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MURDERED: Solomon Robinson
00:39:01
A young soldier, home on leave, should have been safe in his own neighborhood. Instead, 19-year-old Solomon Robinson was murdered in a park full of people — but no one has ever come forward to say what really happened. Decades later, his family is still searching for justice, and detectives are hoping someone will finally break the silence.
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- [00:01]
Ashley Flowers
Hi, crime Junkies. I'm Ashley Flowers.
- [00:03]
Britt Prawat
And I'm Britt.
- [00:04]
Ashley Flowers
And the story I have for you today is one that shouldn't even be a story that we're telling all these years later, because the murder of a young soldier home on leave was potentially witnessed by a hundred or so people. So this should be solved, put away. The problem is no one is willing to tell police what happened. But maybe that changes today. This is the story of Solomon Robinson. It's Friday, April 3, 1998, and even though it's kind of chilly at night, there is a party going on in St. Mary's park in the South Bronx, New York. There's a big crowd of people hanging out, everyone's having a good time, when Suddenly, just before 10pm, a gunshot rings out. Someone calls police telling them that a man has been shot. And within minutes, EMTs and officers from the NYPD are, are on the scene. But it is absolute chaos. I mean, people are fleeing in every direction trying to get away from whatever just happened. And a couple of guys on a green motorbike are speeding down a nearby sidewalk. I mean, true pandemonium happening here. But this particular area of the park is pretty well lit, and responders are able to find the victim easily. It's a young man laying face down on the grass near a pathway that runs past some basketball courts. Blood is soaking through his black and yellow striped jacket. And when EMTs turn him over, they realize that there is nothing they can do. They see that in addition to the gunshot wound on the left side of his chest, he has also been stabbed multiple times. And his face and neck are slashed too. The victim is declared dead at 9:50, and police secure the scene and start gathering evidence. They collect dozens of bottles and cans, remnants of the party that had been going on. And they also recover a black Nike skull cap and a wristwatch near the young man's body. What they don't find is a weapon or any shell casings left behind from the gun that was used or any identification for their victim. I mean, if he had a wallet on him, that's gone. But if robbery was the motive, his killer left behind an explosive, expensive starter jacket that the victim was still wearing. And NYP Detective Robert Klein told our reporter Nina that this particular type of jacket was often the target of robberies in the 90s. So right off the bat, they're thinking this is something else. And I'm not sure how, but even without a wallet or a license on this person, police managed to identify the victim pretty quickly. As 19 year old Solomon Robinson, affectionately known as Solo or Junie to his parents, who, police learn, live in an apartment building just outside of the park. But word travels fast here. And by the time police make it to the front door of the apartment that Solomon grew up in, his mom, Edna, has already been told the awful news. Now, investigators know this isn't the safest area. In fact, according to the New York Daily News, it is one of the most violent police precincts in the city. But Solomon's murder doesn't match the circumstances that they so often encounter. He's not in a gang, he doesn't sell drugs, and he had never been in any trouble. Actually, he had worked hard to carve out a different life for himself. Like, he joined the army last year, the year before, in August of 97, right after graduating high school. And Edna tells detectives that Solomon is a private stationed at Fort Benning in Georgia.
- [04:05]
Britt Prawat
Oh, so just live in that area anymore?
- [04:07]
Ashley Flowers
No, no, he's just home on leave for the week. So he was actually scheduled to head back to his base in, like, a couple of days. It would have been Monday, April 6, when he went back, and this time, coming home, this was his first trip home since Thanksgiving. And his parents had been so happy to see him, especially his dad, who had been dealing with some serious health issues. I mean, he was having seizures and stuff like this. The rest of his family was so happy as well. I mean, one of his brothers, Russell, who lives in Connecticut, was actually planning to come visit him the very next day. But now, instead of coming to hang out with his little brother and, you know, do whatever it is they used to do when they were younger, like, he's coming home to support his family and to try and find out what happened. And it's so heartbreaking. He said that when his mom called to tell him the news that he couldn't even understand her at first. And he thought that she was trying to tell him that his father had died. Right? Like he was the one having all the health issues. And it took him a minute to realize that she was talking about Solomon because it just seemed so incomprehensible. So Russell travels back to the Bronx with a cousin, Melody, who lives near him in Connecticut. And by the time they get there, which is the same night, Solomon's body is still in the park. And no matter how hard they try, they can hardly process what's going on. Like, again, sure, the area had a reputation, but this was Solomon's home turf. Like, he and his family knew most everyone in the area. And he'd spent countless hours playing basketball on the very courts he was killed by. I mean, he was even playing earlier that day. So they can't think of anyone who would want to do this to Solomon.
- [05:40]
Britt Prawat
So had he like still been in the park after playing basketball or was he at that party that was going on so well?
- [05:46]
Ashley Flowers
Right, that's what police want to find out. His mom tells them that she knew that he was playing basketball that afternoon, but then he came home at some point that evening. And then a friend stopped by at around 8pm and just an FYI, Detective Klein asked us to use pseudonyms for any witnesses and suspects that we discuss. You'll kind of see why later. But we're gonna call this friend that came by, Gayle. Gail. And Solomon left the apartment at around 8:30. And at the time, Edna thinks that he was gonna walk Gail somewhere, but like, that's really all she knows. And police learn that Gail is local. She lives in an apartment about a mile away. And she's actually home when they go looking for her. And she tells investigators that she and Solomon are romantically involved. But she doesn't know everything about his movements that night because yes, she did meet up with him, but after they left his parents place, they just hung outside his building with some other people for a while. And then at some point he, he being Solomon, left with someone, but Gail didn't know who. She just knew that they were going to go to the corner store. Now she says she stayed back and when they all got back, not too long after, Solomon hurried upstairs, she doesn't know where or like to what apartment or even why he seemed to be in a hurry. But when he came back down, he was wearing a jacket which he had actually borrowed from a friend who lived in the building. And presumably this is the one that he was wearing when he was killed. Now Gail says that Solomon told her he loved her and he would be back. And then he walked off in the direction of the park.
- [07:15]
Britt Prawat
So she didn't go with him?
- [07:16]
Ashley Flowers
That's what she's saying, yeah. And she says she was still hanging around with friends when she heard he'd been shot. And she said she tried to go over to the park, but with all of the cops and activity, like she couldn't even get close enough to see anything. So she just went back, hung around his building for a while, maybe hoping this was all a mistake or waiting to hear more information. But eventually she went home. A lot of details in this case are kind of fuzzy like there is no information about the identities of the people that she and Solomon were supposedly hanging out with that night in front of the building, or why she went home instead of sticking around. But whatever investigators were able to glean that maybe isn't written down in black and white for me. Like, decades later, they seemed to determine that Solomon wasn't going to that party or hanging out in the park at all. He was just passing through it.
- [08:07]
Britt Prawat
I would assume that's because he said he'd be back.
- [08:10]
Ashley Flowers
That might be why. Truly, I don't know. But if he wasn't going to the party, then where was he going, right? And why would this well liked guy with no enemies to speak of, who's just home for a few days, be the target of such a brutal attack? And if no one could tell them why, then surely someone could tell them who, right? Because there were so many people around when he was killed. So the lead detective on this case really hits the streets. Hard to canvas. And just a quick aside, because I can't not tell you this, and it kind of has nothing to do with the case except, like, I mean, it kind of does. Like, the lead detective's name is Loser Lane.
- [08:51]
Britt Prawat
That. No, that can't be his real name.
- [08:54]
Ashley Flowers
Dude. Not only is it his real name, like, we. I mean, I obviously have like, 45 follow up questions. We found out Loser has an older brother. Do you even want to guess what his older brother's name is?
- [09:06]
Britt Prawat
I don't even know what kind of person names their child Loser. I can't even begin to guess.
- [09:11]
Ashley Flowers
His brother's name is Winner. No. I don't know if this was like a social experiment or what, but according to an article in the Chicago Tribune, their dad let their sister pick Loser's name and that's what she chose. And then they actually, like, went with it. And what I think is so ironic and why I like, say this, is this a social experiment, is that Loser was this great student, he was this athlete who went on to become a respected NYPD investigator.
- [09:35]
Britt Prawat
I forget his name.
- [09:36]
Ashley Flowers
While Winner became this small time crook and was arrested dozens of times. And I could literally talk about this all day long.
- [09:43]
Britt Prawat
Yeah, I'm now obsessed with this.
- [09:44]
Ashley Flowers
We have to get back to this case. But you're going to hear me say, potentially Loser. I'm just going to call him Detective Lane. So Detective Lane, or Lou, as the guys call him, he's out canvassing with other investigators, but they're just hitting like wall after wall after wall, trying to get anyone to talk is like pulling teeth. Like, no one wants to be labeled a snitch. And the statements they do get are kind of all over the place. Like, they hear Solomon was attacked by three or four people. Some describe the perpetrators as light skinned Hispanic men. But, like, the details even there are, like, shaky at best. Like, maybe one had a limp, maybe one was wearing a tan jacket. Maybe it was the guys that were on the green dirt bike thing, whatever. Driving near the park after the gunshots. Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe. But, like, all of these maybes go nowhere. Police do get excited for a minute when they catch wind of a rumor that someone actually videotaped the party. But no one can say who might have taken the video. And it seems like almost every time they identify someone who was supposed to have been at this party, that person has a suspiciously perfect alibi and was definitely not at the park when the shots rang out. If you go by the statements that detectives were getting, I mean, it seems like no one was at the park when Solomon was actually killed, which we know isn't true. And speaking of the party, they hear it was held to celebrate a woman's birthday. But when they track her down, she completely denies that it was her party at all.
- [11:12]
Britt Prawat
So they're basically like chasing smoke at every turn.
- [11:15]
Ashley Flowers
Exactly. I mean, this is true even of some of the people that Solomon was, like, closest with. Like, when they go interview Gail as soon, second time, all of a sudden, she has a new story for them. Now, Gail says that she met up with her good friend Solomon, and then he went to the corner store to get a drink, and that's the last time she saw him.
- [11:38]
Britt Prawat
I'm sorry. Good friend.
- [11:40]
Ashley Flowers
Just friends now. Although she adds that he was maybe hoping for something more, but, like, that wasn't going to happen because she tells them she's actually dating another service member. Someone that Solomon maybe knows.
- [11:51]
Britt Prawat
I'm sorry, who?
- [11:52]
Ashley Flowers
Like, no one that was around. Like, the guy that she is supposedly dating is stationed at a base in Colorado at the time. And if anyone was wondering, Gale assures police, like, nope, there's no tension between the two men.
- [12:04]
Britt Prawat
So all that stuff about him, like rushing upstairs, getting the jacket going back out, like, all of that in her.
- [12:09]
Ashley Flowers
Story is just gone from how the police report reads. Yes. And listen, investigators had already kind of been doubting the truthfulness of her account before she changed the details around. Cause her story, like, the sequence of events, like, it just didn't make much sense to them. But now they're really wondering what her deal is. And this kind of throws the whole narrative into question. Let's say that Solomon was actually walking to the store that Gail mentioned the last time she saw him. He wouldn't have needed to go into the park at all to get there. Like, it was right down the street from him. And police don't seem to think that a wallet was taken off Solomon. They don't think that he had one on him that night. So no wallet, no money.
- [12:55]
Britt Prawat
How could he buy some?
- [12:56]
Ashley Flowers
Exactly. Like, if he was going to go to the store, like, he didn't go prepared. Solomon's brother, Russell, and their cousin Melody, they think that the whole corner store story is bogus. And they actually have a completely different theory about where Solomon was maybe going. They think that he was walking Gael somewhere that night. Somewhere that, to get there, would have taken them through the park, which is.
- [13:21]
Britt Prawat
What his mom, Edna originally thought. Right?
- [13:24]
Ashley Flowers
Right.
- [13:25]
Britt Prawat
And if Gale's lying and she actually was with Solomon when he was killed, I mean, that's not just an eyewitness. It's like an essential eyewitness, right?
- [13:34]
Ashley Flowers
Maybe. Right. Detectives think probably. But for whatever reason, she's not admitting to that. So was he going to the store? Had he already gone to the store and then went into the park? Like, who was he with? I don't know. But this shows just how many lies and half truths detectives were getting even from the people who claimed to care about Solomon. Now, meanwhile, while they're doing all of this canvassing, the autopsy is done. And that reveals just how vicious this attack truly was. The medical examiner finds four stab wounds in his back, each one at least three inches deep. They find another on his hip, but those actually weren't what killed him. It was the single gunshot that proved fatal. It tore through his heart, through his left lung and his stomach. When they recover the bullet, they find it's aluminum jacketed. So it's either a 9 millimeter or a.38 caliber. It's actually another one of his injuries that really catches their attention. He has I mentioned, a slash across his face. So this slash starts at one corner of his mouth and stretches all the way past the other side. Picture something like the markings of, like, Heath Ledger's Joker in the Dark Knight.
- [14:47]
Britt Prawat
Okay.
- [14:48]
Ashley Flowers
And that cut is what's known as a buck 50, and the name comes from the 150. So stitches that it takes to actually close it up. And police recognized this immediately as a hallmark of gang violence.
- [15:01]
Britt Prawat
But that doesn't make any sense. Like, Solomon wasn't in a gang.
- [15:05]
Ashley Flowers
No, he wasn't but detectives are thinking that his killer or killers might be. So over the next few months, they cast a wide net, looking into all sorts of criminal activity happening in the area. They investigate a local drug sales operation to see if maybe there's any connection there. And every time they make a nearby arrest and confiscate a weapon, they request ballistics testing to compare it to the bullet that killed Solomon. They even look into recent robberies around the park, despite not believing that Solomon's murder was about theft.
- [15:36]
Britt Prawat
So they're basically hoping to catch these guys for something else and then connect it back to Solomon.
- [15:40]
Ashley Flowers
That's their best bet, because nothing else is moving this case forward. They process dozens of bottles and cans from the park. They're looking for fingerprints, but every time they come up empty, they even get the story featured on TV. And they managed to get a $10,000 reward approved for information. But none of that helped either. So they're hoping that something else, some other crime, might be the thing that gives them a lead. And that is exactly what happens. But not until, like, eight months after his murder in January of 1999. That's when Detective Lane gets a promising lead from a Bronx narcotics officer who tells him that during a drug arrest a few days earlier, they took someone into custody. I'm going to call this guy Frank. And Frank indicates that he has some information about Solomon's homicide. So detectives go visit him in jail on a Tuesday. This is January 12th. And he gives them a detailed account of what he says happened that night. He tells them that he was outside of a building that overlooks the park, and he saw Solomon Robinson walking through with a couple of young women. Now, meanwhile, two men were walking in the opposite direction. And when their paths intersected, one of them called out to Solomon, telling him, come here. Solomon stepped back, and Frank then heard gunshots. And then a second man cut Solomon with a knife while the shooter just, like, stood by watching. And then after that, both of the attackers left on foot. And listen, this is better than just Frank telling them what happened. He is able to tell them who did it. A pair of cousins who we're gonna call John and William. Now, there's some confusion over who was the shooter, who was the stabber. Police reports refer to William by a specific nickname, but they. The nickname that they used was actually John's nickname. So it's not clear who allegedly did what during this attack. Now, of course, Frank isn't a perfect witness by any means. Like, not only is he in jail, but some of his Information is, like, iffy, Right. Like, he claims he heard four shots. We only know Solomon was shot once.
- [17:54]
Britt Prawat
But, I mean, it could have been more. When people were calling 911, did they say one shot or like, shots?
- [18:01]
Ashley Flowers
No. So actually, I'm pretty sure the call that got called in was for shots fired. But I also know that's a general dispatch code that they use. So it's like not a description necessarily of what happened. And I don't know the words that the caller used. I haven't actually heard the call. So all of that tbd, there's another issue. Even though we got a lot of, like, maybe this, maybe that. Statements from people early on in the attack, like, pretty much every witness account did say that the men who killed Solomon were Hispanic. William and John are not Hispanic. They're black.
- [18:31]
Britt Prawat
Mm. But it's not uncommon for witness accounts to be off, especially in what seems like a really chaotic situation. Like, this was. Right.
- [18:38]
Ashley Flowers
Yeah, yeah. With big crowds stuff, for sure. I mean, there were a ton of people running around that night after the attack. I mean, it's possible that someone was seeing Hispanic men, like, running off and like, maybe that's what added to the mix up. But, like, it doesn't matter to Frank. Frank's like, listen, I saw it and I know the guys. Like, there is no confusion here. And by the way, if you don't trust me, good news. I wasn't alone. He says there's another witness who can back him up. Frank says this other person saw the murder with him. And this was a 15 year old girl that will call Brenda. Now, Brenda actually lives in the building that Frank was at when the murder took place. And according to Frank, they witnessed it together while they were smoking on Brenda's fire escape or, like, roof or something. So as soon as they're done talking to Frank, police go right to Brenda's apartment to speak with her. And they get a little creative with their approach. They don't tell her that Frank gave them her name. They actually tell her they know she saw Solomon get killed because they have surveillance video of her on the fire escape. Now, the bluff works, and her account is very similar to Frank's. She tells investigators that her mom doesn't know she smokes cigarettes, so she was sneaking one on their fire escape, which gave her a clear view of the park. She says she saw Solomon walking with two girls, and at the same time she saw John and William. They're like, leaving the handball courts, which are like, right next to the basketball courts. Their paths cross and somehow the situation escalated quickly, like, into murder.
- [20:15]
Britt Prawat
Does Brenda mention Frank at all? Like, is he part of her narrative, her story?
- [20:20]
Ashley Flowers
She tells detectives that she and Frank were in the park earlier that day smoking weed. But I don't know if she says anything about, like, them being on the fire escape together when Solomon was killed. Like, it's not clear from her written statement.
- [20:31]
Britt Prawat
Okay, so what about the girls that Solomon was with? Did Frank or Brenda describe them? Like, was one of them Gale?
- [20:40]
Ashley Flowers
So there's no description in the report of her statement, so I can't say for sure. But, I mean, like, I know police were highly suspicious that one of them was Gayle. Right. But real quick, let me tell you more about John and William, because as investigators dig into their backgrounds, they realize that they have a lot of reasons to be suspicious of these two, more than just these statements. Now, they can't find any indication that either of them knew Solomon, although there's certainly a chance of that because John lived practically across the street from him. But both men have criminal records dating back to the early 90s, including drug charges. And more importantly, both men have rumored ties to the Nine Trey gangsters, which is a set of the United Blood Nation, which is basically like an east coast version of the Bloods. Get trying to get most, like, mainstream as I can. And this is separate from the original gang on the West Coast.
- [21:32]
Britt Prawat
Got it.
- [21:33]
Ashley Flowers
So this really catches law enforcement's attention because getting initiated into a West coast blood set typically involves targeting a rival gang. But the United Blood Nation, including its subset 9 trade gangsters, were known for going after non gang members. And their preferred method of attack was a buck 50 that, like, facial slash that we know Solomon had.
- [21:57]
Britt Prawat
But if these guys were already in a gang, why would they need to do some kind of initiation?
- [22:04]
Ashley Flowers
Well, investigators believe that it might not have been about joining, but maybe about moving up the ranks. Oh, and I. I had to get, like, a whole crash course on this from the detectives. But basically, gang hierarchies can be complex, and sometimes members have to prove themselves to gain more status or more responsibility within the organization. And this kind of attack, this is exactly the signature that these guys were known for. Obviously, this is all promising, but there is a big problem. Brenda refuses to cooperate further. Like, she just completely shuts down.
- [22:38]
Britt Prawat
I mean, she's probably scared, probably terrified.
- [22:42]
Ashley Flowers
I mean, I would be, too. But with their key witness unwilling to move forward, the investigation is at a stage standstill. And just like that, the momentum that they had built up just disappears. And the case Goes cold for years.
- [22:58]
Britt Prawat
Wait, don't they still have Frank? Why can't they use him?
- [23:01]
Ashley Flowers
I think it comes down to credibility issues. Like, Brenda's not in jail, right? Like, she doesn't have any charges looming. With the two of them together, there could be a strong narrative to build, but, like, if you just have Frank.
- [23:14]
Britt Prawat
Without her, it's kind of like they.
- [23:16]
Ashley Flowers
Don'T feel like they can move forward.
- [23:17]
Britt Prawat
Yeah.
- [23:18]
Ashley Flowers
So they let some time go by during which Frank gets out of jail, doesn't exactly stay out of trouble. A probation violation, gets an arrest warrant put out on him. So he's like MIA Trying to fly under the radar. When detectives on Solomon's case decide, like, hey, we should stir this up again, they go looking for him in 2005. Again, they don't find him. But on May 25, 2006, police finally arrest him. And less than two weeks later, the homicide task force gets an unexpected call from Rikers Island. It's Frank. And he is ready to cooperate on Solomon's case, even if he doesn't get anything in return. Now, he says he's only been dodging them because he thought that they were just trying to, like, trick him into getting arrested on the warrant he had. Like, that's why he was dodging the homicide guys. But now that he's locked up anyway, like, he's, like, might as well talk. Now, his story's the same, but this time he confirms what was only suspected before. According to Frank, John and William were both Bloods members, and he says that they sold crack in the neighborhood, but they still have the same problems they had years ago. Like, Frank's in jail. It doesn't feel super credible to put him out on his own. And though they track Brenda down and her story is the same, she is still too afraid to talk. She even thinks that someone might be watching her. Like, bottom line is, she's not gonna work with them. So without Brenda, they got nothing that's gonna stand up through a full trial. And with no one else coming forward, nothing happens again on this case for years. And as you can imagine, I mean, NYPD has new cases coming in every single day.
- [24:54]
Britt Prawat
Yeah, I mean, I've watched Law and Order. They all come with that little, like, headline of where it is, what's happening, what time it is, and it's, like, constant.
- [25:02]
Ashley Flowers
They're, like. They're one of the busiest precincts. Yeah, the more and more that come in, the deeper and deeper. Solomon's case file falls to some old cabinet or drawer filled with other Old files on other old cases. But in 2022, Detective Klein, who's with the Bronx Homicide Squad, stumbles across Solomon's case while going through some of those old files. And it catches his eye right away, because Klein spent seven years in the army, and he and Solomon were actually in boot camp at the same time, although they never actually met. And he can't stand the thought of a fellow soldier's murder going unsolved. And as he flips through the file, he sees potential. The witnesses who ID'd the killers are still alive, as are the potential killers themselves. And when he reaches out to a retired investigator who worked the case, that guy tells him he thinks it's solvable, too. Klein thinks if he can track down Frank again and somehow convince Brenda to finally cooperate, they might have enough to finally charge these guys. Maybe whatever fear was keeping people silent back then has faded away. Maybe now they can even develop some new witnesses who were too scared to come forward before. And Detective Klein knows exactly where he wants to start. Not with Brenda, not with Frank, but with Gale. All these years later, when Klein interviews her at her job In September of 2022, she sticks to the part of her story that basically has her not with Solomon when he's being killed. But this time around, she admits that they were romantically involved, like she told police the very first time.
- [26:41]
Britt Prawat
Right. We're back to that.
- [26:42]
Ashley Flowers
Yes. And unfortunately, she can't or won't explain any of the contradictory statements that she's made in the past. Her story is, she wasn't with him. She knows nothing. So, sorry. The end.
- [26:55]
Britt Prawat
This is, like, beyond frustrating to me. I feel like all the puzzle pieces are right there, right here, and nobody wants to help put them together.
- [27:05]
Ashley Flowers
I know. It's like, it's gonna take so much work. And Klein keeps digging. He's willing to put in the work. He sees a way to break through the wall of silence. And he thinks the way to do that is with the help of the feds. The NYPD and the FBI have this joint task force that targets violent crimes and gang activity. Basically, they take cases that meet certain criteria, like potential gang involvement, and they look to charge them federally. The task force had already successfully closed some other cold cases, so it wasn't difficult to get them on board. For Solomons around 2023. And this opens up a whole lot of new doors. Because suddenly the stakes are way higher for everyone involved. L. Federal agents is a separate crime all on its own. And with the weight of federal charges and mandatory minimums looming, not to mention a high conviction rate. Witnesses tend to get a lot more fearful and as a result, a lot more cooperative. They can also use evidence that state prosecutors probably wouldn't touch, like certain hearsay statements or testimony from co conspirators. So Klein is deputized as a federal agent, which gives him the same authority. And right away, he sees the difference when they go re interview Frank. So they pull him into a car for questioning. And once Frank realizes that the FBI is involved, his whole narrative changes. He confesses that he didn't actually see Solomon get killed.
- [28:35]
Britt Prawat
What?
- [28:36]
Ashley Flowers
Mm.
- [28:37]
Britt Prawat
Why on earth would he make that up?
- [28:39]
Ashley Flowers
So he was hoping for a deal. You see, he says the real truth. What he's telling them now is that just Brenda saw it. He and Brenda had spent the earlier part of the day together. He had sold her some weed. But by the time Solomon was killed, he, being Frank, had already left. Brenda filled him in on what she saw that night. And when he got arrested on drug charges back in early 99, he needed.
- [29:06]
Britt Prawat
A story to use as, like, leverage, right?
- [29:09]
Ashley Flowers
So he passed the story off as his own.
- [29:11]
Britt Prawat
So wait, did no one ask Brenda if he was there, like, about Frank's, like, witnessing of it?
- [29:19]
Ashley Flowers
This is the bonkers part. Not that I can tell. Remember, they, like, told her because they wanted to get.
- [29:24]
Britt Prawat
They left him out of the story completely. And so did she.
- [29:28]
Ashley Flowers
Right? So she, like, they were, like, completely leaving out how they got her name in the first place. So they just came at her like, we know you know, which. Which ended up working. But, like, I don't think anyone ever circled back and, like, brought up Frank.
- [29:38]
Britt Prawat
Again or brought up that Frank wasn't in her story.
- [29:42]
Ashley Flowers
But it sure comes up now when they interview her again, this time at FBI headquarters in Florida, where she had moved. At some point, she tells them she was with Frank earlier that day, but she doesn't remember him being with her when Solomon was killed. And unlike Frank, she sticks to her account of what happened that night. She Even IDs William is the shooter from a photo array. Although, again, she calls him by John's nickname. So no help clearing that up for me. But she's still not willing to cooperate further. So of the two key witnesses they had, one never actually saw anything, isn't a witness. The other won't budge when it comes to working with police.
- [30:24]
Britt Prawat
Has anyone attempted to talk to John and William yet?
- [30:28]
Ashley Flowers
No. And not because they don't want to. They just want to be strategic about it.
- [30:34]
Britt Prawat
They want to know exactly how they want to go in before they go in.
- [30:37]
Ashley Flowers
Yeah, and they don't have enough probable cause to make an arrest, so I don't think they want to tip their hand. But Detective Klein has this idea, and it involves this other unsolved murder that he's been working. It's the murder of a young woman named Shawna Brown. You see, a couple of months after Solomon was killed, Shawna's body was found in the lobby of a project building just outside of St. Mary's Park. Park. There was duct tape wrapped around her neck, and she was naked and, like, in the fetal position. Although, according to the New York Daily News, there was no sign of sexual assault. What is odd is that Shawna was from East Harlem, and she had zero connection to the building that she was found in. Police theorized that she was killed somewhere else and then left there afterward. Now, long story short, there was this note in Solomon's file that Klein had come across, basically suggesting that William had something to do with Shawna's murder. Now, Detective Klein doesn't believe that he already has a strong suspect in mind for her case, but he sees this as an opportunity. Like, if he can get William talking about Shawna's case, like, as a potential witness, maybe he can steer the conversation toward Solomon. Like, it's a long shot, but, like, what else have they got? At this point, anything is worth trying. So when he goes talk to him, William is talkative at first. He even identifies a suspect for them. In Shawna's case, it's actually the same guy who is already the prime suspect for Klein. But then William goes further and says that same person, by the way, is responsible for other murders, including that guy that was killed in the park next to a bench, which seems like he's referring to Solomon. And Detective Klein can hardly believe it because nobody, and I mean nobody. Had ever connected that particular suspect to Solomon's murder before. So decline. It seems like William is, like, deliberately trying to divert attention away from himself by throwing someone else's name out there.
- [32:37]
Britt Prawat
While you're talking to me, let me tell you that this other person is also connected to this other case you haven't even talked about yet.
- [32:43]
Ashley Flowers
Yeah, and the thing, like, when I say no one, like, brought up him in the other case, no one actually brought up Solomon at all. Like, when he's talking to William, it's not like he. He didn't even get to the part yet where he was going to, like, try and resolve.
- [32:54]
Britt Prawat
He wasn't even, like, in his plan.
- [32:56]
Ashley Flowers
Completely unprompted. So Detective Klein Tries to persuade William to come in and, like, give an official statement, but even though he agrees to, he never actually does. And they, like, keep trying to reach him by phone to urge him to come in, but he ignores all of their calls. And when investigators go knocking on his door, things get strange. William has this whole, like, surveillance system set up, and he texts Klein a picture of Klein standing outside of William's door. That's creepy, I know. All in all, his cooperation was short lived. But police will not give up. They have been doing what they can to keep Solomon's story in the public eye. They've papered St. Mary's park with posters about the case. They've been pushing for more media coverage. And recently, behind the scenes, they've begun to pursue new forensic testing, taking advantage of technological advances that weren't there when Solomon was originally killed. All of these efforts are crucial because even though investigators are pretty confident that they have the right people in their crosshairs, like, you know, if the detectives theories are correct, both William and John could be charged with Solomon's murder. But there are still key details they need to piece together before they can even try to move ahead with any charges.
- [34:22]
Britt Prawat
Would they both get charged with murder? Or just one of them? Since it was technically like the bullet, like the gunshot that killed him. And the one who shot him could be charged with murder versus the one who stabbed him.
- [34:33]
Ashley Flowers
No, legally, they share responsibility for what happened. So even though the bullet is what technically killed Solomon, the law considers even the stabbard just as culpable since that person was there participating in the assault.
- [34:45]
Britt Prawat
Got it.
- [34:46]
Ashley Flowers
If there's ever evidence that they planned it beforehand, they could be also facing conspiracy charges. This all applies at the federal level, too. And if gang activity was involved, racketeering charges might come into play. What it boils down to is that if investigators can show that these two acted together, they could both be held accountable for Solomon's murder, regardless of who did what. But of course, one of them could flip on the other. And I have to imagine if it gets to that point, it'll be like a whoever talks first gets the better deal sort of thing. But Solomon's family has been waiting for answers for more than 27 years. And the uncertainty has taken its toll. I mean, just a year after he was killed, Solomon's parents packed up. They left New York for South Carolina, his mom Edna's home state. They couldn't bear to stay in the area any longer. Like every street corner, every familiar place was just a reminder of their loss Both of Solomon's parents have since passed away without ever seeing anyone held accountable for their son's death. And one of Solomon's brothers, Stephen, passed away too. But his other brother, Russell, and his cousin Melody are still the ones out there fighting for justice today. And they miss Solomon, his fun loving personality and his kind heart. They wish they could have seen what he would have made of himself because they are sure he would have gone really far. Like he had such big dreams and he wanted to continue his education. He wanted to buy a house for his folks. But instead, his loved ones are left with just 19 years worth of memories and so many questions. Now, despite his dedication to Solomon's case, the detective who's been living and breathing it for the past few years won't be the one to see it through to the end. Klein actually retired right as we were finishing up our reporting on this story. The investigation has transferred to one of Klein's partners, but he knows how important it is to Klein. So I don't think that he's going to be putting it on the back burner anytime soon, but saying that like, what I also want to say is like, police need help to solve this. Solomon Robinson served his country only to be betrayed by someone in his own community. And there are people out there, probably a lot of people, who know something. Maybe you're one of them. Maybe you've been holding onto a piece of the puzzle all these years, thinking it doesn't matter or that coming forward now won't make a difference. But it very well might. And the FBI is offering up to a $25,000 reward for information leading to the identity, arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible for Solomon's murder. So if you know anything about what happened in St. Mary's park in the Bronx on the night of Friday, April 3rd, 1998, please contact the NYPD Crimestoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS. You can also reach out to your local FBI office or submit a tip online completely anonymous. We'll have all of this information on our website and in the show Notes Foreign. You can find all the source material for this episode on our website, crimejunkiepodcast.com.
- [38:11]
Britt Prawat
You can also follow us on Instagram @crimejunkiepodcast.
- [38:14]
Ashley Flowers
We'll be back next week with a brand new episode. Crime Junkie is an audio Chuck production. So what do you think, Chuck? Do you approve.