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Trial continues for man accused of killing one man and injuring 5 others

2 hours 5 minutes 35 seconds ago Thursday, January 22 2026 Jan 22, 2026 January 22, 2026 6:07 PM January 22, 2026 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - On Thursday, attorneys in the case of Michael Robinson, accused of killing Dexter Cormier and shooting five others in Oct. 2024, gave their opening statements.

WBRZ previously reported that the shooting happened outside of a venue on Greenwell Springs Road near Platt Drive. 

An affidavit says Robinson fired his weapon aimlessly into a crowd because he heard someone shoot first. He faces a second-degree murder charge and five counts of attempted murder.

In court on Thursday, both the state and defense presented their opening statements.

Prosecutors claim Robinson told investigators that he "quote, heard a gunshot and pulled out my gun and started shooting." 
They say Robinson was a convicted felon who should not have even had a gun. The defense insists Michael was not anywhere near the scene. They said video evidence will prove that.
Following opening statements, the state outlined evidence and witnesses scheduled to appear in the case against Robinson. The first witness was Baton Rouge Police officer L'jean McKneely, who worked security the night of the event where the shooting took place.

McKneely testified that he was directing traffic when he heard gunshots coming from the opposite side of the property.

McKneely described a chaotic scene, and he saw multiple people injured by gunfire.

He also testified that he saw two individuals he believed were placing a gun inside of a toolbox in the bed of a truck. The police detained both those people. Prosecutors introduced McKneely's body camera footage as evidence.

The state also plans to call East Baton Rouge coroner Beau Clark to the stand, and use other surveillance video showing the shooting during the trial.

The defense argued in its opening statements that jurors will not see Robinson near the scene. They dispute that any evidence places him near the scene of the shooting.

If Robinson is convicted, he faces a life sentence. 

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