Alleged 'shopping cart' serial killer Anthony Robinson in custody in Virginia, police say
FAIRFAX, Va. (7News) — A D.C. man known as the "shopping cart killer" — an alleged serial killer in Virginia — is in custody after authorities believe they have linked four murders to him. And there could be more victims.
The announcement comes after a body was found in a wooded area in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County earlier this week. The suspect serial killer, 35-year-old Anthony Eugene Robinson of Washington, D.C., was charged with two recent homicides in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
"We're here today to talk about a serial killer — and that is a phrase that I've used sparingly in my three decades in this profession," said Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis.
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Police say the bodies of four victims have been found since August in the commonwealth. They are now looking to identify more victims.
WATCH THE POLICE PRESS CONFERENCE BELOW:
Human remains were found Wednesday, Dec. 15 in an isolated wooded area near a Target shopping cart in the 2400 block of Fairhaven Avenue in northern Virginia. The woman is believed to be 29-year-old Cheyenne Brown. Although police said they don't have 100% identification yet, they believe a tattoo on the woman's body identifies her. One other female victim remains unidentified.
"The reason why we're not waiting to share this information, waiting until we get positive 100% DNA or dental verification... is because we believe that there may be other victims in the area and throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. And we need to act now," Davis said.
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WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE ALLEGED "SHOPPING CART KILLER"
Authorities say the suspect found his victims on dating sites and then met them at area motels. He met at least two victims at the Moon Inn, located in the 6100 Richmond Highway in Fairfax County.
Davis said he then inflicted trauma on his victims, before killing them.
"He transports their bodies to their final resting place literally in a shopping cart," Davis added.
"He's a predator as all serial killers are and it's our collective effort in law enforcement to do everything we can with each other and with the community to identify other places where he has been so we can bring closure and ultimately justice," Davis added. "Our shopping cart killer does unspeakable things with his victims."
"We believe he's responsible for these four deaths. But what else is he responsible for?" Davis asked.
Robinson has addresses linked to him as far north as New York to Prince George's County to Washington D.C.
"We know he's obviously traveled all the way down to Harrisonburg. But where else has he been? Where else has he laid his head? Where else has he worked? Who does he know and all the jurisdictions in between?" Davis asked.
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Davis said Robinson has a "remarkable absence" of criminal history. He is described as transient and having many jobs over the years.
"That's why we're gonna need help from family, friends, associates, employers, neighbors, anyone who can shed a little bit of light on Anthony Robinson's profile," he said.
At this time, police are looking at cases back two or three months, but they said they just don't know how far back the cases may go.
"That's what worries us. You know, he didn't suddenly turn into who he is three months ago," Davis said. "So that's why we're painstakingly going through his whereabouts, his relationships, his employment history to figure out if in fact there are other victims, and like Major Carroll said he may have had interactions with women that he's met on these dating sites who have for whatever reason know something about him."
TIMELINE: HOW POLICE LINKED THE CASES
Harrisonburg Police reported two missing women were found dead on Nov. 23. The bodies of 54-year-old Allene Elizabeth “Beth” Redmon of Harrisonburg and 39-year-old Tonita Lorice Smith of Charlottesville were found in an undeveloped lot near Linda Lane. The women's bodies were found near each other but their deaths occurred at different times.
Harrisonburg Police Chief Kelley Warner said Friday cell phone records and video surveillance linked Robinson to the women's murders.
Robinson was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two felony counts of concealing, transporting or altering a dead body in those two homicides. He is currently being held at a Rockingham County jail on those charges.
On Nov. 30, Metropolitan Police reached out to Harrisonburg Major Crimes Division to note that Robinson was the last known contact for the missing person they were investigating. Through cell phone records, police learned the missing person and Robinson made contact near the Moon Inn.
Then Fairfax County Police also reached out to Harrisonburg on the case.
"So then we began at this coordinated effort to track down more victims, unfortunately, that was at the hands of this shopping cart killer," Warner said.
Major Ed O’Carroll of the Crimes/Cyber and Forensics Bureau in Fairfax said on Dec. 7, D.C. police reached out to Fairfax County police to help find Brown, the missing 29-year-old. Detectives learned Brown took the Metro from D.C. to the Huntington station on Sept. 30. She never returned.
Digital data showed Brown was at the Moon Inn on the night of her disappearance. With the help of a cadaver dog, detectives searched for Brown but couldn't find her.
As police departments started working together on the case, they reached out to Metro Transit Police Department and found video surveillance showing Brown at the Huntington Metro station on Sept. 30.
"We authorized a search warrant executed for cellular data we received it immediately confirming that Miss Brown and the suspect were at the same location on September 30," O'Carroll said.
Then two days ago, police went back to the Moon Inn to expand their original search. After learning the suspect allegedly disposed of his victims' bodies using a shopping cart, they spotted one in a wooded area off Route 1. Beside the red Target shopping cart was a container. When they looked inside, police found human remains. Those remains are believed to be Brown. Police said they found another individuals' remains inside the container. Although they have some leads on who it may be, the body was in such a bad stage of decomposition it may take time.
"We believe him to be involved in the death of these two additional innocent victims," O'Carroll said.
HOW YOU CAN HELP THE POLICE ON THIS CASE
Police are now looking for leads in this case and possibly more victims. They are asking anyone with additional information to call Fairfax County Police Department Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800. Tips can also be submitted anonymously by calling 1-866-411-TIPS.
"Justice will prevail and the offender will be held accountable for what he did," O'Carroll added.
Police say they are scanning through missing persons cases to see if any other victims might match the profile.
"So it's going to be a real thoughtful, thorough effort. Because we need to work again with the jurisdictions to see if any other missing persons meets the profile that we're establishing here for killer's profile and MO and all those types of things," Davis added.
