A jury trial is set to begin Tuesday in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas for two men accused of gunning down a 28-year-old man as he loaded groceries into his car outside a Maple Heights Giant Eagle. Anthony Butler and Derick Robinson face charges of murder and aggravated robbery in the death of Timothy Kappenhagen, who was shot in the store’s parking lot last August and died at the hospital the next morning.
According to Cleveland 19 News, Maple Heights police said Kappenhagen was approached by one suspect while loading groceries into his car on Aug. 9, 2025. The two struggled before a second suspect appeared and shot him, police said, and the pair then fled the scene in Kappenhagen’s own vehicle. The outlet also reported that Butler and Robinson were on parole at the time of the killing.
The shooting happened at the Giant Eagle at 5321 Warrensville Center Road, with officers called to the scene around 1:40 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon, as detailed by cleveland19.com in its initial report on the case. Police said the suspect and Kappenhagen struggled before the suspect appeared to shoot him and then sped off in the stolen car.
Grocery Run Turns Fatal
Kappenhagen was rushed to MetroHealth Medical Center for treatment, but he did not survive. Maple Heights police said he died from his injuries at the hospital just before 7 a.m. the following Sunday, according to WKYC. Investigators moved quickly after the carjacking, entering the stolen vehicle’s information into the Law Enforcement Automated Data System, and the station reported the car was recovered a short time later.
Two people were initially taken into custody for questioning in the days after the shooting. Months later, the suspects were identified as Butler and Robinson, and the station’s report noted that a Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted both men on Dec. 12 on charges of murder and aggravated robbery.
Arraignments and Bonds Set at $1 Million Each
Butler was arraigned first, pleading not guilty, with his bond set at $1 million. Robinson followed on Dec. 17, also entering a not-guilty plea, and the same $1 million bond was imposed in his case, per the earlier account from cleveland19.com.
Now the case moves to trial, where jurors in Cuyahoga County will weigh the murder and aggravated robbery charges against both men. The proceedings mark the next chapter in a case that began with a routine grocery stop and ended with a young man’s death in a parking lot he likely visited countless times before.
