Knoxville Mother Robin Howington Charged With Felony Murder For Shooting Her 5 Year-Old Daughter

A mother in Knoxville, Tennessee, Robin Howington, has been charged with felony murder after her 5 year-old daughter Destiny died from a shot in the chest in September. On July 1, Howington charged with aggravated child neglect, making false reports, tampering with evidence and attempted tampering with evidence. She was taken into custody on Wednesday and is being held on $500,000 bail.

Destiny had been shot on September 14 in 2019 and was found by police in Howington’s home in Balsam Drive in Fountain City. Destiny was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.

While under investigation, Howington had changed her story multiple times. In the first version she gave to officers, she claimed that an unknown man had come into her home, shot her daughter and then left in a black Chrysler 300. However, she later contradicted herself when she said that it was Destiny’s father who had shot the girl and then fled in a white Chrysler 300. 

Once police had found a gun hidden in her bushes, Howington told investigators that her boyfriend had put the gun there. It was then revealed that Howington had put the gun there herself when a neighbor had caught her on video. When confronted, Howington changed her story once more. She explained that her two year-old son had found the gun and then shot Destiny in the chest, she then wiped down the weapon and hid it.

Howington’s boyfriend told authorities that he saw Howington pull the gun on Destiny’s father in the front yard on the day of the shooting. He added that the father had taken the gun with him.