A second person has been charged with the murder of Eric Scott Mansfield.
Anthony Lateze Robinson, 18, of 705 High Rigger Court, surrendered to police on Dec. 12 on charges of criminal homicide and robbery. Robinson’s bond was set at $200,000.
On Dec. 7, Dionvelt Miller, a 16-year-old Maplewood High School student, was arrested and charged with charged with criminal homicide, aggravated robbery and two counts of unlawful weapon possession in the murder of Mansfield.
In a detention hearing on Dec. 9, Metro Juvenile Court Referee Mike O'Neil listened to testimony by Metro Detective William Stewart and made the decision to detain Miller until trial. Prosecutors are asking that he be tried as an adult. A Jan. 20 hearing will be held to determine whether Miller should be prosecuted in Criminal Court, as opposed to Juvenile Court.
Mansfield, 33, was fatally wounded while behind the wheel of his silver Volkswagen Jetta at Chapel and Greenwood Avenues on Friday, Nov. 11. The investigation indicates that Miller and Robinson intended to rob Mansfield and take his car. When Mansfield stopped at the intersection, Miller approached the driver’s side of the vehicle and Robinson approached the passenger side. Both were carrying handguns. Mansfield accelerated in an effort to get away from the two armed robbers. Miller fired one shot fatally wounding Mansfield. That shot, according to detectives, ripped through the lower part of Mansfield's heart, tore through his left lung and lodged in his spine. Mansfield drove a short distance before pulling to the side of Chapel Avenue between Douglas and McKennie Avenues. He was found unresponsive by his partner, O&AN staff writer David Miller (no relation to Dionvelt Miller).
Minutes after the two murdered Mansfield, they approached Cesar Navarro, 31, and robbed him of his 1999 Chevrolet Suburban as he and a friend sat listening to the radio in the 1500 block of Cahal Avenue.
A $27,000 reward was offered through CrimeStoppers for the arrest and conviction of Mansfield’s murderer. Warner Brother Records ($25,000), Out & About Newspaper ($1,000) and CrimeStoppers ($1,000) each contributed to the reward money.
“East Investigative detectives have done a tremendous job in taking two dangerous teens off our streets and out of our neighborhoods. A tip to Crime Stoppers made a quick arrest possible in this case, demonstrating just how important the eyes and ears of the community are to law enforcement,” said Chief Ronal Serpas. “The arrest of these two young suspects shows why it is imperative for the community and the families of children and teens to be actively involved in our kids’ lives and in their daily activities before they are influenced by others to involve themselves in criminal activity.
