In the late summer of 2022, on August 21st, the life of 52-year-old Gene White Jr. was tragically cut short in Indianapolis. He was discovered outside his vehicle in the 1200 block of Redbrook Court, having sustained a fatal stab wound. Despite the immediate response of medics, White was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy would later confirm that he died from multiple sharp force injuries, officially ruling his death a homicide.
The investigation into the murder of the male victim
led detectives on a painstaking search for answers. At the crime scene, forensic investigators collected several key pieces of evidence from inside White's car, including an ash trap cup, a Styrofoam cup, blood-stained money, various receipts, a knife handle missing its blade, and a single black sandal. These items, along with swabs of blood and DNA, would prove crucial in the pursuit of justice for Gene White Jr. For months, the case progressed with no immediate arrests, leaving a void of uncertainty for his family and community.
A significant breakthrough came over a year later, on August 9, 2023, when a forensic scientist from the Marion County Crime Lab notified investigators of a CODIS hit from blood found inside the victim's vehicle. The DNA profile belonged to a man named Charles Robinson. Investigators learned that Robinson was residing in Saginaw, Michigan. On August 17, 2023, detectives traveled to Michigan to obtain a buccal swab from him for comparison. The subsequent analysis confirmed that Robinson's DNA was present on all the evidence collected from the scene. This definitive link established him as the primary suspect in the year-old murder case.
With the compelling DNA evidence, the Marion County Prosecutor's Office filed charges of murder and robbery against Charles Robinson on December 18, 2023, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. On January 9, 2024, the U.S. Marshals Service and the IMPD Violent Crimes Unit apprehended Robinson in Michigan. Following a two-day jury trial, Charles Robinson was found guilty of murder and robbery resulting in serious bodily injury on April 10, 2025. Subsequently, he was sentenced to 64 years in prison, bringing a measure of closure to the family of Gene White Jr. nearly three years after his violent death.
