I-TEAM UPDATE: Death of the youngest politician in Richmond County

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – He was the youngest member ever elected to the Richmond County Board of Schooling.

And was useless every week after the election.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigations dominated Robinson’s loss of life a suicide however his household believes the chapters main as much as his loss of life and following it forged a shadow of doubt over the narrative.

They inform the I-TEAM they need the reality, it doesn’t matter what it’s.

The reality is Robinson did have rather a lot happening the month earlier than his loss of life, together with allegations of stealing 1 / 4 of 1,000,000 {dollars} from his mentor. she went public with that the day earlier than his loss of life.

The I-TEAM uncovered what he had not made public, he was pursuing assault and battery fees towards his mentor’s ex-boyfriend from an incident involving the three of them at a on line casino final spring.

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Nov. 15, 2022, 7 days after the election, 911 name:

Dispatch: 911 do you want police fireplace or ambulance?

Robinson’s brother: My brother dedicated suicide.

Brother: Over (beeping) cash?!

Brother: He wouldn’t reply the telephone and one thing informed me to return to investigate cross-check him.

Deputy Parsons: Are you aware if he was going by something?

Brother: Sure he simply bought district 6.

Deputy Parsons: Ask the brother if he moved the firearm…did you contact the firearm?

Brother: Yeah. I moved it.

Robinson had rather a lot happening the month earlier than successful district six and turning into the youngest member ever elected to the Richmond County Board of Schooling.

The 20-year-old realized he was going to be a father for the second time.

He was receiving backlash from aligning himself with new candidates.

Rumors started circulating on social media over his sexuality.

And the day after the election, his mentor, Melissa Oden, accused him of stealing 1 / 4 of million {dollars}.

Robinson’s mom, Kim Gowdy, says, “Anybody who knew Tyrique is aware of there may be extra to the story.”

I-TEAM discovered it’s a narrative stuffed with sudden twists and turns, with an finish simply as baffling because the chapters main as much as his loss of life.

Investigators with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Workplace didn’t get well any fingerprints on the gun regardless of Robinson’s brother transferring it.

In accordance with their investigative notes, neither did they get well prints on the mags, rounds, air-pods, two cell telephones, or knife, all on the mattress subsequent to his physique.

The gun itself has no serial quantity so no document. Investigators state they might not get well the quantity.

No footage from the safety cameras both, the investigator notes he obtained an e mail from the Comcast authorized division advising they didn’t have an account with the listed deal with or digital camera system for Robinson.

The I-TEAM requested Richmond County Sheriff’s Workplace, to study extra.

I-TEAM: Is it odd or uncommon to not be capable to get well any prints, safety video, or the serial quantity on the gun discovered at a suicide?

I-TEAM made a request underneath Georgia’s open document regulation for the e-mail from Comcast to the investigator.

The sheriff’s workplace replied stating the e-mail was deleted. The I-TEAM requested their IT division to get well it.

Sheriff’s Workplace: It was unable to get well the e-mail. your questions have been forwarded to the sheriff.

Additionally, perplexing, dispatch didn’t obtain any calls about gunfire from the residence advanced that Monday or Tuesday.

The GBI post-mortem report discovered every thing regular, all the way down to the fingernails. No point out of gunpowder or blood on his arms. They didn’t carry out toxicology. The official explanation for loss of life on the GBI’s report is suicide.

Gowdy informed us she final noticed her son that Monday. The day earlier than he died when he left her home to go to Perry Georgia.

“He was going to Perry Georgia for board coaching, so far as I do know. My husband and his dad discovered a key to the lodge however I can’t say,” Gowdy says.

The I-TEAM went to Perry and requested if Robinson ever checked into his room. The clerk informed us she will be able to solely give the one that made the reservation that data, which might be the Richmond County Board of Schooling.

Gowdy says, “I do know he was trying ahead to coaching and all, I don’t know what made him come again.”

In accordance with officers, images from the scene of his residence, present a tub stuffed with water, Robinson bare in mattress, ankles crossed, and a blanket pulled up and tucked round him.

Richmond County investigators wrote of their notes that they had been unable to entry safety footage from his residence, so we don’t know when Robinson returned house from Perry.

Nevertheless, deputies on the scene did see the place the alarm on his door activated.

Deputy Parsons: That door was open at 9:30 p.m. final night time. He was in Atlanta final night time. Mama says she talks to her sons on the telephone, him and the opposite one down there, she checks his telephone and his telephone confirmed him in Perry Georgia.

Deputy Parsons: Suspicious?

Robinson’s household discovered essentially the most suspicious piece of this puzzle three weeks later when investigators returned his two cell telephones.

Robinson’s step-father, Teaco Gowdy, says, “All the images, all of the video, and a lot of the footage of him and Melissa Oden or the textual content messages deleted column from her was deleted.”

Oden is a businesswoman, and proprietor of a number of native nursing properties and as effectively different companies.

She informed the I-Workforce she was Robinson’s mentor and enterprise accomplice in a trucking and transportation enterprise. Oden additionally helped him along with his marketing campaign, even going so far as to ask her good friend, former commissioner, Ben Hasan, to not run towards Robinson.

She additionally contacted us the Friday earlier than his loss of life.

Oden: I’ve an important story to inform you a couple of newly elected official who has been stealing.

Teaco Gowdy says, “I bought in contact with my oldest son. first. he took work from me and informed me the way to do it. I went into iCloud, paid the $9 for storage, minimize the telephone, rebooted, and did all of the messages and footage getting all backup.”

The recordsdata Robinson’s stepfather recovered paint a unique image of Oden and Robinson’s relationship.

They went to a strip membership collectively, and so they went on journeys collectively, together with Harrah’s On line casino in Cherokee, North Carolina in Might of final yr.

Gowdy says, “Tyrique went out of city along with her …and he referred to as me and mentioned mama I bought one thing to inform you don’t inform pop, I bought right into a combat. I used to be defending her, her ex-boyfriend got here right here.”

In accordance with the incident report from the Cherokee Indian Police Division, Oden’s ex-boyfriend assaulted her and Robinson. In her assertion she says the ex-boyfriend:

Oden: He flew all the way in which right here from Texas as a result of he heard she was going to be right here and was bringing the younger man. He thought there was one thing sexual occurring between the 2 of us and got here to confront Robinson.

Gowdy says, he mentioned that Oden needed him to not go ahead with it.

A textual content from Oden to Robinson after the incident on the on line casino was among the many recovered recordsdata on his telephone.

Oden: Ty, Lanzy needs to understand how a lot so that you can write and a letter to not press fees. $8,500? Really, make it $10,000.

“He mentioned, mother, I bought to go ahead with it,” Gowdy says.

Oden emailed the district legal professional in North Carolina asking for his or her courtroom date to be moved because of the authentic date falling on election day.

Robinson died earlier than the rescheduled courtroom date, and he may go ahead with the fees earlier than Oden modified her story, in keeping with Robinson’s mom.

Gowdy says, “Then a couple of week and a half in the past, perhaps two weeks, the D.A. calls and says Mrs. Gowdy we wish to let you realize they gained’t be capable to transfer ahead to the case. And I’m like, what do you imply, what occurred? She mentioned Oden recanted her story. The entire story she mentioned she blamed Tyrique. She mentioned Tyrique was the aggressor.”

The I-TEAM reached out to Oden. She requested us what she mentioned in her assertion to the police, and for us to ship her the police report from Cherokee. We did. She referred us to her legal professional.

Randolph or “Randy” Frails represents Oden, he additionally represents the Richmond County Sheriff’s Workplace.

Frails: She has determined it’s actually not acceptable to touch upon this challenge in Cherokee or something which will have damage this younger man Tyrqiue who’s deceased-who dedicated suicide.

I-Workforce: I wish to be certain there isn’t a battle of curiosity with you representing Melissa and the sheriff’s workplace.

Frails: I don’t see the place a battle arises the place I symbolize the Mrs. Oden and the sheriff’s workplace and a shopper additionally

Frails: she didn’t trigger his loss of life she wasn’t concerned in his loss of life its fairly evident this younger man- anybody committing suicide obvious anybody who has dedicated suicide should be coping with some points that the world is unaware of or else they wouldn’t commit suicide.

“It’s unreal, like a nightmare you retain waking up from,” Gowdy says.

A nightmare as a result of the household believes the entire story about their son…

Deputy Parsons: So am I doing my report as an unattended loss of life? Or suicide?

It’d lie within the lacking puzzle items.

Investigators: All proof factors in the direction of it.

We’re nonetheless going by recordsdata the household says they recovered from Robinson’s telephone, which they hope will assist join the dots to one thing they consider expose one thing a lot greater than their son.

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