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A Texas man has been sentenced to life in prison after he shot and killed his Black neighbor because he was upset about toys left on the sidewalk in front of his apartment.
Edward Murray was found guilty of murdering Antonio Robinson, a 39-year-old father of three. He was sentenced last week to life in prison and handed down a $10,000 fine at the 485th District Court in Tarrant County, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
The shooting stemmed from a conflict between Murray and Robinson over children's toys left on a sidewalk that connected the doors of their apartments in Fort Worth. According to Ashley Lacy, the mother of Robinson's children, Murray would call the kids racial slurs when encountering the toys on the sidewalk.
Lacy said the backyard of the apartment was understood to be Murray's space while the front was used by Robinson's family and children.
In September 2020, Murray saw a children's ball on the sidewalk before he got a gun from inside his home and shot Robinson three times. Robinson was taken to a hospital where he later died.
Robinson and Lacy weren't armed and didn't make physical contact with Murray when he fatally shot his neighbor. Murray expressed regret over the shooting as he was handed down a life sentence.
“I feel sorry for the family and the kids,” Murray said in court. “I’m sorry that I let this happen. It’s not about me. It’s about everybody else that I hurt.”
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