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  • ‘Shopping Cart Killer’ Sentenced for Murdering 2 Virginia Women
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‘Shopping Cart Killer’ Sentenced for Murdering 2 Virginia Women

Anthony Eugene Robinson is also suspected in the deaths of three other women.

By Debbie Williams May 26, 2026 at 10:41 am

Anthony Eugene Robinson, dubbed the “shopping cart killer,” has been sentenced to two life sentences plus 10 years in prison. He was also fined approximately $205,000, Rocktown Now reported.

Robinson was found guilty of killing Beth Redmon and Tonita Smith in Harrisonburg in 2021. The jury in his January 2025 trial had recommended four life sentences, 10 years in prison, and $400,000 in fines, WTOP reported.  

Case Background

Redom and Smith’s remains were found in a vacant lot in Harrisonburg in November 2021. Shortly after the discovery, police arrested DC resident Robinson for their murders.

About a month later, police recovered the remains of Stephanie Harrison and Cheyanne Brown in a plastic container near a shopping cart in Fairfax County. Investigators said the cases were likely related, and Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis coined the term “shopping cart killer” during a 2021 press conference.  

Authorities believe Robinson met the women through online dating sites. He lured them to motels and murdered them via blunt force trauma. He would then put them in shopping carts, transport them to vacant lots, and, often, dump them in large trash cans. 

At his January 2025 trial, jurors saw evidence including videos of Robinson entering a hotel room with Redmon and Smith on two separate evenings. Both times, he left the next morning with a shopping cart covered in a sheet.  

The jurors deliberated for only 30 minutes before convicting Robinson of two counts of aggravated murder, two counts of first-degree murder, and two counts of concealing a dead body.  

Feature image courtesy Fairfax County Police Department

Debbie Williams

Debbie Williams

Senior Editor

Northern Virginia Magazine Senior Editor Debbie Williams is a George Mason University graduate and longtime NoVA resident. She has more than 20 years of experience writing and editing for a variety of nonprofit, lifestyle, and government publications, including for AARP.org and USA TODAY magazines.

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