A break in one of Mobile’s oldest unsolved killings could lead to a second arrest, according to the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office. The development came as the case’s first suspect, 39-year-old Jhordis Woods, appeared before a judge this week — nearly 15 years after 16-year-old Shaywanna Robinson was shot and killed during a home invasion.
How the case came back to life
Robinson was killed on August 7, 2007, inside a home on Bankhead Place in Mobile. Prosecutors say she was an innocent bystander in a targeted burglary; investigators believe two people broke into the residence and that Robinson was struck by shotgun fire during the break-in.
According to Assistant District Attorney Louis Walker, a new witness came forward and made this week’s arrest possible. The DA’s office declined to elaborate on the witness or the information provided.
What prosecutors said in court
“All of the evidence suggests there were two individuals that broke into the home that the victim was residing in,” Walker said following Woods’ video appearance before a judge. “It was an innocent 16-year-old girl that was inside the home and was killed with a shotgun.”
Prosecutors believe Woods was one of two people involved but was not the person who fired the shot. Walker praised the work of the Mobile Police Department in moving the case forward after so many years, noting that murder carries no statute of limitations.
“We wish ideally we would be able to make determinations quickly,” Walker said. “Sometimes the available evidence doesn’t come out until later.”
Woods was not granted bond because he is currently serving a federal sentence on an unrelated charge. Authorities said they hope an arrest of a second suspect will follow.