A Chesterfield County man was sentenced to 45 years behind bars this week after pleading guilty to murder in the shooting death of 13-year-old Jayzia Buchanan, who was struck while playing video games inside a Cheraw home. Kyron Robinson entered his plea Monday, the same day his trial was scheduled to begin.
According to WPDE, Robinson fired shots into a home on Cleveland Street in Cheraw, and Buchanan was inside playing video games when he was struck and killed. Robinson and his co-defendants fired approximately 24 rounds into the home in what investigators determined was a retaliatory shooting, the station reports.
Rifle Fire Traced to the Fatal Shot
Evidence in the case showed that the bullet that killed Buchanan came from a high-powered rifle Robinson used during the shooting, per the same account. Circuit Judge Eugene P. Warr handed down the 45-year sentence, placing Robinson in the custody of the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
After consulting with Buchanan's family, prosecutors negotiated a sentencing range of 30 to 50 years in exchange for Robinson's guilty plea to murder, the station notes. Senior Deputy Solicitor Kernard Redmond and Paul “Mike” Burch Jr. prosecuted the case.
No Path to Early Release
Robinson must serve his sentence day for day and will not be eligible for early release, the station's report states. South Carolina law separately provides that nothing in the relevant statute may be construed to make a prisoner convicted of murder eligible for early release, discharge, or work release, according to the South Carolina Legislature Online. Under the state's code, murder is defined as the killing of a person with malice aforethought, either express or implied, per the South Carolina Legislature Online.
An earlier WPDE report on the arrests referred to the victim as a 13-year-old girl, and a more recent account of Robinson's sentencing also described Jayzia Buchanan as a 13-year-old girl.
