In the summer of 2013, a dispute over a firearm tragically cut short the life of a Chesapeake teenager. Justice Cornelius Hinton, a 17-year-old male, was looking forward to his senior year at Great Bridge High School, with graduation planned for June 2014. However, his future was abruptly stolen from him on the evening of July 28, 2013.
On that Sunday, police responded to a call on Great Bridge Boulevard near Crestwood Park and discovered Hinton suffering from a gunshot wound.
He succumbed to his injuries at the scene. The investigation into the death of the young man, who was the son of Neco E. Hinton and Dwane Bazemore, quickly pointed to a suspect.
The day of the fatal encounter, 20-year-old Andre Jamal Robinson had given an acquaintance $80 to purchase a gun. When the seller, Justice Hinton, allegedly failed to uphold his end of the deal, Robinson armed himself with a borrowed pistol and confronted the teenager. The confrontation escalated, leading to Hinton's death and Robinson's swift arrest.
Andre Robinson, a former Old Dominion University student, was charged with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony. A Circuit Court judge later convicted Robinson, then 21, of first-degree murder and illegal use of a handgun during a crime of violence. For his role in the death of Justice Hinton, he faced the possibility of a life sentence plus three years in prison.
