Raul Ortiz Murder Case: Where is Erin Robinson Today?

Raul Ortiz murder
Raul Ortiz murder

Raul Ortiz Murder: Where is Erin Robinson Now? – The tragic real-life examples of people who were killed by their partners and friends are explored in depth in Lifetime’s Sleeping With a Killer” series. The UK version of the true-crime series was called Green Eyed Killers

The finding of Raul Ortiz’s body, which had been murdered on his lawn in August 2014, stunned the citizens of Hillsborough County, Florida. When the police started their investigation, they found an astounding series of circumstances tragically resulting in Raul’s death. We have the information you need if you’re curious about Raul Ortiz’s murder and the killer. Let’s start.

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How Did Raul Ortiz Die

Who Was Raul Ortiz and How Did He Die?

Raul Ortiz lived in Wimauma in Hillsborough County, Florida, at the time of the occurrence. The 58-year-old had visited a Circle K gas station in Tampa on August 11, 2014, where he appeared to have briefly interacted with a blonde youth who was making an in-person purchase. Two hours later, Raul’s neighbours called the police to let them know that a fight was happening between Raul and three others on his land.

When the police arrived, they discovered Raul outside his home, bleeding profusely, and his body had suffered blunt-force trauma. Raul suffered “blunt hits to the head with fractures of the skull and contusions to the spinal cord,” according to the authorities. The man was urgently taken to South Bay Hospital in Sun City Center after serious injuries. Later, the 58-year-old was transferred to Bradenton’s Blake Hospital. Unfortunately, Raul’s brain stopped functioning, and he never recovered consciousness. He succumbed to his injuries and died at the hospital four days later.

Who Killed Raul Ortiz
Erin Robinson

Who killed Raul Ortiz and Why?

The incident had been witnessed by Kimberly Boyett, who lived across the street from Raul, so the cops did not have to search very far. The police detained Erin Lee Lavon Robinson on attempted murder charges based on her admission and account of what had happened. Boyett detailed how Erin reportedly hit Raul three times in the face, knocked him to the ground, and then continued to attack him. Eventually, according to court records, his other two accomplices dragged Raul away while he was still unconscious.

Boyett reported that Erin had threatened her, telling her to keep quiet. She recalled stating during her testimony in front of the jury, “He said, ‘You didn’t see me. I know where you live.’

The police then began investigating a possible motive, and soon the entire sequence of events played out in front of them. Raul had met the blonde teen Kayla Bryant earlier that day, on August 11, at the gas station. She was Erin’s girlfriend.

According to an affidavit, Kayla allegedly told her boyfriend later that Raul had peered “down her shirt” while allegedly making inappropriate sexual remarks to her. Raul was someone Kayla and Erin both knew; therefore, Erin chose to attack him to protect his girlfriend’s reputation. He gathered two of his buddies, and the group travelled to Raul’s house, where a fight broke out and left Raul critically injured.

However, the attempted murder charges were elevated to manslaughter charges since the 58-year-old died while Erin was in police custody. Erin admitted to beating Raul, but he insisted that Raul had struck him first.

According to court documents, he claimed that Florida’s alleged “stand your ground” legislation permitted the homicide to be carried out. Following his legal appeal, the charges against him were raised to first-class felony murder, burglary, and witness tampering charges.

Where is Erin Robinson Today

What Happened to Erin Robinson and Where Is He Now?

Erin Robinson initially had the option of accepting a 15-year plea agreement in September 2020, but he declined it and chose to take the risk of prevailing at trial instead. Raul did not sexually harass Kayla, it was established during the cross-examination of Kayla in October. When prompted once more to interpret their whole exchange captured on camera, Kayla acknowledged that Raul had not made any overtly sexual remarks, only a question about whether or not she was purchasing smokes.

Justin Diaz, the Hillsborough County prosecutor, insisted that Raul was killed in cold blood and said, “He pummeled this man to death. He pounded him to the ground. He stood over him and attacked him while he was down. This is not excusable homicide.”

During closing arguments, Erin’s defense attorney emphasised to the jury that the entire affair was just a fistfight between two males that got out of hand and ended tragically.

Erin argued that it did not warrant charges of first-degree murder. The jury, however, rejected that argument after five hours of deliberation and found Erin guilty of first-degree criminal murder and burglary. The increase in COVID-19 cases necessitated the postponement of Erin’s official sentence. 

He received a life sentence on May 18, 2021, rather than in November 2020 as originally planned. According to official court records, Erin Robinson is currently detained in a cell at the Graceville Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility in Florida.

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