From staff reports
A Seabrook man, who robbed a victim at gunpoint after luring him with an offer on a Facebook Buy-Sell-Trade Group to buy a video game system, has been sentenced to prison.
Jonathan Jabreal Robinson III, 30, was found guilty Wednesday, June 5, by a Beaufort County General Sessions jury of the 2022 robbery at the Dale Community Center. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison.
“Unfortunately, arranging to make a sale in a public place was not enough to keep Mr. Robinson from robbing this victim or repeatedly threatening his life,” said Samantha Molina of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, who prosecuted the case. “Fortunately, the victim was not injured, and Mr. Robinson was not particularly adept at covering his tracks.”
On March 19, 2022, Robinson met the victim after answering a Facebook advertisement for a limited-edition PlayStation 4. They were originally to meet at a fast-food restaurant, but at the last minute, Robinson changed the location to the Dale Community Center, which is near his home.
The victim arrived first, laying out his gaming system on his vehicle’s tailgate. Robinson, who does not have a driver’s license, arrived on foot. He began putting the PlayStation in his backpack, then pulled a handgun and pointed it at the man. Robinson demanded that he hand over his wallet, cellphone and Samsung Galaxy watch, as well.
The victim was not injured during the robbery, but Robinson told him not to do anything “or I’ll shoot you.” He then told the man to get in his car and leave before “he killed him.”
The victim confirmed that the person in the profile picture of Robinson’s Facebook account was the man who robbed him. The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office also used facial recognition software to match the picture to a Beaufort County Detention Center mugshot of Robinson.
Video surveillance from the recreation center captured Robinson on camera and corroborated the victim’s statement. Investigators also discovered evidence that Robinson attempted to sell some of the stolen items on Facebook, posting pictures of them taken in his bedroom. Robinson also was photographed by an electronic kiosk, where he sold the phone he stole from the victim.
The clothes Robinson wore during the robbery were recovered from his bedroom, along with his identification and the gun he used in the robbery, which turned out to be a bb gun.
With a warrant out for his arrest, Robinson was apprehended in early April 2022 after Beaufort Police responded to a disturbance at a motel on Boundary Street involving the defendant.
Robinson’s criminal history includes convictions for robbery, second-degree burglary, throwing bodily fluids and violation of probation.
Molina called nine witnesses during two days of testimony at the Beaufort County Courthouse. Circuit Court Judge Carmen Mullen handed down the sentence.
Molina is a member of the Solicitor’s Office Career Criminal Unit, which prosecutes the circuit’s most violent and habitual offenders. She was assisted by Assistant Solicitor Racheal DeAngelis, Investigator Mike Winston and Victim Advocate Maria Castillo.
