
