PRESS RELEASE
October 23, 2025
On October 23, 2025, Davarius James was convicted of Second Degree Murder of Claudette Robinson. Escambia County Circuit Judge Miller presided over the trial. Sentencing is set for November 5, 2025 where the defendant faces up to life in prison for his charges.
On February 3, 2025, Claudette Robinson was located deceased in her residence. Her injuries included bruises over her body, broken ribs, a broken breastbone, and injuries to her throat. Evidence established that her boyfriend, Davarius James, had attempted to contact friends and family members for help over the course of that day, however, he failed to call 911 or seek medical treatment for the victim. A family member called 911 at 3:29 in the afternoon and Pensacola Police Department officers and investigators responded to the scene. The defendant was located and apprehended two hours later and taken into custody.
After being transported to Pensacola Police Department for questioning, the defendant provided a statement to Detective Brendan Brown, where he attributed the victim’s injuries to falling twice, early that morning.
During the trial, PPD Detective Benjamin Gentry testified to search terms found in the victim’s phone including google searches asking how to determine if someone was dead, how long someone can live off CPR, and searches about how to tell if someone had been choked by the neck.
Associate Medical Examiner, Dr. Lorraine Lopez-Morell testified that the victim’s cause of death was “multiple blunt force trauma” and that broken cartilage in the victim’s throat and a broken hyoid bone indicated manual strangulation. Ms. Robinson’s injuries were described as being similar to injuries seen in a car crash.
The arrest and investigation was conducted by the Pensacola Police Department. Assistant State Attorney Andrew McGraw prosecuted the case on behalf of Ginger Bowden Madden, State Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit of Florida.
