Man pleads guilty to fatally shooting woman carrying his child

A man responsible for shooting and killing the woman who was carrying his child has pleaded guilty to multiple charges from two separate cases, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced Friday.

Zachary Robinson, 27, of St. Paul, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder for the shooting death of 27-year-old Leneesha Columbus, on July 5. At the time of her death, Ms. Columbus was pregnant with their 26-week-old unborn child. Upon the mother’s fatal shooting, the baby girl was prematurely delivered the same day as her mother’s passing. On August 6, after a month on life support, the baby died due to complications from the premature birth.

Robinson received 329 months for the murder of Ms. Columbus, and 261 months for the death of the baby girl. These sentences will be served consecutively, for a total of 590 months.

In an unrelated case from December 7, 2019, Robinson pleaded guilty to second-degree assault for shooting a male victim outside of Augie’s in downtown Minneapolis. He received 51 months, but that sentence will be served concurrently with the murder case.

Robinson’s sentencing is scheduled for December 11 at 10 a.m.

Read the related article.