The FBI doubled a reward to $50,000 in the 1991 killing of a Wells Fargo armored car guard who was surprised by two men as he picked up cash at a popular D.C. restaurant.
Henry Robinette worked three jobs to provide for his family. On the day he was killed, he volunteered to pick up someone else’s shift.
“The messenger called in sick, and he went out to cover that route,” said his son, Tony Robinette. “It wasn’t even his route. He worked in the vault.”
Just after 11 a.m. that day, Henry Robinette made a pickup at Hamburger Hamlet on Wisconsin Avenue in Friendship Heights when he was robbed.
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“The detectives who investigated it at the time, they were aware of the pattern, knowing that there would be more money to gain by doing this robbery on a Monday after the business had the revenue from the weekend,” Metropolitan Police Department Detective Jeffrey Weber said.
D.C. police described the killing of Robinette as a cold-blooded murder. A witness told police Robinette was on his knees and not resisting when he was shot once in the neck. The men then took his sidearm and ran out the back door. They were last seen on 43rd Street getting into a small sedan and taking off.
Witnesses estimated one man to be in his late teens and the other in his early 20s. They would both be in their 50s today.
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Police hope $50,000 will get someone to talk.
“A lot of time has passed, and people’s perception on life changes over time, and maybe they were reluctant to come forward back 33 years ago, and now their life circumstances have changed that they feel more comfortable speaking to the police,” Weber said.
Anyone who knows anything about the killing of Henry Robinette should call D.C. police at 202-727-9099.
“Knowing that my dad can maybe rest in peace — that his assailants have been brought to justice — it would mean the world to me, my brothers, my entire family,” Robinette said.
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