HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) – After a jury convicted Anthony Eugene Robinson, known as the “Shopping Cart Killer,” of first-degree murder in January, Robinson’s sentencing was delayed during a hearing in Rockingham Circuit Court on Wednesday.
Robinson was found guilty in January on the following counts:
- Two counts of first-degree murder
- Two counts of concealing a body
- Two counts of aggravated murder
Robinson’s sentencing was originally scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. However, since Robinson’s jury trial, one of his defense attorneys, Louis Nagy, has become a judge for the 26th Judicial District, which covers the cities of Harrisonburg and Winchester as well as Rockingham, Shenandoah, Page, Warren, Clarke and Frederick Counties.
Robinson’s counsel attempted to set aside the verdict Wednesday, but the judge denied the motion. In their arguments, the defense told the judge that Marsha Garst, the commonwealth’s attorney, had used “inflammatory statements” that had a lasting impact in the jury’s mind when deliberation came. Scott Hanson, an attorney who represented Robinson during the trial, argued 40-minute turnaround for the jury’s verdict with resounding support for four life sentences was evidence resulting from the “inflammatory statements.”…