Jury finds Franklinton man accused of fatally stabbing girlfriend in 2020 guilty
FRANKLINTON, La. (WGNO) — A Franklinton man accused of fatally stabbing his girlfriend in 2020 was found guilty by a Washington Parish jury on Thursday, Aug. 22.
The Office of District Attorney Collin Sims reported that a jury found 56-year-old Paul Robinson guilty of second-degree murder.
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Court documents state that a family friend found the body of 57-year-old Cristole Young Washington in high grass 35 yards from her home on June 1, 2020.
The documents state Washington’s body was found after the Franklinton Police Department was called to her home for a welfare check.
Franklinton detectives said Washington’s body was found with multiple stab wounds, and police determined that she had been killed in the living room of her home.
The district attorney’s office reported that two children inside the home saw Robinson holding a knife.
Court documents state Robinson was taken into custody in Franklinton after reportedly trying to run from an officer.
Following his arrest, detectives said Robinson “ultimately admitted that he killed Ms. Washington, claiming that he acted in self-defense.”
During their investigation, Franklinton police said they also found evidence that Robinson removed clothes, the weapon and other items from the scene.
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On Thursday, a jury returned a guilty verdict for charges of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice after deliberating for less than an hour.
Robinson’s sentencing is set for Oct. 7. According to the district attorney’s office, he faces a mandatory life sentence without probation, parole or suspension of sentence for the second-degree murder charge and up to 40 years in prison at hard labor for the obstruction of justice charge.
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