ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orange County man accused of killing an 18-year-old woman and injuring two others has posted bail from the Orange County Jail.
Knoldie Robinson used an AR-15 to kill Alexus Clarke and hurt two others in a car on Danzig Court, near Raleigh Street and South Ivey Lane on Dec. 3, police said.
“It never entered into our mind that this person would even be allowed to make bail,” said one of Clarke’s family members Sheena James.
Judge Reginald Whitehead initially denied bail for Robinson during his initial appearance in court where he heard the formal charges against him, but a second judge, Dan Traver, granted bail after Robinson’s attorney field a motion to set a reasonable bond, and Robinson paid $15,500 and posted bond earlier this month, the total required for all three charges.
9 Investigates reporter Daralene Jones learned there was never a risk assessment performed to determine if Robinson was a danger to the public, but it’s also not required because he came into the jail on a no-bond warrant.
A spokesperson for the Orange County Jail told 9 Investigates that Robinson’s criminal history was provided during the first hearing when bond was denied.
And a second judge who presided over the hearing on the motion for a reasonable bond would’ve had access. However, a spokesperson for the judge told us Monday afternoon, “the prosecutor conceded during that hearing they could not meet the standard to argue for no bond.”
Tuesday, State Attorney Aramis Ayala said in a statement to 9 Investigates, “This is an active and open case, which means the investigation is ongoing. As such, I am unable to provide details that could potentially jeopardize the prosecution.
"What I can tell you is that I have full confidence in the Assistant State Attorney assigned to prosecute this case. At this early stage, we are making decisions based on the evidence and information available.
"Given the legal standard required to deny bond to a defendant, the court properly set bond in an amount consistent with the information presented at the hearing.”
Robinson was previously charged for drug possession, driving while license revoked as a habitual offender and fleeing and eluding police.
Robinson plead no contest to most of the cases or charges were dropped.
“If you're doing to run from law enforcement, open fire on a car because it's cruising up and down with a semi-high powered weapon, that person poses a danger to those around them,” said WFTV legal analyst Belvin Perry.
Perry also raised questioned about why Robinson was formally charged with second-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder.
“How are you going to argue that three people in the same car that he premeditated to kill two, but the person he actually killed, that wasn’t premeditation,” Perry said.
9 Investigates was told the jail is in the process of determining if it’s feasible to do risk assessments on people arrested on warrants. And those assessments would remain in a defendant’s file, rather than being removed after initial court appearances. However, jail officials reiterate, the judge always has access to criminal history information during hearings, and during that motion to set a reasonable bond, it would’ve been on the prosecutor to argue against bond.
Cox Media Group
