CHICAGO (AP) — The 80-year-old half-brother of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who was sentenced to life in prison more than 30 years ago after pleading guilty to hiring hitmen, has been released from prison, officials said.
Noah Robinson Jr. was freed last month over the objections of prosecutors by a federal judge who cited Robinson’s age, the risks of being in prison due to COVID-19 and his deteriorating health, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
“Robinson has been convicted of violent crimes, but he is 80 years old and has now been in custody for nearly 33 years,” U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pohlmeier wrote. “This is a significant period for the purposes of punishment and general deterrence.”
Robinson was released under the First Step Act, a bipartisan bill signed in 2018 by then-President Donald Trump that aims to encourage inmates to participate in programs designed to reduce recidivism, reduce mandatory minimum sentences and give judges more discretion in sentencing. sentence.
Robinson, a wealthy Ivy League-educated businessman, has been in custody since his arrest in 1989 on charges that he hired hitmen from the Chicago street gang El Rukn to kill his childhood friend, Leroy “Hambon” Barber. , after the two got into a fight in South Carolina, where they both grew up.
A woman who witnessed the killing was injured in a later hit that Robinson ordered, and he ordered another hit that was not carried out, prosecutors said. Robinson was also accused of helping members of El Rukn connect with cocaine and heroin suppliers on the East Coast.
According to Robinson’s release order, he plans to live in Chicago with his daughters, who have promised to take care of his medical and other needs.
