Jury convicts Kenneth Lamont Robinson in the Mother’s Day Gang Gunfight and Murder Kedena Brown.
Late yesterday, a Charleston County jury found Kenneth Lamont Robinson Jr. (DOB 5/14/1999) guilty of murder in the 2015 killing of Kedena Brown. The jury also convicted the Defendant of four counts of Assault and Battery 1st Degree against others involved in the gang shootout leading up to Ms. Brown’s murder. Sentencing was deferred, as required, due to the Defendant’s age at the time of the killing. Upon the Solicitor’s previous motion and Family Court’s Order, the Defendant was tried as an adult.
On May 10, 2015 at approximately 1:44 a.m. the victim, Kedena Brown was shot twice and was killed while driving her Chrysler 300 in North Charleston. Ms. Brown had been visiting family in North Charleston and was returning to her home in Goose Creek. As she was driving on Ashley Phosphate in the Northwoods Mall area, heading towards Rivers Avenue, a black Honda CRV pulled up beside her and fired four shots. Two of the shots struck Ms. Brown in the neck and head.
The investigation revealed that just before this shooting, the dark colored Honda CRV occupied by Richard Simmons, Kenneth Robinson, and Keon Anderson had been chasing another almost identical Chrysler 300 occupied by Andrew Smalls, Jawan Nicks, Corey Watkins, and Donald Jackson and shooting at their vehicle. In the area of the interstate they confused Ms. Brown’s Chrysler 300 with the one they had been chasing and opened fire on Ms. Brown.
Testimony revealed that the Defendant was on an ankle monitor at the time and was supposed to have been monitored by the Department of Juvenile Justice. Testimony indicated the Defendant had not been monitored between April 10 and April 27, 2015 due to his original probation officer leaving DJJ. GPS coordinates showed Robinson traveling the same path as the Chrysler 300 that was chased at speeds of up to 110 mph. GPS coordinates also put Robinson at the scene of the shooting at the exact time that Ms. Brown was murdered.
Assistant Solicitor Culver Kidd and Chief Deputy Solicitor Bruce DuRant prosecuted the case. “This case is a prime example of what we can accomplish when working alongside the North Charleston Police Department. We have our work cut out for us in addressing the gangs and violent criminals that plague the Dorchester Terrace and Waylyn subdivisions, but I believe with our continued combined efforts we can take substantial steps in cleaning up those communities.”
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