The community in Hillsborough County, Florida, was stunned when they found Raul Ortiz’s body, who had suffered a fatal beating on his front yard in August 2014. As the investigation unfolded, law enforcement revealed a surprising sequence of events that culminated in Raul’s unfortunate demise.
58-year-old Raul Ortiz lived in Wimauma in Hillsborough County, Florida. On August 11, 2014, whilst at a Circle K gas station in Tampa he had a very brief interaction with a female teenager while she was making a purchase. About two hours later, Raul’s neighbours called the police to inform them that a fight was taking place on Raul’s property involving Raul and 3 young men.
Upon their arrival, officers discovered Raul in a grievous state, unresponsive and covered in blood on his property, showing signs of blunt force injuries. The official report noted that Raul sustained “blunt impacts to the head with fractures of the skull and contusions to the spinal cord.” He was promptly taken to South Bay Hospital in Sun City Center for urgent care. The 58-year-old was subsequently transferred to Blake Hospital in Bradenton. Regrettably, Raul did not recover consciousness and exhibited no brain function. After four days, his injuries proved fatal, and he died in the hospital.
The investigation required little searching before the police located Kimberly Boyette, Raul’s neighbor who had observed the altercation. Her detailed account of the incident led to the apprehension of Erin Lee Lavon Robinson on charges of attempted murder. Boyette recounted witnessing Erin purportedly hitting Raul three times in the face, causing him to fall, and continuing the assault. According to court records, it was only when Erin’s two associates intervened, pulling him away from the unresponsive Raul, that the beating ceased.
According to eye witness Kimberly Boyette, Erin threatened her to keep quiet. At Erin’s trial she testified that Erin Said “You didn’t see me. I know where you live.” The authorities quickly began piecing together a motive, and soon the sequence of events became clear. Erin’s girlfriend, identified as Kayla Bryant, was the young woman who Raul had encountered at a gas station earlier on August 11.
It seems that Kayla later told her boyfriend, as mentioned in a sworn statement, that Raul had peered “down her shirt” and purportedly made improper sexual remarks to her. Both Kayla and Erin were acquainted with Raul, and Erin chose to confront him to protect his girlfriend’s dignity. He gathered a couple of his friends, and they went to Raul’s residence, which is where the altercation occurred, resulting in Raul being left insensible and critically injured.
In light of the Raul’s death during Erin’s detention, the initial charges of attempted murder were escalated to manslaughter. Erin admitted to assaulting Raul but claimed self-defense, stating that Raul had struck him first. Court documents indicate that he justified the act under Florida’s “stand your ground” law. However, his defense led to an elevation of charges to first-degree felony murder, along with additional accusations of witness tampering and burglary.
Erin was offered a plea deal by the State, in return for pleading guilty to manslaughter, he would receive a 15 year sentence. But Erin rejected the offer, thinking he could do better at trial.
During Kayla’s cross-examination in October, Kala’s story unravelled. It came to light that there was no sexual harassment by Raul. Upon reviewing the surveillance footage, Kayla conceded that Raul’s comments were not of a sexual nature; instead, he was inquiring if she was purchasing cigarettes.
Hillsborough County’s prosecutor, Justin Diaz, asserted that Raul was killed in a deliberate act, declaring, “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.” In contrast, during the final statements, Erin’s defense attorney pointed out to the jury that the event was merely an escalated scuffle between two individuals that unfortunately took a fatal turn.
Erin argued against the severity of the first-degree murder charges. Nonetheless, the jury, after five hours of deliberation, rejected his argument and convicted him of first-degree felony murder and burglary. The sentencing, initially scheduled for November 2020, was delayed due to a surge in COVID-19 cases and ultimately took place on May 18, 2021, resulting in a life sentence.
Erin was sobbing as the verdict was read, completely understandable after rejecting the 15 year plea deal.
Erin Robinson is currently serving his sentence at Graceville Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility in Florida.
| DC Number: | N70924 |
|---|---|
| Name: | ROBINSON, ERIN L |
| Race: | WHITE |
| Sex: | MALE |
| Birth Date: | 08/06/1995 |
| Initial Receipt Date: | 05/18/2021 |
| Current Facility: | GRACEVILLE C.F. |
| Current Custody: | CLOSE |
| Current Release Date: | SENTENCED TO LIFE |
The One Hour Condensed Trial of Erin Robinson can be viewed on Court in the Act (click image):
And you can watch Erin’s interrogation here (click image):
Court in the Act 
Leave a comment