MURDERED: Solomon Robinson
A young soldier, home on leave, should have been safe in his own neighborhood. Instead, 19-year-old Solomon Robinson was murdered in a park full of people — but no one has ever come forward to say what really happened. Decades later, his family is still searching for justice, and detectives are hoping someone will finally break the silence.
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An aerial map of key locations.
Photo from Google Earth, edited by audiochuck staff.
St. Mary’s Park on the night of the murder.
Photo courtesy of NYPD.
Evidence in St. Mary’s Park on the night of the murder.
Photo courtesy of NYPD.
A crime scene diagram.
Photo courtesy of NYPD.
Autopsy diagram.
Photo courtesy of NYPD.
A Google Earth aerial map of St. Mary’s Park in the Bronx.
Photo from Google Earth.
Solomon was killed near this path in St. Mary’s Park in the Bronx.
Photo taken by audiochuck staff.
A ripped poster about Solomon’s case in St. Mary’s Park in the Bronx in November 2024.
Photo taken by audiochuck staff.
NYPD Detective Robert Klein when he was in the Army.
Photo courtesy of Robert Klein.
NYPD Detective Robert Klein.
Photo courtesy of Robert Klein. Taken by Nolan Regan.
Timeline
9:50pm
Solomon Robinson is pronounced dead after being shot and stabbed in St. Mary’s Park.
St. Mary’s Park, South Bronx, NY
Where Solomon was found deceased from a gunshot wound.
MURDERED: Carmen Van Huss
On March 23, 1993, screams tore through the thin walls of a gated Indianapolis apartment complex as 19-year-old Carmen Van Huss fought for her life. Neighbors heard the attack, but no one called 911.
MURDERED: Christine Banfield & Joseph Ryan
When Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan were found fatally injured inside a Virginia home in 2023, investigators were told Ryan was a violent intruder and that Christine’s husband (a federal agent) had tried to save her. But digital evidence suggested something else: that Ryan had been lured there through a fake online persona, and the scene staged to hide a double homicide.
MURDERED: Beatrice Riley
On a March night in 1972, 23-year-old Beatrice Riley vanished from her home in Columbia, South Carolina. Evidence from the house suggested something, or someone, had prompted her to step outside voluntarily.
Please contact the authorities If you have any information:
FBI
The FBI is offering up to $25,000 for information leading to the identity, arrest, and conviction of whoever is responsible for Solomon’s murder.
We’d love to speak with you and see how we can support.
If you’re a law enforcement agency or family member of one of the people we mentioned in this episode, or if you’re looking for more coverage on a case, please reach out. You can email us at:
Episode Source Material
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Original reporting by Nina Schutzman
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New York Daily News (4-5-1998) Accessed 11-15-2024
G.I. fatally shot, knifed pays visit to his mom in Mott Haven for last time -
New York Daily News (6-2-1999) Accessed 11-15-2024
Mom’s heartbreak still no clues in teen’s slay -
The Chicago Tribune (7-31-2002) Accessed 11-17-2024
In name game, Loser wins and brother Winner loses
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