Columbia murder suspects denied bond reduction; trial date pushed to November
Olivia Hayes
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Codefendants Samarion Robins, 20, and Oscar Ashford Jr., 21, were denied a bond reduction by a Boone County judge on Monday.
Their Sept. 8 trial date was also pushed to Nov.18. The trial was pushed back after Judge Jeff Harris revealed that prosecutors handed more than 900 pages of discovery to the defense.
Robins and Ashford are charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon in the death of 15-year-old Aubrey Doxley in 2022 on McKee Street. Daniel Ayers also faces charges in Doxley’s death. Prosecutors dropped charges against a fourth defendant, Tavan Williams-Patrick, on Friday.
ABC 17 News spoke with family members of Robins and Ashford following court and they expressed frustration. They explained that they felt like the judge focused more on the 900 pages of discovery than whether bonds for Ashford and Robins should be lowered.
They also believe the two men are not soley responsible for Doxley’s death. The original probable cause statement alleges other people were shooting back at the car that Ashford, Robins, Williams-Patrick and Ayers were in.
The state explained that the 900 pages of discovery were police reports that they planned to cross reference, but that one specific report gave a reason into why the prosecution believes the shooting on McKee Street occurred. The state said that they believe the shooting was retaliatory after Ayers was shot almost two days before.
The state also confirmed its reasons for dropping the charges against Williams-Patrick. He was the first set to be tried out of the suspects, but the state wants Robins and Ashford tried first. Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson told ABC 17 News that prosecutors plan to refile charges later.
According to previous reporting, Doxley’s mother, Latoya, said Aubry was lying in her bed when shots came through the window of their home. She was taken to a hospital, where she later died. Prosecutors argue that the four defendants were shooting out of a car while they were driving down McKee Street the night of Doxley’s murder.
Ashford’s legal team asked for a pretrial release with no financial conditions. Court documents filed by his lawyer cite previous motions by state and federal courts that a bail amount is typically set to ensure the defendant appears in court. The documents argue that Ashford is not a flight risk or a danger to the community and that if the request is granted, he will comply with the court’s conditions.
Robins’ legal team argues that his $1 million cash-only bond is beyond his financial means to pay. Robins’ lawyer referred in court documents to the state’s move to drop charges against Williams-Patrick. They say the state’s evidence against Robins, Ashford and Williams-Patrick were the same and question the state’s ability to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Ayers will have a status hearing on Oct.10 after his court proceedings were suspended because of a court order for a mental health evaluation.