A Hazel Park man has quietly sidestepped a trial in a brutal Detroit gas-station shooting, entering a no-contest plea nearly a year after two people were killed and two others wounded. Jaylen Lee Robinson, 31, entered the plea this week and is set to return to court for sentencing on August 20.
According to The Oakland Press, Robinson pleaded no contest to two counts of first-degree premeditated homicide and two counts of felony firearm. Prosecutors, the outlet reports, agreed to dismiss several assault and other firearms-related counts as part of the deal.
What prosecutors say
Prosecutor Kym Worthy’s office says the violence broke out in the early morning hours of July 28, 2025, at a gas station in the 3300 block of Puritan Street in Detroit. Martin Clay, 32, and Maria Jenkins, 34, were fatally shot, and two other women, ages 28 and 39, were wounded.
Investigators allege a verbal argument at the station spiraled into a physical fight before the defendant pulled a handgun and fired multiple times, according to a press release from the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.
Charges and plea deal
When he was first charged in August 2025, Robinson faced a stacked case: two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of assault with intent to murder, four counts of felony firearm, and one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, per ClickOnDetroit.
As described by The Oakland Press, some of those assault and firearms-related counts were dismissed under the plea agreement in exchange for the no-contest plea on the homicide and felony firearm charges.
His record
State corrections records show Robinson was already on the system’s radar before the gas-station case. A carrying-concealed-weapon conviction tied to a Feb. 10, 2025, offense resulted in a sentence entered May 19, 2025, with supervision running through November 19, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections OTIS profile.
That same public record lists earlier controlled-substance convictions from 2014-2016 and related probationary terms.
What a no-contest plea means
Under Michigan court rules, a nolo contendere (no contest) plea is a bit of a legal tightrope. The defendant does not admit guilt, but for sentencing purposes, it is treated the same as a guilty plea. A judge must determine that the plea is voluntary and supported by facts before accepting it, according to the Michigan Courts.
The rules also note that a no-contest plea does not prevent a defendant from contesting civil liability tied to the same incident, which can be a strategic consideration in cases involving potential lawsuits.
Next steps
Robinson is scheduled to be sentenced on August 20, 2026, when the judge will impose punishment consistent with Michigan law for the charges tied to his plea.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office has emphasized that, despite the serious allegations, criminal charges are just that: allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court, a point the office stressed in its initial press release on the case.
