Robin Howington: Woman charged with murder after she blamed son, 2, and others in 5-year-old girl's death

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KNOX COUNTY, TENNESSEE: A Knox County jury commenced hearing testimony on Monday, March 4, 2024, regarding the 2019 death of a 5-year-old girl, a case in which the perpetrator's identity remains uncertain.

The victim, Destiny Olive, was shot and killed on September 19, 2019, as per 10 News.

Robin Howington, 41, is facing charges in Knox County Criminal Court related to the felony murder of her daughter Destiny Oliver. 

Alongside the felony murder charge, which implies a killing occurring during the perpetration of another felony, Howington has also been charged with aggravated child neglect, evidence tampering, making a false report, and attempted evidence tampering.

What happened in the courtroom?

Prosecutors Franklin Ammons and Ashley McDermott said that Howington lied to the police many times after the child was shot in the chest. 

She reportedly blamed different people for pulling the trigger, like a stranger, her daughter's father, and even her 2-year-old son. 

When she found out her daughter had died at the hospital, she asked a woman in the restroom to get rid of her cell phone. 

This shows she was trying to avoid the police. They found messages about selling drugs on her phone. 

Ammons said Howington's gun was used to kill Destiny, and she tried to hide the gun outside the house after the shooting. 

He said Howington never admitted what she did. "She is tossing everything she can out there," he told the jurors.

What did the defense attorney report?

Defense attorney Mike Whalen argued that on the night of the shooting, Howington was deeply affected by her past trauma, experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder from a previous assault. He said she wasn't thinking clearly.

Whalen asked the jury if they would make rational decisions in her situation.

He described the incident as an accidental shooting, a tragedy within the family. Whalen suggested that Howington's young son, who was 2.5 years old at the time, might have grabbed the gun and accidentally shot his sister.

According to lawyers, Howington had texted a friend about this after the shooting. When she called 911 that night, her young son could be heard crying in the background.

The trial in Judge Scott Green's courtroom is expected to take the whole week.

Robin Howington blamed three different people for the shooting

According to the Knoxville News Sentinel and her indictment, she said a stranger came in and shot Destiny before leaving in a black Chrysler 300. 

The second time, she told the police that Destiny's father shot the child directly in the chest during an argument between them, as per People.

She reportedly said that the child's father left in a white Chrysler 300, according to the indictment.

During the search after the shooting, police found a gun hidden in a bush near Howington's home.

Police then said that she told them her boyfriend, who is not Destiny's father, hid the gun there. But investigators got a video from a neighbor which showed Howington hiding the gun.

Detectives showed her the video, and she supposedly admitted hiding the gun in the bush after cleaning it. 

She said she did it to protect her 2-year-old son, who had found the gun in a closet and accidentally shot his sister.