A Kansas City man pleaded guilty in federal court today to committing a hate crime by shooting a local teenager eight times

In an attempted murder that was motivated by the victim’s sexual orientation, a Kansas City man admitted today in federal court that he had shot a local teenager eight times.

Before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes, Malachi Robinson, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Robinson will remain in federal prison until his sentence hearing, which has not yet been scheduled. He has been in federal custody since he was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 10, 2021.

By entering a plea of guilty today, Robinson acknowledged that he shot the victim, who was given the name “M.S.” in court documents, around eight times with a Taurus 9mm pistol in an attempt to kill him due to his sexual orientation, resulting in life-threatening injuries.

“This defendant is being held accountable for violently attempting to end the life of someone because of his sexual orientation,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This attempted murder is a reminder that hate crimes against the LGBTQI+ community are real and must be confronted. Violent acts targeting people based on their sexual orientation are heinous crimes that have no place in our country. The Justice Department will continue to use our civil rights laws to pursue justice for survivors and others impacted by bias motivated crimes.”

“Violence against others, motivated by hatred of their sexual orientation, is unacceptable,” said U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore of the Western District of Missouri. “Such callous disregard for the life of a teenage victim, gravely wounded in a failed murder attempt, must be challenged by a commitment to protect the civil rights of all our citizens. When those rights are threatened, the Justice Department will act to hold the violators accountable.”

“Hate crimes—and the violence we saw in this case—are especially cruel because victims are attacked because of who they are,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI treats hate crimes as the highest priority of our civil rights program because everyone deserves to feel safe to express who they are, without fear of violence from others. We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to bring justice to all communities affected by hate.”

Robinson and M.S. had a brief conversation on Facebook Messenger before leaving the Kansas City Public Library on May 29, 2019, according to today’s plea deal. Robinson then pretended to be looking for a place to perform a sex act while he walked with M.S. in the Swope Park neighbourhood. Robinson wrote to his fiancée in a different letter at around the same time that he “might shoot this boy” due to his sexual orientation. Robinson pulled out his pistol and fired repeatedly at M.S. when they finally entered a nearby forested area.

Robinson continued to make efforts to evade capture as he ran through the woods toward his apartment complex. Robinson informed others that he shot M.S. that day and in the days that followed because of his sexual orientation.

Robinson could receive a term of up to life in prison without the possibility of parole under federal law. The court will sentence the offender based on the advisory sentencing guidelines, other statutory factors, and the maximum statutory sentence, which was set by Congress and is provided here for informative purposes only. After the U.S. Probation Office has finished its presentence investigation, a sentencing hearing will be arranged.

The announcement was delivered by Assistant Attorney General Clarke, United States Attorney Moore, and Assistant Director Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. Trial attorneys Shan Patel and Eric Peffley of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dave Ketchmark for the Western District of Missouri are prosecuting this case. The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department, and the FBI investigated it.