Prime Crime: Solved Murders - Framing a Toddler for Murder: The Robin Howington Story

Episode Date: June 26, 2026

First responders rushed to a Tennessee home after a woman called 911 in a panic. Robin Howington told police a man entered their home and fired a shot, hitting her five-year-old daughter Destiny. As investigators piece together what happened, Howington changed her story, shifting blame to her two-year-old son. Find out what really happened to Destiny Oliver on this episode of “Prime Crime with Jesse Weber.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Amanda just came to the door, man, and he's, I don't know what the hell happened. A young girl is shot in her own home. He just came in here, and we were all sitting right there. Who's he? I don't know who he is. You don't know who this guy is. I don't have a clue. I've never seen him in my life.

But figuring out who pulled the trigger is anything but simple. It's nothing. You don't care. I got raped by a police officer, so please. Are you kidding me? Are you serious? Your daughter is dead? I know that.

And you don't want to tell us who? You know, Lord have mercy. This case actually started with a bunch of question marks. You need to get Jesus in your heart because there's a lot of line going on. And right now you act like you're part of the devil. Hi everybody. I'm Jesse Weber and welcome to Prime Crime, where we break down some of the most compelling and memorable true crime cases from across the country. It's the investigation into the shooting of a five-year-old girl out in Tennessee.

and answering the question of who did this, while this is one of those situations where it may not be as clear as you think. I'm counting 911. I got an emergency. This dude was just at my house and my daughter just got shot, man. Please, please hurry.

September 14th, 2019, a day, then 36-year-old Robin Howington won't soon forget, because that's when she calls 911 to report her. daughter five-year-old destiny Oliver has been shot she just got shot right now ma'am yes yes who did it the guy that just walked up to your door yes okay what's your name ma'am robin robin where did he shoot her at in her arm it's in her chest okay we're on our

way now she's laying on the cab oh my god what do i need to do what do i need to do we're coming miss robin on september 14th 2019 a family comes home in knox tennessee and tragedy unfolds. 911 is called, and what happens next is the discovery of a five-year-old who'd been shot, a mom and a two-year-old who was there to witness at all. The guy who did that, was he white, black or Hispanic? He was black.

What was he wearing? He had a black shirt on. Did he say anything when you guys open the door? No. Was he on food or was he in a car, Ms. Robert? He was in a car, he was in a black Chrysler, I just opened up the door. Is she able to,

to you at all? Is she conscious at all? No, no. Destiny, destiny. Destiny. Oh my God, I can't believe this . Subsequently, the police and EMS responded and found the child on the couch in her living room bleeding. Robin was sitting on the couch next to her daughter, and she was on the phone talking to someone. I mean, just one.

I think this case actually started with a bunch of question marks. Detectives have a grieving mother on their hands and a child who's been shot. Now the hunt is odd for a possible suspect. At first, they trust Robin Howington's account, but already concerns are beginning to surface. I was in there. Okay. We were all in there. And the door was open like it is now.

Okay. And what happened? He just came in here. And we were all sitting right there. I don't know who he is. You don't know who this guy is. I don't have a clue. I've never seen him in my life.

The police here are going to really be looking at what Ms. Howington's first statement was, because that really lays the groundwork. Is this someone who's going to be cooperative? Is this someone who could have potential liability here? Some sort of criminal liability? Was this premeditated? Was there an accomplice?

And if this was, in fact, a stranger intruder, then the first instance of memory, is critical in trying to identify that person. I didn't even realize he was in here until it was already... When he shot, what happened? Did he say anything? Nothing. He looked like he was surprised because she just went limp. As soon as they enter this crime scene, I think they understand that something is not right.

They saw a mother who was genuinely grieving, which I believe that she was, and I think they believe that she was. But the circumstances surrounding the actual death of destiny were very suspicious. Who do you live here with? It's just me and my kids. You and your kids, okay? I've got a brief little statement from her, and let's go ahead and get her over to hospital,

check on the status of the daughter. Destiny is rushed to an area hospital, and her mother is taken by a police vehicle following behind. What we're going to have happen here is you can check on your child and everything, and they'll keep you updated, okay, and then we're going to stand by for the investigator to come to the hospital, okay? Sorry. Can you do that, please?

30 Delta will bring her between you and you go one running. Can you do what I just text you? You're sorry? Somebody shot Destiny. I need you to come in to you, please. My phone's about to die. Did they say anything about how she was? Ma'am, I have not heard a thing about that.

But unfortunately, once they arrive, they're too late. Little five-year-old Destiny is declared dead. Destiny suffered a wound from one gunshot. So she had a chest wound and a hand wound. The hand wound might have been a defensive wound, or perhaps she was simply moving her hands when the shot was fired. We were finding out from family members

that Destiny was this happy child who loved to play. She's a five-year-old child, like any other young girl. You know, she likes to have fun. have fun, she likes to watch TV. Robin Howington had an ex, Antoine Oliver, and that was actually Destiny's father. And then she also had a boyfriend, and his name was Daniel, but his nickname was Callie.

While at the hospital, Howington's behavior stands out to investigators. Hey, name of your phone right now. Name me your phone. The police know that she's on her phone in the cruiser. They hear her talking to people. They still don't know what's going on.

So they ask her for her phone. And when they get back, is soaking wet. You need to get out here, okay? All right, you're gonna talk to the doctor. I have it in my hand right now. We're staying by in the lobby for the doctor. She tried to pass it off to somebody. Why are you trying to keep the phone with?

That doesn't try to give my phone, but. She tried to give her phone to somebody in the bathroom. After she realized that she can't give it away to this stranger, She ran it through the water in the bathroom and tried to basically make it not turn on. Detectives need to uncover the truth. And in order to do that, they have to have a more in-depth conversation with Robin Howington. We're not the drug public.

I don't give a f***ing if you're selling 10 pounds of weed a week. I don't care. You're not going to get trouble from me. Your daughter's dead. And I just want you to be honest with us, okay? So just be honest. We know some things now we're getting our peace and keys together, so we're going to come back and don't lie to us. Robin Howington had minor run-ins with the law in her past. She had been arrested and convicted for a DUI, more lower level offenses.

She wasn't someone that the authorities would characterize as someone who was a known felon, so to speak. In this instance, she attempted to destroy her cell phone. If I'm an investigator, I'm going to key in on that cell phone. Is there any other way you can find somebody's number so you can let the people know? I mean, my mom's number in my heart, but I really don't talk to nobody. I told you. Ever since I got by a police officer, I really just distanced myself from everybody and made my life just about my kids. Robin Howington was a mother who had a past.

She said that she was raped by an officer, a police officer in Tri-Cities, and that had traumatized her. And when asked about her phone, things get heated. At the hospital, you said you had to go to the bathroom, right? And you tried to give your phone to some lady, correct? And she wouldn't take it. I mean, I'm going to charge me with something this. What did you do with the phone? I don't want to talk, man, because I'm afraid.

Your child is dead and you don't want to talk. She is telling them basically that she cannot really handle that situation. She's telling them I was trying to get rid of my phone because I thought you were going to arrest me for drugs or marijuana. So what you're telling us is you don't care. It's nothing I don't care. I got right by a police officer. Are you kidding me? Are you serious?

Your daughter is dead? I know that. And you don't want to tell us who killed your child? I don't know. Lord have mercy. Do you have a heart? Do you have a soul? She's had no time to grieve.

She's had no time to process this. Robin is taken to the police station after watching her daughter die. And this is what the police know as they walk into the interrogation. They have come to a home. They have seen a mom who they don't feel is acting appropriate. Then you get to the hospital where she does what she does with the phone.

And they have real questions as to her actions. You, no, she will be charged. You're going to be charged with tantric. That's tampering with evidence. I'm serious to God. You're going to go jail for that tonight. What did I tell you about the weed? Did you get it?

I don't care about weed. He don't care about weed. Yeah, I promise. We don't give a... Your child is deceased. That's what we care about, okay? And a lot of the things so far have not been matching up. They're not making sense.

And the fact you try to get rid of your phone doesn't help all that stuff out. You can never put yourself in the shoes of someone who's just witnessed something so horrible. And so if someone doesn't react within sort of the emotional guidelines that you expect yourself to react in, you think it's weird. So those red flags have already been raised. When the doctor told you, what you say, I want them in jail. Yes, I didn't.

What we can get that done is if you tell us the truth and be helpful with us. We just came home from the park and I thought somebody was following me. And so I went down the alley and nobody followed me. And then I didn't think nothing about it. She was laying on the couch and Gavin was sitting right beside me and somebody came in the door. What's interesting was she was able to remember certain details, but there were other details she was unable to elaborate on. Whether or not that raised the eyebrows of police at that time it's difficult to say. I would certainly say that what raised the eyebrows of police would be

an intruder coming into a home and the only one that is injured is this small child. me to you or anything? And I kept on trying to talk to her and she wouldn't say nothing. Do you think she saw the guy? Maybe she tried to put her hands up or something? I don't know. It happened so fast. They just want to know what happened. They're trying to get the truth. This is critical in these first few hours. What's going to lead their investigation? Who are they going to focus on?

At this stage, detectives are uncertain how this investigation. how this investigation may unfold, but it's clear there's more to this story. And soon, new developments take this case down a completely different path. Do you think he would, he'd ever do anything to try to hurt destiny? I can't really answer that because I'm not around. I mean, he won't even let me know where he lives. And she's scared of him. When he shot, it was like his eyes got big.

I just don't feel like it was meant for her. The start of the investigation into the shooting death of five-year-old Destiny Oliver is leaving detectives with more questions than answers as they sift through the evidence and statements made by her mother Robin Howington. Just as they begin to piece together a possible scenario, the story takes an unexpected turn. You don't have either of the kids, dad, or a male friend who spends a nice time. I mean, yeah, yes, I do. Who is that? His name is Daniel.

Daniel. Hensley. What's the deal with her dad? If you're not with her and some other guys coming over there, what's the deal with Destiny's dad? He got an aggravated assault charge. He's the reason why I don't have my son because he beat me to the point where I was unconscious. So we really don't get along at all. Robin Howington and Antoine Oliver, who is Robin's ex and Destiny's.

father had a history of domestic violence between them. They certainly had this tumultuous history and that was known to the authorities. He don't know a lot of people around here so like I turn him on to people or let him meet people. You middle man for him because you said people right takes you trying to leave you I saw some reports and you and had a like a pretty yes he's very violent yes extremely violent. And you hadn't seen him today? No. I talked to him today and actually Destiny had called him, but she's scared of him, so she didn't want to talk to him.

I don't think that she explicitly says she was scared of him because of the abuse, but I think that it was implied just because of his record and he has like a previous record and he has been charged. Why is she afraid of them, though? I really don't know because, I mean, she's seen her be very cruel to me. It's talked bad to me. Do you think he would never do anything to try to hurt Destiny? I can't really answer that. Days before Destiny was shot and killed, Howington had an altercation with Antoine.

She said they were in front of the house, fighting. Her current boyfriend, Daniel, did mention that he observed her pointed gun at Oliver. Would Antoine just show up at your house? Yes, he does. Well, you think he would just show up mad at you? Oh, he has, definitely. I know it was Antoine. I can promise you it was Antoine, but I mean, he sells drugs.

People are going to do whatever for him. That's one thing I can't say. She changes her story again, that it could have been that it could have been one of Antoine or Callie's associates, because now she starts getting into the fact that, ah, you know, I actually do sell some drugs in the area, I sell some pills, he sells pills with me, maybe it was one of his contacts, one of his people.

You're saying, you know it wasn't him, but you don't know who the guy was that came in. And you're saying that it was one shot, but we're not finding any bullets there at the house. What's odd about this situation, you have a girl who was shot, And so if there was a perpetrator who came into the house to did this, they might have escaped with the murder weapon.

But there should be bullets left behind. There should be shell casings left behind. I don't know if maybe you're scared, so maybe you're forgetting something or you're changing a little bit, but did this happen at the house? Oh, yeah, yes, yes, it was right there. They looked in the walls, they looked on the floor, they looked around the room in which Destiny was shot in, and they just don't find anything.

They start to wonder, well, did this see? even happened here? Was she shot somewhere else and then brought to this location to stage a shooting there? The interview finally hits on the very thread detectives have been pulling. She'll be straight up with you. I feel like it's her dad and I feel like you don't want to tell us that. I think he sits a nail on the head. I don't think he intended to kill the little girl. He said, oh, I've shot my baby. That's why his eyes got big. I'm telling you. I know. You're right. You're right. I'm done. I'm done. I can't do it.

They've got people investigating her. They've got people who know kind of maybe the story of Ms. Howington's life a little bit better. And the history between her and her ex is well known. And so I think the police are coming up with theories that they think are more likely to watch what the reaction is. Why didn't you tell us that early? Because, I mean, this is his daughter too.

I know that he killed her, but I just don't feel like he did it on purpose. I feel like he was trying to kill me. They put this in front of Ms. Howington That maybe your ex did it. We know that Destiny was scared of him, right? And we know that there are all these problems between the two of you.

And they kind of lead her down this path. And so they sort of give her this out. And you can see she latches onto it. We're going to see us on your lineup, right? Yes, sir. The police showed Robin a photo lineup, a photo array, which usually has three photos on top and three on the bottom.

And the photo array contained Antoine's, photo and she picked out Antoine out of that lineup. I'm going to show you six pictures. You tell me the person. You tell me the person and you circle a person that shot and killed your daughter. Now this is interesting because kind of don't normally show a photo array to someone if the perpetrator is known to that person, but it would tend to show perhaps they didn't necessarily believe her. The police from the beginning said that they didn't think this was a random person opening her door and deciding to shoot her daughter.

So police went back and saw that Antoine had a domestic violence history. They just thought, that's the guy. This huge revelation seemingly inches the case closer to the truth. But a major break comes when a discovery at Robin Howington's home, shifts the investigation. What's the chances that you were scared today, you had the gun, and you shot by mistake? No.

That didn't happen? No, sir. So you're sticking with the fact that Antoine did this. Yes. You need to get Jesus in your heart, because there's a lot of line going on. Oh, sweet baby Jesus, it's even worse. Now you're bringing your two-year-old child in this mix.

No, you did it. As investigators press Robin Howington for answers, the focus turns to her ex and Destiny's father Antoine Oliver, accusing him of the unthinkable, shooting their five-year-old daughter. But investigators reveal a breakthrough, a crucial piece of evidence that changes the course of questioning. Tell me this. Could possibly you and Antoine got into it today and you had a gun trying to show. scared him and you shot? No, no. That didn't happen. So we were surprised you if we told you

that a gun was found outside the house? That wouldn't surprise you? Why not? Yes, it would surprise. I mean, I was scared. Like, I have nightmares of this police officer coming to killing me. You keep talking about that incident, like,

what's the deal with that? I'm scared that he's going to come and try to kill me. So you have a gun? You have a gun? What kind of gun you have? What kind of gun you have? I don't even know. A friend of mine gave it to me.

Is it the one that was found outside your house? I guess if that's where he put it. Who is your friend that would put it there? Kelly. Now, Kelly gets involved in this. So now we have the father, and Howington is saying that he shot her. But then, when police are realizing, actually the evidence are not pointing at that father,

at the father and they're trying to figure out where was this gun and how did it get it to Antoine's hands because when they found the gun the gun wasn't Antoine's it was Howingtons if I told you that this video of you coming out there and dropping that gun outside do you believe that yes I didn't want in the house okay so why did you think to get the gun and come and put it outside because I didn't want to be charged with how having a gun. Is that gun the murder weapon? I want to hear it from the horse's mouth.

Yes, and he wiped it off. You know the best thing to do with a gun if you don't want anyone to get hurt, turn it over to the authorities. Robin Howington, according to the police, text and acquaintance of hers, and ask this person to remove the gun from the location in front of her house by the bushes. be bushes. What we can surmise is this is the text message that she wanted to destroy when she ran her phone under the water. That is pardon the pun, a smoking gun. At 842, you are seen on video taking that gun out. Eight minutes later you call 911. This is not good. What's going on here? Tell me, please, God, your sweet baby, Jesus. This is a woman whose daughter has just been killed.

So she's traumatized, and there's a certain level of panic. So you can almost say that any action she took have to be viewed through that lens. Howington makes a shocking claim. I was thinking, yes, we're going to put some... jail and now we're thinking, holy did she kill her child? Was it a mistake? If it's a mistake, tell us it's a mistake.

Did you accidentally shoot your child? No. Well then what happened? Gavin got a hold again. It's the honest truth. Most people tend to at least take the firearm with them and they'll dispose of it perhaps elsewhere, but they're not gonna leave it at the scene of the crime.

And woe and behold, she says that she, discarded it there because her two-year-old son had obtained this firearm and killed her daughter. Is he going to say he shot his sister? Because kids don't lie usually. Oh, sweet baby Jesus, it's even worse. Now, you're bringing your two-year-old child in this mix. He did it.

He got the fucking God. I didn't do it. Anto I was there. We were arguing, and I feel like my son was trying to protect us. I can't believe nothing to come out of it now. If you tell me right now I'm a black man wearing blue pants, I'm gonna question it. After she talks about hiding the gun,

after she blames someone else for going outside and throwing the gun out there, then we start getting into what becomes the groundwork for ultimately her final sort of story. I've given you opportunity after opportunity after opportunity to tell the truth. You can't seem to do it. Like, what is the reason?

It makes me look like a bad parent. Ain't nobody judging you your parenting right now. I don't care if you smoke enough weed to get the whole city hot. If you cared, you would tell us the truth. I just told you the truth. You told us the truth before that. How many truths are there?

I didn't kill my dad. I hope not. I sure do God hope not. Well, you keep talking. You're gonna blame it on somebody else? Hell ya, you're gonna blame it on my dog? She was basically given them one story after another as what happened. Her version of events kept falling apart again and again and again. We're up to three people you put this on. A random black guy, then her own dad, now it's gathers.

But you know who it all points to? You. I'm exhausted. I'm going to call the DA's office. Investigators want to first-hand look at how this all unfolded so they returned to the home with Howington. Law enforcement officials did a walk through of the home with Robin Howington. It's something you rarely see. Destiny was like here and she was watching Netflix. I was sitting here and he started screaming and yelling and I got the baby got that stool waiting to my bedroom. There's no way a two-year-old to reach all

They even bring the stool over to the closet where the gun was. And you can see the investigator reaching up with his hand to the top shelf and looking to another investigator saying there's absolutely no way. After a roller coaster of an interview and multiple stories, investigators aren't fully buying what Robin Howington is selling and getting to the truth is top priority. Law enforcement would recognize immediately that it would have been impossible for a two-year-old to aim that gun away from himself and pull the trigger. I'm sure that you didn't do it. No, sir.

I don't know. I did not accidentally kill my daughter. I didn't purposely kill my daughter. And I wish that this would never happen. Investigators are trying to make sense of Robin Howington's story. First, it's a random intruder. Then it's her two-year-old son Gavin. Two days later, when talking with Howington again,

detectives can't shake the feeling that she's still hiding something. It's really difficult to believe that a two-year-old can pick up and pull the trick. And this is the thing. Have you ever shot a gun? His hands are tiny, right? You want me to believe that he wrapped his little hand around the handle of the gun and was able to pull the trigger at the same time, right? The recoil on that gun, he'd have hit himself.

or something and he'd be hurt. He wasn't hurt. We can physically prove these things that there's no way that that happened. I swear to go ahead. Most accidents that happen with children under 10 years old, 12 years old, and firearms, they're self-inflicted wounds.

Now, why is that? Because children really don't have the strength to pull a trigger of a firearm. According to her story, this has to be one of the strongest and quickest two-year-olds on the face of the earth. The stool was in the kitchen. And the police even asked her, oh, so you mentioned the two-year-old moved the stool to the closet, climbed it, retrieved the gun, came back down, took the shot, went back,

how did the stool get in the kitchen? Just everything unraveled. I'm telling you, the whole thing about Gavin did it is not going to fly. You keep saying what's Gavin in is. Can't be Gavin. She's trying to do one thing, it seems like. She's trying to cover for her two-year-old. I genuinely believe that's what happened.

She is scrambling and grabbing and scratching and clawing at any story she thinks makes it more likely that her son will be able to walk away from this situation without any sort of liability. Robin Howington is officially charged with felony murder, aggravated child neglect, making a false report. tampering with evidence and attempted tampering with evidence, all in connection to the shooting death of her daughter. Ultimately, what sealed Howington's fate here, I think was more of a totality of the circumstances than anyone's smoking gun. First and foremost, the multiple stories, what do most people think when someone lies? They think they're hiding things. I just wanted to hide the gun so no one else would be harmed. These stories really don't hold water. It's never a good thing when your defendant has possession of the murder weapon.

Very difficult to explain that away. The crucial decision will soon rest on whether the state can present enough evidence to a jury to prove all elements of the top charges, or if Robin Howington herself can influence them toward a different verdict. Did you shoot destiny? No. Did you shoot that gun? No. Did you intend for that gun to be in a place where your kids could get to it?

No. For the first reaction, immediately after this, he used to be playing his on sunnights. They can't get this grieving mother till the next day you talk. No, no, no, no, no, we gotta do this. right now. A tragic shooting, a mother under scrutiny,

and an investigation that raised countless questions. After five long years in March 2024, Robin Howington's World Wind Trial begins, leaving a jury to decide whether she's innocent or guilty of the murder of her own daughter,

Destiny Oliver. September the 14th, 2019. That was the last time they're seeing all were whatever planes are. How many things try to hide the truth because there rise in the section throughout this matter? Eventually those lies whittler away because they can't hold up

in the truth surfaces. I think it was really difficult for this state to prove that Robin actually pulled the trigger herself. There just wasn't enough evidence, I think. There wasn't the motive. the motive. Throughout all of the defendants' inconsistencies throughout this entire case, there's one consistency, not once that should take responsibility.

Ladies and gentlemen, that tells you everything you need to know. This trial was only five days long. That is really short. That means there's just not a lot of evidence. Everyone is trying to create a narrative over a really small pool of evidence. On this wound, there is something called gunpowder stippling around the wound. So in this particular case, with this stippling, I would say the gun was held anywhere from a few inches up to a couple of feet away. Both Gavin and Robin, his mother, had gunshot residue on their clothing.

Now, one has to be extremely close to a gun when it's fired in order to have gunshot residue on them. This could point to Gavin being the person who fired the gun. And some of the most powerful testimony comes from law enforcement officers, and it's clear the impact this case has had on them. In that living room number two is where I saw a young lady sitting on the couch and later noticed it seemed that she was on her phone. And kind of walked in, I go, was anybody hurt? And she just kind of points to behind her.

And that's when I saw, so when I saw a foot of a young child. Were you physically in the room when the doctors were telling Ms. Howington about her daughter's condition? Yes, ma'am. It wasn't like, I would say typical. A lot of times you tell the person that their child has died, and it's, they lose it. It wasn't one of those. The state tells the jury essentially,

this is a woman with a bad history who lied, who changed her story multiple times, who did not tell the truth to the police, who obstructed the investigation from the moment it began, the defense lays out the argument in the counter. This is a family tragedy that is being blown out of proportion. She was suffering from metal-filled this PTSD. She's treated for it.

A gun goes off. Her daughter is previously shot. They come out and tell them, I'm sorry, your daughter's dead. You go straight from that room being told your daughter is dead. They drive her to the KPD interview room. She's there for the next three or four hours being questioned by these guys. How is a mother going to be in her right in mind? She made the other story to protect Gavin so he wouldn't have to live with this.

She says Gavin, a two-year-old, got a hold of a loaded weapon with the safety off and used it to unfortunately kill his five-year-old sister. I would love to have a It's a Wonderful Life moment with her and see what could have happened. See that sliding door moment where the cops arrive and she says, oh my God, my two-year-old just shot my five-year-old. I can't believe this. I didn't know the gun was accessible.

I had no idea. Please, God, let my daughter be okay. She is charged with a felony murder because of an accidental shooting. If you were in her position, would you be making rational decisions in that place? Would you be held to the highest charge in the land? Have we got no compassion for a grieving mother

in an accidental shooting that destroyed a family. Godless hopes. A question here is, is this a reckless crime, or is this an intentional act? Did she or someone intend to kill destiny, or was this something that was reckless? Firearms don't go off. They only go off when someone pulls the trigger.

Let's say a two-year-old did get this weapon. What would they have to do in order to fire it? That depends on how they find it, to be honest. So if they found it loaded and the safety was off, all they would have to do is pull the trigger. There's no question that a gun was involved. There's no question a five-year-old was killed. But how responsible is Ms. Howington?

Even if this was an accident, even if she didn't pull the trigger and even if she didn't want this to happen, there's nothing the defense could really do about leaving a gun with a safety. off, loaded, accessible to a two-year-old. There's absolutely liability there. In a surprising turn, Robin Howington takes the stand to tell her own story before a captivated jury. I made sure the kids was okay and I went outside to smoke and moved my car. When you came back from moving the car, what did you do?

I was walking up to my house. And it's a glass door. And I see no flash the light go off. And when I walked in, Gavin was screaming and crying. Then the gun was on the ground. She sticks to my two-year-old son shot my daughter. But the difference this time wasn't who shot Destiny. It was where she was when Destiny was shot.

What did you do? I got the gun and I took it outside. Why did you take it outside? Because I didn't want it to cause any more harm. I knew that that was the gun that Gavin used to shoot Destiny and I was trying to protect him. I think she tried to share how she was as a mother and how she loved. and how she loved her children.

She wanted to show her motherly side. But the state said, I'm sorry, but your motherly side did not keep the gun safe and away from your kids. When cross-examination begins, prosecutors have several questions for the grieving mother. You just testified that you are walking up into your house and you see the gun go off

when Gavin shoots destiny. Is that what you just testified to? Yes. And you've seen the video, the surveillance video, from your neighbor's house. Yes. You enter your home at 850. The 911 call was not placed until over three minutes later at 853. Is that correct?

Yes. So you go back in your home after seeing your daughter get shot by your two-year-old son, according to you today, and you wait almost four minutes to call 911. Is that your testimony? I had to find my phone. You do understand the gunshot residence was found on your clothing, correct? And I assume that it came from when I was trying to help my daughter. Do you not understand?

If you go back to the first story where she says that she's inside in the kitchen cooking, the first version, she's inside the house. And then the last version, she's completely outside the house. But prosecution says, how are you outside the house? have gun residual on your clothes. At one point did you say that Gavin took the stool and moved it in front of your closet and got the gun? Yes.

After you change it to Antoine brings a gun in, you finally do admit that it was a gun in your home that shot and killed your daughter, right? You said that Gavin climbed up in the closet and got it out of, well, you didn't say the black bag at first, did you? I don't recall. You don't recall telling officers that? Ma'am, I was not in my right mind. mind at that time. I had just seen my baby shoot my daughter. Ms. Hounington, have you,

have you been paying it? Have you watched your interview here in court? Somewhat, yes, but I don't want to remember any of this. I don't ever want it to be Gavin, ma'am. I don't want him to live with this. Do you not understand that? They wanted her to testify and try to earn some of the trust back that she had lost. But after so many stories, I'm not sure how you come back from that. While it's still not 100% certain where the gun was the night Destiny was shot, there's some indication it was not stored where Howington said it was on a high shelf in the closet. In your home where your two small children live in the two days, after you think Callie puts this gun away, you didn't actually go check to see where he put it.

No, ma'am. You didn't ask him where he put it. No, ma'am. You didn't ask him if he put a loaded gun up with the safety off. You just can't accept that this was an accident. You just can't accept it. I was trying to protect my son, and nobody wants to accept that.

What would you do? It was never narrowed down to one person. He was going close, and then it was like, wait a minute, there's tampering of evidence. Here's a different story now. Here's a lie, and here's another new story. So nobody knows who killed her with certainty. There isn't a smoking gun in most cases. You have to use circumstantial evidence.

You have to take into context. You have to look at who the people are that you're listening to, who's testifying, what all the surrounding circumstances are. The case is handed off to jurors for an investigation. extremely demanding deliberation. But after just two hours, the jury comes back with their decision. We, the jury, find the defendant, Robert Hawington, guilty of reckless homicide, guilty of aggravated child neglect, guilty of initiating a false report to the law enforcement officer, guilty of tampering with evidence. Robin Howington is convicted of the lesser included charge of reckless homicide,

as well as two counts of aggravated child neglect, tampering with evidence, attempted tampering with evidence, and making a false report, sparing her from a murder conviction. The jury didn't seem confused by this case at all. They deliberated for two hours. Not two days, not two weeks, two hours. That means they got in there, they looked at each other, they said, we all think that the son did this. We don't think that she did it, but she's guilty of that, yes, and we're out of here. That is incredibly fast to come to a unanimous decision on such a serious, heavy case. A little more than a month later, the judge delivers the final decision, sealing Robin Howington's fate.

I really don't know how you could have made this much worse than what you did that night. You're not concerned. You weren't then. You're not now. You're not concerned with trying to protect Gavin. You're concerned to try and protect Gavin's mother. Robin Howington is sentenced to 22 years in prison for the shooting death of her five-year-old daughter destiny. A firearm and your handling of that firearm is the reason that your daughter is not here now. I wish we weren't here. I know you wish you weren't here. Mr. Oliver wishes that we weren't here, but you're the one responsible. That'll be the judgment of the court. Good luck to you. You look at this five-year-old little girl.

As a reporter, you cannot personalize things, but it's very hard to not feel at the end of the day that pain that family may be going through. She was out in a bond because the verdict was guilty. She's in handcuffs, and there goes her life. This one tragic moment can change. can change your life forever. There's no fairy tale ending on a case like this.

It's another example of how important it is if you are someone who believes in your right to own firearms, how very, very important it is how those things get stored. Anytime you have the death of a child, a five-year-old, it shocks the conscience, and no one wins in this. Everyone sort of walks away with a hollow feeling. There is no closure for something like this. Just a tragedy all around. A young girl loses her life. A mother's going to spend the next 20 plus years in prison.

And for those who loved destiny, no verdict can change what happened or erase what is truly a tremendous loss. That's all we have for you here on this episode of Prime Crime. Everybody, thank you so much for joining us. I'm Jesse Weber. And as always, stay safe.