PHOENIX — Phoenix police say a man has been arrested in connection to the murder of a mother found dead in May.
Police say 30-year-old Andre Daniels was taken into custody on Thursday in Tempe. He was booked into the Maricopa County jail on charges of first-degree murder, weapons violations and child abuse.
PHXPD took 30yo Andre Daniels into custody for the tragic murder of Shavone Robinson, a mother of 2 toddlers and an infant, who were all there when it happened on 05/17. Daniels faces charges of 1st degree murder, weapons violations and child abuse. pic.twitter.com/399Iq8aaqW
— Phoenix Police (@PhoenixPolice) July 16, 2021
Shavone Robinson, 30, was found dead in her apartment near 19th Avenue and Camelback Road on May 17. It's believed she was killed days earlier, though.
Surveillance video showed Daniels entering Robinson’s apartment on May 12 and leaving less than 20 minutes later. No other entries or exits occurred at the apartment until officers were called to the apartment on May 17.
Relatives tell ABC15 she was repeatedly stabbed to death while her two toddlers and 4-week-old baby were in the apartment. Her fourth child was staying with a friend at the time of the incident.
According to court documents, coworkers told police Robinson’s 4-week-old baby was fathered by an unknown married man named Andre. The father of one of the older children said Andre didn’t want Robinson to have the baby.
Google searches obtained during a search warrant showed Robinson had been looking into applying for child support, information about paternity tests, and more about “Andre Daniels.” Documents say Robinson told Daniels she intended to collect child support money from him and refused to abort the child.
Cell phone data placed Daniels at the victim’s apartment, along with Robinson’s phone following the same path before it was turned off. Daniels’ vehicle was also seen in the area.
Daniels reportedly denied killing Robinson but said he went to her apartment to collect DNA samples.
Police say Daniels has served time in prison in the past for kidnapping and had prior arrests for aggravated assault and armed robbery.
Robinson was a Valley native and the youngest of eight kids.
When her kids were found at the apartment by police, they were begging for food and showed signs of dehydration and malnutrition. They had been alone with their mother's body for five days.
The infant had multiple skull fractures and brain bleeding, police say.
"It makes it even worse. It makes us so sad," said Kika Robinson, Shavone's older sister.
Kika tells ABC15 it is clear the children are suffering from trauma following the gruesome murder and being stuck in the apartment with their deceased mother.
"They're getting a lot of counseling, but it's really traumatizing for them. And for us, we kind of feel helpless," she said. "All we can do is hug them and hold them and try to calm them down, but that's still a void we cannot fill no matter how hard we try."
ABC15 got the latest domestic violence statistics in Arizona, which showed an increase in 2020, but are so far trending down in 2021:
- 2019 40,787 DV calls for service
- 2020 42,214 DV calls for service
- 2020 from Jan. - June 20,042 DV calls for service
- 2021 from Jan. – June 18,918 DV calls for service
