The man responsible for a gang-related shooting that killed 9-year-old Trinity Ottoson-Smith as she was jumping on a trampoline in north Minneapolis two years ago pleaded guilty to murder on Monday.
Jury selection was set to begin for D'Pree Shareef Robinson, but the 20-year-old changed his plea, waiving his right to a trial and instead agreeing to a 37½-year sentence, according to Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty.
It was a drive-by gang shooting, according to the second-degree murder charges and court filings that were to be presented by prosecutors at trial. The shooting was seen on video surveillance, which caught the license plate that tied the car used in the shooting to Robinson. He bought the vehicle three days earlier.
Trinity had been jumping on a friend's trampoline May 15, 2021, in the backyard of a home in the 2200 block of N. Ilion Avenue, directly between Robinson and the intended targets, when she was shot in the head.
Two other children were on the trampoline with her. She died in the hospital 12 days later.
"Trinity was doing what kids should be doing in spring time in Minnesota, playing with friends and having fun outside," Moriarty said in a statement. "Mr. Robinson's actions shocked our community and devastated her family and all who loved her. I'm hopeful his admission of guilt begins to bring some degree of closure for Trinity's family and the community."
She was one of three children gravely wounded or killed on the North Side in 2021 during a three-week span. . Ladavionne Garrett Jr., 10, was shot in the head April 30 while riding in a vehicle and Aniya Allen, 6, was shot in the head while riding in her mother's car. She died two days later, on May 19.
Trinity's killing is the only one that has resulted in an arrest. A reward of up to $180,000 is being offered for information in the shootings of Ladavionne and Aniya.
Robinson was booked and charged with murder nine months after the shooting in February 2022. A jury indicted him on first-degree murder in July.
According to the charges, Robinson was posting threatening communications on social media three months before the shooting with a man, identified only as W.J., who lived at the home on Ilion. Three men were on a side porch of the home when Robinson's vehicle pulled up and shots were fired. One man chased the vehicle and returned fire as it sped away. Surveillance showed that Trinity had been struck by gunfire before the retaliatory shots.
Investigators said Robinson's vehicle "vanished" after the shooting. He made three internet searches on his cellphone about changing the paint on his car, "then quit using his cellphone forever."
Robinson was dating W.J.'s sister but they had a bad breakup days before the shooting when she accused him of cheating and lying. A month after the shooting, Robinson got into a fight with a different girlfriend who called him a "child killer" eight times and said, "I hope you die for killin that lil girl."
Robinson's attorney Tyler Bliss did not immediately respond to requests for comment. According to the plea deal, Robinson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for prosecutors dropping three other charges. Because there were two other children with Trinity on the trampoline, prosecutors had been seeking a more severe sentence.
