Newly identified Pennsylvania man to stand trial in attempted homicide case in 2021

WILLIAMSPORT — A man accused nearly two months ago of seriously injuring a mother of two young children in Williamsport in 2021 has been identified and held in court.

The charges against Douglas Robinson, 22, of Williamsport, which include attempted homicide, remain sealed by a Lycoming County Court order, as does the probable cause affidavit.

However, District Attorney Thomas A. Marino said Friday after the preliminary hearing that the charges should have been unsealed and that he would take steps to make sure they did.

Other charges include aggravated and simple assault, unlawful possession of a weapon and recklessly endangering another person, he said.

The mother of children aged 2 and 5, then 25, was shot in the head in a second floor bedroom of her Maple Street apartment on October 12, 2021.

The shooting happened shortly before 8:30 p.m. as Robinson was being driven home to get his wallet after playing basketball with a friend at the YMCA.

The driver, whose name was not released at Marino's request, testified as he drove past three men standing in the street, one of them making a hand gesture like s he was shooting a gun.

Robinson replied, “I have something for them,” then fired three shots, he said. The driver, who then took Robinson home, claimed he did not know his friend had a gun.

Using anonymous tips, city police were able to identify a white Jeep seen on surveillance video circulating in the area.

When she was stopped and searched on November 23, 2021, a handgun that another man claimed to have left in the car was found on the floor of the front passenger seat, under Robinson's backpack, l City Police Officer Brittany Alexander.

Robinson was sitting in that seat that day, she said.

The gun was linked to the shooting and Robinson's DNA was among those found on the gun, the agent said.

The man who was driving Robinson on the day of the shooting claimed that shots were fired at his vehicle, but there is no evidence to support this and there were no bullet holes in the Jeep, Alexander said.

The bullet that hit the woman went through a double-glazed window, she said.

The woman had to have brain surgery, had memory loss and is still in therapy, she said. She is doing remarkably well, Marino said.

The defense presented no witnesses, but First Deputy Public Defender Jeanna Longo argued that the attempted homicide charge should be dismissed.

No evidence was presented that Robinson intended to kill the woman, she said.

She also cited prosecution testimony that Robinson commented after hearing about the woman: “I hope she pulls through.” »

The evidence showed that Robinson intended to shoot the men in the street and that intent could be transferred to the woman, Assistant District Attorney Lindsay K. Sweeley countered.

District Judge Aaron Biichle ruled there was enough evidence to hold Robinson on all counts.

This is the third high-profile case this year in Lycoming County in which a person has been arrested but whose identity and charges have been sealed.

Robinson has been incarcerated in the county jail since May 1 on $150,000 bail, but his identity was not released until Friday's hearing.

Criminal procedure rules allow charges to be sealed in extraordinary circumstances. The judges did not reveal in any of the sealed cases what met those criteria.

The first sealed case involved the double homicide of a man and woman who worked security for a private company at Lycoming Engines.

The documents were released after Troy Bennett Bailey Sr. and three others were charged in connection with the murders of Alisha Charee Seese, 37, of Williamsport, and Ronald Dailey Jr., 37, of Jersey Shore .

Documents related to the March 2 fatal shooting of a 15-year-old boy outside a restaurant Friday in suburban Williamsport in Loyalsock Township have been sealed for more than 60 days.

Johneice Francin Legare, 37, the mother of the alleged shooter, has been charged but documents detailing the allegations are sealed.

Information that her 17-year-old son is considered the suspect was revealed during the bail hearing on April 30. The teen reportedly fled to Philadelphia and was not apprehended, Marino said.