Robinson pleads guilty to 'criminally negligent homicide'

PALMER — A then-16-year-old boy who shot and killed his father in 2013 following an altercation in their home has pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide, authorities said.

William Samuel Carson Robinson, now 18, had been scheduled to go on trial as an adult Monday morning for first-degree homicide and second-degree homicide by extreme indifference, according to court records. Instead, Robinson pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide, according to lead prosecutor Eric Senta.

Several factors — including Robinson’s history and the evidence — opened the door for negotiations over the charge, Senta wrote, in response to an email.

“Factors which influenced the charge bargain in this tragic case included the defendants age and lack of criminal history, suppression of the defendants confession by (presiding Judge Kari Kristiansen) and evidence of domestic violence in the household before the shooting,” Senta said. “Robinson will be sentenced as an adult in Palmer Superior Court, but there is no agreement as to what the actual sentence will be.”

Prosecutors have said Robinson opened fire on an unarmed disabled man when he shot his father Feb. 26, 2013. Defense attorneys say Robinson fired six shots in self-defense as his father, William Spencer Robinson Sr., approached to strike him.

The shooting came after a verbal argument between husband and his wife, according to Frontiersman articles published subsequent to the younger Robinson’s arrest. William Samuel Carson Robinson’s mother had planned to leave the house, but the elder Robinson had disabled the family car, according to an article published July 5, 2014.

The younger Robinson told Alaska State Troopers he was trying to hide a revolver from his father, but shot him instead.

Defense attorneys have portrayed Robinson as the victim of domestic abuse, whose statements of intention were unreliable.

First-degree murder and second-degree murder are both unclassified felonies, potentially resulting in sentences of up to 99 years in prison and $500,000 in fines.

Criminally negligent homicide is a class B felony, punishable by up to 10 years prison and a fine of up to $100,000.

Robinson posted $25,000 bail in April 2013.

Robinson faces a November sentencing date, Senta said.

Contact Brian O’Connor at 352-2269, brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano.