Judge sentences 'monster' who killed woman 'locked' in abusive relationship

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SALT LAKE CITY — The last time he saw his stepdaughter, Steven Van Leeuwen begged her not to return to the volatile man he suspected had been abusing and threatening her to the point she believed she had no way out.

Even as her boyfriend was calling saying he was waiting for her down the street, Van Leeuwen promised a frightened 25-year-old Shantelle Reid that, if she stayed, he would call police and protect her until they arrived.

But Reid insisted that Ryan Randy Robinson would simply bail out of jail, then return to her family's home with a gun, Van Leeuwen said Wednesday. Despite her stepfather's pleas, she turned and ran from the house.

Within days, she would be dead.

"Shantelle thought she was keeping her family safe staying with Ryan, but I can't imagine anything worse that could have happened," Van Leeuwen said Wednesday, weeping as he asked a judge for a maximum prison sentence for Robinson.

Robinson, 34, was ordered Wednesday to serve at least 17 years and up to life in prison. A jury found the Murray man guilty in November of murder, a first-degree felony, as well as aggravated assault and possession of a firearm by a restricted person, third-degree felonies.

Third District Judge Roger Dutson ordered the sentences to run consecutively: 15 years to life plus one year for a weapons enhancement on the murder charge, one to five years including a one-year weapon enhancement for the aggravated assault charge and zero to five years for the firearm possession charge.

Robinson has insisted that Reid's death was an accident that has been mischaracterized by mistakes in the police investigation and manipulations by prosecutors. His mother and nephew reiterated his defense Wednesday, telling Dutson that Robinson is "not the monster he was made out to be," but a caring man who loved Reid and was making plans to marry her.

The judge, however, told Robinson that a monster is exactly what he had become.

"The monster was acting like a monster. … You pointed the gun at her, you pulled the trigger, and that killed her. There's no question," Dutson said.

Reid was shot and killed April 9, 2012. She was living with Robinson, her boyfriend of about eight months, and their tumultuous relationship had spilled out into a verbal and physical fight in the street near Robinson's parents' house, 6340 S. 725 East, prompting neighbors to call police.

The couple returned to the house, where police arrived and were assured by both Robinson and Reid that everything was fine. When officers returned later that day, they were responding to reports that a woman had been shot.

Police found Robinson agitated and pacing outside the home. Robinson ran as Murray police officer David Stallings called for him to stop, eventually pausing and putting a gun to his own chin, then running again.

Stallings repeatedly told Robinson to stop. Instead, Robinson turned the gun on the officer. Stallings fired, striking Robinson twice. Before he was rushed to the hospital, Robinson admitted to Stallings that he had shot Reid. Her body was found in the basement of the home, a single shot through her head that may have been inflicted as she ran up the stairs.

Robinson apologized briefly Wednesday, saying he was "standing here to take responsibility in the accidental shooting of my fiancee, Shantelle Reid," as well as for forcing Stallings to shoot him in hopes it would kill him.

Robinson emphasized that he loved Reid but said he would offer no further explanation about what happened that day. Instead, the remainder of his remarks focused on criticizing police, prosecutors and Reid's family, and adding that Reid's drug addiction was as detrimental to their relationship as his alcoholism was.

"Some of this stuff has no bearing. I loved Shantelle with all my heart, I don't know what else to say," he said.

Jay Reid described Wednesday how a lifetime of closeness and confidence with his younger sister had dissolved during the months she was with Robinson.

When he moved to St. George, his sister had worried it was too far, insisting he call her daily to stay in touch. When he didn't, Shantelle Reid was quick to scold him.

After she moved in with Robinson, however, phone calls to her family became less frequent. When they did talk, Shantelle Reid would fall silent or quickly hang up if she thought Robinson was about to come into the room, Jay Reid said.

Over time Reid said he learned of the abuse and the threats to his sister, even as she explained she believed she could help Robinson get clean and sober. His sister had become a prisoner to violence and terrifying threats against herself and her family, he said.

"She just cried and told me she loved him," Jay Reid said. "She also told me she had gotten herself into something she couldn't get herself out of, but she didn't tell me what that was."

Reid tried to convince his sister to come live with him and his girlfriend in southern Utah to get away from Robinson. As they talked late one night, she agreed, and they began making plans. The next call Jay Reid received, however, was to inform him that his sister was dead.

Jay Reid remembered his sister Wednesday as generous and giving, the center of all family gatherings, a loving mother to her then 3-year-old son, and his greatest support in times of need. When he became ill shortly after moving to St. George and learned he needed a kidney transplant, his sister — the best chance at a match — volunteered without hesitation.

Unfortunately, Shantelle Reid was shot before the transplant could take place. Jay Reid is still waiting for a kidney.

As he handed down the sentence, Dutson said Shantelle Reid's experience followed a pattern he has seen play out in many domestic violence cases during his years as a judge.

"I do believe Shantelle felt locked into this relationship for fear that she would be killed and her family would be killed, because I believe those things were said," the judge said.

Dutson added that he saw very little remorse from Robinson and urged him to improve himself while in prison, using the love and support his family has shown him for strength.

"It's going to take some hard work on your part," Dutson said. "That's really the only hope that you have, I think."

Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting the YWCA's Women in Jeopardy program at 801-537-8600, or the Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-897-LINK (5465).