Family seeks closure in decades-old DC cold case murder

A D.C. cold case has the homicide victim’s family pleading for closure.

Their loved one was shot to death 32 years ago on Wisconsin Avenue and the killers are still out there.

Back on November 18, 1991, 52-year-old Henry Robinette Junior was shot and killed during a robbery at the Hamburger Hamlet in Friendship Heights. He was there around 11 a.m., doing a routine pick-up as a Wells Fargo armored guard.

Detective Jeffrey Weber with the Metropolitan Police Department has been working on this case for two years.

"He had met with an employee inside the restaurant, had received the money, and was walking out of the business when he was attacked. There was another armored car employee who was waiting in the truck, which was the standard procedure for Wells Fargo at that time," Weber explained.

The thieves ran away after stealing Robinette Junior’s revolver and money bags containing thousands of dollars.

"They (witnesses) described seeing two Black men; one was described as being in his late teens and the other was described as being in his late 20s," Weber added. 

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Weber says the best evidence will be any witnesses who come forward about what they saw.

"It’s frustrating to see how much information is there and not be able to arrest somebody," he said.

The FBI and D.C. police have increased the reward for any information to $50,000. 

Tony Robinette is the victim’s son. He hopes the money gets someone to talk as he continues to grieve over this tragedy.

"It would mean the world to us. I would say that it would be a gift that is indescribable, Robinette told FOX 5. "It is something that is ripped away from you and then, now that you have closure, that the assailants have been brought to justice."  

Robinette and the authorities are desperate for answers. 

They hope a witness has a change of heart and can provide information about what happened that would ultimately help them solve this case.

Washington, D.C.Crime and Public Safety