YORK, S.C. — A Rock Hill teenager will spend 50 years in prison for shooting two men in a car that he was riding in.
Sam Robinson pleaded guilty Tuesday in York to the execution-style murders that happened in the middle of the day on South Jones Avenue at Chestnut Street. He was 16 at the time of the killings.
[ALSO READ: Teen accused of killing pair found shot in car in Rock Hill arrested in Charlotte]
Prosecutors said Robinson executed Malik McCullough, 23, and Zuinquarius McCrorey, 22. Both men were shot in the back of the head at close range while Robinson was with them in the back seat of the car.
Breaking. Sam Robinson sentenced to the maximum 50 years in prison in the shooting deaths of Zuinquarius McCrorey and Malik McCullough in 2019 in Rock Hill. Both men were shot execution style while he was in a car with them. pic.twitter.com/vJz0EYRFHm
— Greg Suskin (@GSuskinWSOC9) March 23, 2021
Two unusual and fortunate events happened on Feb. 26, 2019, that allowed Rock Hill police to quickly identify Robinson. After running from the car, a neighbor who had heard the gunshots saw Robinson disappear behind a house. The witness remembered what he looked like.
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Shortly after that, Robinson returned to the crime scene because he had left his cellphone charging in the car. Robinson told the neighbor he was just there to “check on his buddies.” The neighbor spoke with Robinson to keep him at bay while calling 911.
Deputy solicitor Willy Thompson said Robinson had joined a gang and had no reason to kill McCrorey and McCullough. The victims thought Robinson was their friend.
“The depravity that’s involved in killing people like this for no apparent reason other than to gain gang status, it’s chilling,” Thompson said.
The defense said that the night before the murders, Robinson shot up a house on Chestnut Street where McCrorey lived. There was a lot of damage, but no one was injured. The next day in the car, Robinson heard McCrorey talk about retaliating. Robinson said he feared for his life and killed both men.
McCullough’s father asked for justice for his son.
“I feel sorry for him, and I forgive him, but I hope he gets the maximum sentence so that people can understand that all lives matter. Not only Black lives but all lives,” Darrell McCullough said.
Prosecutors said the deadly shooting, which was not drug-related, was a rare crime. In fact, no one involved had any drugs or alcohol in their system.
In court, both sides agreed the shootings were senseless. Robinson apologized to his family and the victims’ family members.
“By the time I get out, most of my family will probably be dead and gone. So I’m feeling pretty alone right now, and I know I’ll be alone in the future,” Robinson said.
The 50-year sentence was the maximum under a negotiated plea deal that the prosecution and defense agreed on.
Defense attorneys had asked the judge for a 40- or 45-year sentence because Robinson was 16 years old at the time of the murders.
Cox Media Group
