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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of a Riverton man who pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and child abuse 14 years ago.
Floyd Corry Robinson shot and killed his ex-girlfriend, 26-year-old Brea Kirchoff, in front of her three children through the window of her car parked in front of her home in La Verkin, Washington County, in February 2005.
Robinson, now 55, was sentenced in 5th District Court to terms of 20 years to life in prison for aggravated murder, and zero to five years for child abuse, a third-degree felony.
In 2020, he claimed his sentence from 5th District Judge Michael Westfall was unconstitutional, saying his attorney was ineffective and prosecutors suppressed evidence that would have helped him.
The district court determined in September of 2020 that his claims were not sufficient, and Robinson appealed that ruling all the way to the state's high court.
In an opinion published on Dec. 7, the Utah Supreme Court affirmed the district court's ruling, saying the legal precedent Robinson cited in his appeal did not apply.
Robinson was charged with capital murder and could have faced the death penalty. As part of his plea deal, prosecutors also said they would agree to support a 20-years-to-life-in-prison sentence, rather than the death penalty, the opinion says.
The opinion said Robinson has tried to challenge his plea and sentence using various methods since the conviction.
