Preliminary Hearing Held for Robinson on Murder Charges

Emotional testimony at a preliminary hearing Thursday uncovered some new details, like a defendant allegedly offering to split the victim's dinner after the murder, in the , 22, of Phoenixville.

Lopez-Mauricio died of a single gunshot wound to the abdomen in a Sept. 14 shooting and robbery in the 100 block of Prospect Street in downtown Phoenixville. Stephen Reidler, 23, and Saleem Williams, 20, and Thursday, a preliminary hearing was held for the final suspect, Monique Robinson, 18, of Phoenixville, in district court.

Prior to the proceedings, Robert Donatoni, the defense attorney representing Robinson, asked that 14 conspiracy charges be withdrawn. One conspiracy charge will remain. Deputy District Attorney Peter Hobart said he had no problem withdrawing the conspiracy counts. The district court system automatically tacks on a conspiracy charge for certain charges when it shouldn’t necessarily be that way, and that led to the 14 extraneous conspiracy charges.

An additional felony charge for “flight to avoid apprehension” was added, as well as a charge of robbery that Hobart said the prosecution had neglected to add earlier. A warrant was issued for Robinson's arrest on Sept. 21 and she turned herself in on Dec. 27.

Robinson entered a plea of not guilty for the charges.

Hobart called three members of the Phoenixville Police Department to the stand and also subpoenaed Williams’ live-in girlfriend, a 19-year-old Phoenixville woman who is also the cousin of Reidler.

Testimony of Williams’ Girlfriend/Reidler’s Cousin

Crying and red-faced, when asked by Hobart if she wanted to be there in court, Caitlin Schierenbeck replied “not at all.” At one point in her testimony, there was a 10-minute recess so she could get herself together and continue testifying.

Schierenbeck testified that while she was close with Reidler and was living with Williams, she did not know Robinson that well. Robinson had been at her apartment in the first block of Bridge Street only a few times before the night of the murder, she testified.

Schierenbeck's testimony revealed details that hadn’t come out in a previous hearing or in public court documents. The night of Sept. 13, the woman testified, Williams and Reidler were at her apartment and Robinson showed up sometime between 11:30 p.m. and midnight.

According to Schierenbeck’s testimony, Williams and Reidler had marijuana "fronted” to them, and Williams wanted more.

“Me, Saleem [Williams] and Stephen [Reidler] smoked some weed,” Schierenbeck testified.

Williams came up with an idea to hold up “D,” the drug dealer who had given him the weed earlier. The plan was referred to as “a mission,” the woman testified. There were attempts to call “D,” but he didn’t answer his phone.

When Robinson arrived, all four were still in the front room of the apartment and the woman testified that Robinson brought a gun, which Williams kept playing with even though Robinson told him it was not working properly, according to testimony.

“To my knowledge it was not loaded,” Schierenbeck said.

She told the judge that she went back to the other room in the apartment to sleep and the other three—Williams, Reidler and Robinson—left the apartment.

According to testimony, they returned around 1 a.m. on Sept. 14 and Schierenbeck woke up when she heard Williams talking in the other room. The black backpack Lopez-Mauricio had been carrying was in the apartment, she testified, and she said she didn’t know how it got there or what happened to the gun. Williams’ hands were bloody and he said he’d beaten someone, according to her testimony.

All four went through the backpack’s contents and they found food from Wendy’s, where Lopez-Mauricio worked, along with a shirt, hat, lotion, a paycheck and an identification card with Lopez-Mauricio’s name on it, according to testimony.

Schierenbeck testified that Robinson asked if they’d like to share the food. According to testimony, Robinson also said she’d grabbed the backpack from the victim and said Williams had been beating up the victim.

While the group was going through the bag, the woman testified that she took the paycheck out.

“I opened the check and read how much he made,” Schierenbeck said.

The backpack stayed in the Bridge Street apartment for several days after the murder, and Schierenbeck told Williams she couldn’t keep it there. One day, it was just gone, she testified. According to testimony by Det. Sgt. Brian Marshall, neither the black backpack nor the gun used in the murder have been found.

Robinson left the apartment 20 minutes to a half hour later, the woman testified, and the pair met again by chance at the Phoenixville Civic Center later on the day of the murder. According to the testimony, Robinson and the woman spoke in the ladies’ room at the center and Robinson said, “They [expletive] know,” indicating that word had gotten out about the murder.

The woman and Robinson then went to the office at the Civic Center and looked up online reports about the murder of Lopez-Mauricio, the woman testified.

Testimony from Police Regarding the Night of the Murder

In addition to Williams’ girlfriend’s testimony, three members of the Phoenixville Police Department also testified. During the hearing, Robinson, who was wearing a blue “Abercrombie and Fitch” hoodie and had her long hair pulled back into a braid, grew emotional at times but mostly remained expressionless while listening to testimony throughout the proceedings. Family members and friends were there to support her, and her aunt remained in the courtroom during the hearing.

Officer Jason Komorowski testified that he was the first on the scene and saw Lopez-Mauricio on his back in the 100 block of Prospect Street “gasping for air.” Two males, one of them Lopez-Mauricio’s uncle who had also allegedly been involved in the scuffle, were on the scene but Komorowski said he didn’t get much information due to the language barrier as he doesn’t speak fluent Spanish.

Marshall testified that he brought in an interpreter from Coatesville Police Department and interviewed Lopez-Mauricio’s uncle, who told police he was waiting outside for his nephew who had just gotten off the bus from work at the Wendy’s in Royersford. The two were going to walk to a convenience store on Bridge Street when they were accosted, Marshall testified.

“The two males … started beating on his nephew,” Marshall said. “The female was standing nearby.”

The uncle dialed 911 and Williams produced a silver handgun and held it to the uncle’s head, according to Marshall’s testimony. Lopez-Mauricio was stripped of his backpack, which was thrown to the woman later identified as Robinson, the uncle told Marshall, and the three headed east on Prospect Street toward Starr Street. Lopez-Mauricio reportedly gave chase.

“He caught up to the female" and a struggle had ensued, Marshall testified.

Williams stepped in and assisted Robinson and that’s when Lopez-Mauricio was shot and fell to the ground, according to Marshall.

During cross examination, the sergeant testified that the uncle didn’t indicate that Robinson had a gun, gave the weapon to Williams or said anything to Williams regarding the gun. There was also no indication from the uncle that Robinson was involved in beating the uncle or Lopez-Mauricio, Marshall testified, except for the struggle when the victim tried to get the backpack back.

Testimony on the Flight Charge

Det. Sgt. Joseph Nemic, the lead investigator in the case, took the stand and testified briefly to Robinson’s time on the run.

Reidler and Williams confessed to their involvement and both implicated Robinson as well, Nemic said. Police made an effort to reach out to Robinson regarding the murder and he went to Phoenixville Area High School, where she’s a student, to speak with her.

After the others were charged, Nemic testified that Robinson couldn’t be found, despite multiple efforts across multiple police agencies to find her. On Dec. 27, she turned herself in.

Reaction the Hearing

Following testimony and cross-examination of the four Commonwealth witnesses, neither side presented an argument. District Judge Susann Welsh said all charges—with the amendments noted earlier—would be held for county court. The next step will be the trial for the three defendants. The case will likely go before James P. McElree II, president judge of the Chester County Court of Common Pleas.

Outside the courtroom, Nemic said he was happy with how the preliminary hearing went.

“Obviously we’re pleased with the judge’s decision,” he said.

Donatoni, representing Robinson, said a lot of information came out in the preliminary hearing.

“I’m happy to come out with 14 conspiracy counts dismissed and the amount of information we learned about the case,” he said.

Jose Parra was on hand with Lopez-Mauricio’s brother. Parra is working as an advocate for the family of the victim. He said that the testimony of Williams’ girlfriend was concerning because he wasn’t sure how it would help the case. Schierenbeck had shown up at the victim’s house the day after the murder, Parra said, and didn’t leave a good impression. Parra said in her own way, she was also involved in the crime.

“I’m concerned about this girl not paying the price for what she did,” Parra said.

As far as Robinson is concerned, Parra said he believed that Robinson played a more minor role than the two men involved.

“Our opinion and the way we’re viewing this, Monique just ran away with the bookbag,” Parra said. “We know who’s really involved in this.”

Lopez-Mauricio’s brother said, via Parra, that no matter what happened in court, no lawyer could ever defend what happened to his brother.

Parra said what the family wants most is for justice to be served.