State Attorney Bill Eddins announced that on June 11, 2013, Robrico Karnell Newberry was convicted by an Escambia County Jury of Aggravated Assault with a Firearm, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon and Possession of Ammunition by a Convicted Felon.
After the verdict was returned, Circuit Court Judge Ross Goodman sentenced Newberry to 25 years state prison with a 20 year mandatory minimum.
On July 7, 2012, Newberry and at least two other men, all armed with firearms, approached Victim Brian Taylor while he was in his truck in the parking lot of the post office on Davis Highway.
When the men tried to enter Taylor’s truck, he fired his gun at them in self-defense. In the shootout, Taylor was shot from the back in his shoulder. Newberry was also struck in the mid-section.
The other perpetrators dropped Newberry off at Sacred Heart Hospital. The gun Newberry used during the commission of the crime was found in a flower bed in front of Sacred Heart Emergency Room. Newberry’s DNA was found on the gun and ballistics testing tied it to the crime scene. Additionally, as Newberry was being treated in the hospital, a box of bullets was recovered from his pocket.
The investigation and arrest was conducted by Investigator Bobby Guy with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant State Attorney Jeff Gaddy prosecuted the case and for further information, please contact him at 595-4225.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Newberry convicted in Escambia, sentenced to 25 years