In the early hours of a Sunday morning in Suffolk, Virginia, the life of 24-year-old Angelo Fleming Beale was cut short. On March 24, 2013, the young Black / African American man was fatally shot at the Cogic Square Apartments on Stacey Drive. The events of that night unfolded after police had already been called to the apartment complex for a disturbance involving a person with a gun, which they dispersed.
However, officers in the vicinity later heard gunshots, and upon responding to another call about shots fired at approximately 2:53 a.m., they discovered Beale with a gunshot wound to his face. He was rushed to a local hospital but was pronounced dead upon arrival.
The investigation into Angelo Beale's death quickly pointed to a suspect, 20-year-old Monte Robinson. Warrants were issued for his arrest on charges including first-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and reckless handling of a firearm. For over a year, Robinson remained at large until he was apprehended by U.S. Marshals in Columbus, Georgia, in April 2014. He was then extradited back to Suffolk to face the charges against him.
The subsequent trial brought to light a complex history between Beale and Robinson, including a previous shooting incident two months prior to Beale's death. A key piece of evidence in the trial was a cellphone recording from the night of the fatal shooting. Although the video was largely obscured by darkness, the audio captured Robinson telling Beale to 'put your gun down.' The prosecution presented its case, but the defense argued that Robinson had acted in self-defense. After deliberating for about ten hours over two days, the jury acquitted Monte Robinson of first-degree murder. The verdict was reportedly influenced by the audio from the cellphone recording, as well as an Instagram post from Beale's brother that suggested Beale may have anticipated a violent confrontation that night.
