Man gets 15 to 35
years for murder . . .

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

A Frankford man who claimed he was high on drugs when he accidentally shot his girlfriend to death in front of her 3-year-old son was ordered last week to spend 15 to 35 years in state prison, and that could be just the start of his legal troubles.
Marco Robinson, 21, of Meadow Street near Duffield Street, also has two outstanding drug cases.
According to Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Selber, who prosecuted Robinson for the murder of 24-year-old Kairis Godwin, the defendant was considering pleading guilty in the drug cases, so Common Pleas Court Judge Jane Cutler Greenspan postponed his scheduled Feb. 7 murder sentencing.
Robinson did not plead guilty, however. Greenspan handed down the murder sentence on Feb. 21 following a brief and apologetic statement from the defendant.
The shooting occurred on Feb. 25, 2006, shortly before 2:30 a.m. in a third-floor apartment on Unity Street, Selber said.
According to a statement that Robinson gave to police, he pointed a gun at Godwin and fired accidentally, striking the woman under her arm. The bullet pierced her heart.
Investigators later found two guns in the apartment, including a .22-caliber revolver believed to be the murder weapon.
Godwin’s son, Kye Hurt, then 3, was also in the apartment.
Robinson wasn’t finished with the shooting, however. He subsequently dragged Godwin’s body down two flights of stairs and out into the street. Then he began to undress her, according to testimony.
A second-floor tenant in the apartment building and the landlord, who lived on the first floor, spotted Robinson. The landlord called police.
The defendant, apparently in a panic, dragged Godwin back inside. Police arrived and arrested Robinson on a warrant for one of his drug cases. While in custody, he confessed to the shooting.
A court-appointed defense attorney reportedly argued that Robinson had taken the victim outside to look for the bullet wound.
Greenspan didn’t buy the defense claim of an accidental shooting and found Robinson guilty of third-degree murder, possessing an instrument of crime and a firearms violation on Dec. 14 following a waiver trial.
As a convicted felon at the time of the shooting, Robinson was prohibited from possessing a gun. He has a prior drug-related felony conviction. As a juvenile, he was found delinquent in a robbery case.
In addition to the 15 to 35-year sentence for the murder, Greenspan ordered sentences of one to five years each, concurrent, for the two lesser convictions. ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com