A Tallahassee man has been indicted for a first-degree murder in a May 3, 2024, stabbing death: DeAndre Robinson, 36, now faces homicide without premeditation.
Court records give more detail for the day of the death, last year, at approximately 5:37 a.m., when police and fire-rescue responded to Providence Pointe Apartments in the 1200 block of Stuckey Avenue.
The victim, Niquelle Barnes, was found lying in front of apartments 47 and 48 with several stab wounds before being taken to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, where she died.
Officers noticed blood outside apartment 48, and the door looked like it had been broken into. Officers also located a kitchen knife underneath a trash bag and two cellphones inside the victim’s apartment.
A neighbor said Barnes’ apartment was 48, sharing a wall with her. She knew Barnes had a guest at the time and paid it no mind until 5 a.m. when a banging in Barnes’ apartment was lasting for a prolonged amount of time.
At 5:30 a.m., she heard the victim yell out for help and when she went to her front door, she found Barnes outside bleeding heavily. As she called 911 and asked Barnes who the suspect was and where he went, Barnes could only manage to say, “he stabbed me.”
Other witnesses attested to Barnes describing a man by the name of “Dre Bo” in her apartment, which witnesses identified as Robinson. Through the use of witness testimony and cellphone data, investigators learned Robinson had gone to Georgia. With the assistance of the Albany Police Department, they arrested Robinson.
Detectives were told by Robinson’s family that he acted in self-defense. Robinson said Barnes had attacked him with the knife. He said he took the knife from her and then he “blacked out.”
Arianna Otero is the trending and breaking news reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com and follow her on X: @ari_v_otero.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Kitchen knife, cellphone data lead to Tallahassee murder indictment in May 2024 death
Reporting by Arianna Otero, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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