Gray, 19, was sentenced to 15 years to life after a four-day trial that concluded with five hours of jury deliberation.
He was charged with murder and found guilty of stabbing the girl in the back during a large fight Sept. 10, 2009, at the North Pointe Townhomes in West Chester Twp. His attorney, David Albrecht said they would appeal the verdict.
Gray testified Wednesday that he was defending himself against a crowd of attackers and accidentally stabbed Robinson while “swinging for my life” with a knife.
Robinson’s family sobbed, while Gray, his mother and other supporters remained expressionless as the verdict was read at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, in Butler County Common Pleas Court.
“Two lives have been lost,” said Gray’s mother, who gave her name only as Miss Gray.
Judge Keith Spaeth dismissed a complicity to murder charge against 18-year-old Rashon Martin, a co-defendant in the case. Spaeth freed Martin on Tuesday, saying there was “virtually no evidence presented,” against him by prosecutors.
“God gave him another chance, I hope he does something with it,” Tascha Robinson said.
Emotions among the three families ran high during the trial.
On Day 1, court officials had to break up the families, who were shouting at each other in the hallway during jury selection. And following Gray’s testimony, his mother was escorted from the courtroom after yelling that her son was bipolar and needed medication.
The judge had also prohibited the Robinson family from wearing T-shirts that read “Amber our Jewel” in the courtroom. Following the verdict Thursday, family members pulled them out in tribute to the slain teenager.
“I just miss her,” said Amber’s father, Kelvin Henry.
Following the verdict, defense attorney Albrecht said he had no comment. During trial, he had argued that Gray and his three friends were jumped by a large group and were “in the fight of their lives ” when Gray grabbed the knife.
“He said he stabbed her, but he did not commit murder,” Albrecht told the jury.
During closing arguments Wednesday afternoon, Assistant Prosecutor Lance Salyers pointed to the testimony of a coroner’s office forensic pathologist who said Robinson was stabbed twice — with one 5- to 6-inch wound piercing her heart.
Salyers said the wounds were not from someone swinging a knife, but intentionally inflicted by a person approaching Robinson from behind and using the left hand to stab her. “She never saw it coming,” said Salyers, who showed the jury Robinson’s pink-striped high-top tennis shoes she wore the night she died.
In other testimony, witnesses reported that Gray said he stabbed Robinson because she was “talking stuff” and that he had threatened to kill the teen following the first fight.
“It is sad. A 15-year-old is dead and a 19-year-old is going to prison for the rest of his life,” Salyers said following Gray’s conviction and sentencing.
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