A defendant in Virginia, dubbed by police as the 'shopping cart killer,' is currently on trial for the alleged slaying of two women in 2021. The accused, Anthony Robinson, is facing charges related to the deaths of Beth Redmon, 54, of Harrisonburg, and Tonia Smith, 39, of Charlottesville.
According to prosecutors at Rockingham County Circuit Court, Robinson met the women on social media dating apps and took them to his hotel room at the Howard Johnson Hotel. Jurors were shown a video purportedly depicting Robinson entering Room 336 with Redmon and later wheeling a sheet-covered body out of the room the following morning.
Police reported that Robinson repeated a similar pattern with Tonia Smith the following month, wheeling her body out of the hotel toward a tree line. The prosecution alleges that Robinson 'killed these women to fulfill his sexual demands.'
While Robinson has been linked to other women's deaths in Fairfax County and Washington, D.C., he is not currently on trial for those cases. The prosecutor described the victims as having 'entered the gates of hell' and accused Robinson of 'killing women for sport.'
The bodies of Redmon and Smith were discovered behind the Howard Johnson Motel parking lot in November 2021, showing signs of multiple injuries and unusual circumstances, such as sweatshirts wrapped around their mouths and being left naked except for socks on their feet.
Robinson's defense team questioned the lack of clear evidence regarding what occurred in Room 336 during the alleged incidents. The coroner ruled the deaths as homicides but could not determine a specific cause of death, leading to uncertainties in the presented evidence.
Defense lawyer Louis Nagy highlighted the absence of conclusive evidence during the critical period and criticized the prosecution's reliance on inmate testimony, citing concerns about the credibility of the witnesses.
As the trial unfolds, the court will continue to examine the evidence and testimonies to determine the truth behind the tragic deaths of Beth Redmon and Tonia Smith.
