A West Sacramento man has been sentenced to 45 years to life in prison for a murder that reportedly was triggered by a dirty look.
Christopher Allen Smith, 31, was sentenced Friday by Yolo County Superior Court Judge Stephen Mock for the murder of Gidd Gomel Robinson IV.
Shortly after noon Nov. 3, 2009, Smith, who is white, was driving with his 7-year-old son in his pickup truck after leaving his father's house in West Sacramento, when he encountered Robinson, an African American man, who was walking his children to school.
After Robinson gave Smith a "hard stare" and Smith "flipped him off," Smith drove his truck around the corner and loaded his gun. Robinson approached the truck and at that point, Smith fired one shot, fatally injuring Robinson, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's office news release.
Smith immediately drove to the Elkhorn boat ramp, tossed the gun into the river and rubbed mud on his hands to conceal any gunshot residue, officials said. He was arrested on Old River Road as he left the boat ramp.
Detectives seized a computer from Smith's home. The District Attorney's Computer Forensics Unit analyzed the computer and found that Smith habitually visited numerous racist websites containing inflammatory pictures and articles about African Americans, according to the news release.
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