His mom’s fatal stabbing drove him to become a cop. Sixteen years later, he got a call as a suspect was being handcuff

Trey Robinson was sitting in his car eating baked fish and broccoli when his phone rang. Fresh from a morning run in Atlanta, he was parked outside a seafood restaurant after picking up his lunch. He balanced the warm takeout container on his lap, the aroma of crispy whiting filling the air as he answered the call. It was a state investigator with news Robinson had waited half his life to hear: Deputies were moving in to arrest a man they believe killed his mother 16 years ago in Douglas, Georgia. Sandra Robinson was found stabbed to death on March 17, 2010, inside a prepaid cellphone store where she worked as a manager. Her son was 17 at the time. Now 32 – the same age as his mother when she died – Robinson sat in stunned silence as he listened to the agent from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. His voice faltered as his eyes filled with tears. The investigator told him to take a moment and he’d call back shortly. His mother’s killing shattered Robinson’s life and shocked the town of 12,000 about three hours’ drive south of Atlanta. Almost overnight, Robinson became a teenage caretaker for his three younger siblings as he navigated high school and coped with grief.

Mar 18, 2026 → Mar 18, 2026