SAN ANTONIO – Charles Robnett, 20, will spend the rest of his life in prison after a $50 drug deal turned into a capital murder trial.
During closing arguments Monday, Assistant District Attorney Gretchen Flader pointed to Robnett, who was seated just 10 feet away in Judge Frank Castro’s 399th District Court courtroom and said, ”He is a killer, and he is guilty of capital murder.”
20-year-old man found guilty in fatal shooting during drug deal
Robnett was 18 years old when he and two other teens set up a marijuana “buy” with Barnhardt, 20, on a northeast Bexar County street on Oct. 16, 2017.
But according to the testimony from one of the teens, Michael Aguilar, the plan was not to buy the marijuana. They planned to steal it from him.
Aguilar testified against Robnett as part of a plea agreement. He plead guilty to aggravated robbery charges in exchange for a prison term not to exceed 10 years.
“Ten years! Are you kidding me?” defense attorney Loraine Efron argued. “They must have been so worried about their case that they made that deal.”
Aguilar told the jury on Tuesday that he saw Robnett aim his gun at Barnhardt, and as Aguilar turned to run with the marijuana, he heard nine shots.
Another teenager who was part of the robbery plan, Emmanuel Herrera, is also accused of capital murder. He also fired several shots into Barnhardt’s car, according to Aguilar.
Though this was a capital murder trial, the state did not seek the death penalty for Robnett.
The guilty verdict means that he will serve a life sentence without the possibility of parole.