Brentwood resident Chayla Robinson is headed to state prison for her role in the 2021 killing of 18-year-old Ahmir Tuli, who was gunned down outside his mother's Strip District restaurant while working a shift. On Friday, a judge sentenced Robinson to a term of one to seven years after she admitted to helping the gunman get away.
Judge Hands Down One-To-Seven-Year Stretch
Robinson, 45, pleaded guilty on Feb. 19 to a single count of hindering apprehension or prosecution. Days later, a judge ordered her to serve between one and seven years in state prison, according to WPXI. Court records identify Robinson as the girlfriend of Howard Hawkins and state that prosecutors said she helped him flee the scene after the February 2021 shooting.
Prosecutors Say She Drove The Getaway Car
According to prosecutors, Robinson drove Hawkins away from the Strip District on Feb. 21, 2021, immediately after the shooting. She was arrested later that year and charged with hindering apprehension, court records show. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette first laid out the allegation that she acted as Hawkins' getaway driver and detailed her arrest, as reported by the Post-Gazette.
Shooter Convicted After Mistrial And Retrial
Hawkins was ultimately convicted of first-degree murder in November 2025 and, after a retrial, received a life sentence in January. At that trial, prosecutors relied on surveillance footage and witness testimony to tie him to the fatal shooting, according to WTAE. His conviction came only after an earlier proceeding ended in a mistrial, and defense attorneys have said they intend to keep fighting the case through appeals.
Family Calls Sentence A Step Toward Closure
In a social media post, Ahmir's mother, Preeti Tuli, described Robinson's punishment as "justice" and said she hoped "putting this chapter behind me," according to WPXI. Relatives have said the years of court hearings, postponements, and legal maneuvering since the 2021 killing have been a grinding and painful ordeal.
What The Law Says About Helping A Suspect
Under Pennsylvania law (18 Pa.C.S. § 5105), hindering apprehension or prosecution covers conduct such as sheltering a suspect, providing transportation or another means of escape, or tampering with evidence. The statute is graded so that helping someone accused of a felony can be charged as a third-degree felony; in other situations, it can be a second-degree misdemeanor, according to the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes. Robinson's one-to-seven-year sentence lines up with the maximum penalty for a third-degree felony, which indicates prosecutors pursued the offense at that level under the statute.
What Comes Next In The Case
Robinson's guilty plea and sentence close out the long-running hindering charge against her. Hawkins remains in prison for a life term, while any future motions or appeals will play out in the courts. For Tuli's family and the wider community, the case now shifts from active litigation to the slow work of processing a loss that a series of verdicts and sentences can only partly address.
