The neighborhood here really shook up about this one. The girl’s body was found inside an abandoned house behind me. They’re back outside still no clothing on from the waist down. How painful would that injury have been? Very painful. Today we are rejoicing that it looks like we have the person who killed our daughter.
We’re so incredibly grateful for all of the hard work. 2:05 in the morning, a bus stop in Oakland. A young woman is standing there alone. A few minutes later, a red Toyota 4Erunner drives past her. Once, then again, it keeps circling. The SUV makes a U-turn, pulls up right next to her. She gets inside. By 6:40 that morning, her body is found on the 1900 block of Third Avenue, not far from FM Recreation Center.
Her face is crushed, severe head trauma, a brain hemorrhage, defensive wounds on her arms, like she tried to fight back. Her jewelry is gone, her phone is missing, and according to the medical examiner, there are clear signs of sexual assault. This is 23-year-old Kimberly Robertson, a mom to a 2-year-old little girl, a student in a criminal justice program.
She left her home on the evening of April 4th, 2014. No one ever saw her alive again. The last person she spent time with was her boyfriend. They were at Lakeside Lounge. Surveillance cameras caught them there at 11:30 p.m. They barely spoke. At 1:15 in the morning, they left the bar. Next stop, the parking lot near Walgreens.
Cameras show a taxi pulling up. She gets inside and then like 30 seconds later, she steps back out. The taxi drives away without her. Her boyfriend returns. Then he parks near the bus stop. Cameras show his car sitting there until 6:18 that morning. He never gets out. His alibi checks out. He didn’t kill her, so investigators shift their focus to another vehicle, a red Toyota 4Erunner.
Bank cameras capture it circling the bus stop several times. Then it pulls over. A figure gets inside. The SUV drives off. About an hour later, that same vehicle is seen near FM Recreation Center, right by the spot where her body would later be discovered. At the crime scene, detectives find a receipt from Lowe’s dated March 23rd.
The store is about 100 m from where her body was found. Luckily, the surveillance footage from that day is still available. That red Toyota 4Runner pulls into the parking lot. Two men walk into the store. The purchase is made with a bank card. But here’s the thing. The card is stolen. 3 hours later, that same card is used at a fast food restaurant.
And that’s where investigators get a clear image of the license plate. The vehicle is registered to a 41-year-old man named Prince Chetch, who goes by Frank, originally from Ghana. Married, three children, living in Oakland. He sells clothing at local farmers markets. During his first interview with police, he says he has never seen Kimberly.
Denies even knowing her, but police already know she was inside his vehicle. Later, he changes his story. Admits he gave her a ride. Claims the sexual encounter was consensual and involved money. Says he dropped her off alive. His DNA matches samples recovered from Kimberly’s body. Prosecutors build their case step by step.
He’s circling the bus stop right before she disappears. He’s the last person to see her alive. He admits to sex, but lies about it at first. His SUV is captured near the location where her body is found. His DNA is on her. The jury needs less than 2 hours. Verdict guilty of first-degree murder with a special circumstance.
Murder committed during rape. Life in prison without the possibility of parole. And still, he insists. I didn’t kill her, but the video footage, the timeline, the route he took, the lies, and the DNA, they all line up into one clear picture of that night. Everything fits together piece by piece.
So, to really understand what happened, we have to go back to the very beginning, Oakland, California. That’s where 23-year-old Kimberly Robertson was building her life. She was originally from Texas, raised in Dallas. After graduating from Kimble High School, she completed her studies at ITT Technical Institute in December of 2013.
Not long after that, she moved to Oakland with her 2-year-old daughter, determined to start fresh. Kimberly was also studying at Heielded College in San Francisco, enrolled in a criminal justice program. She was confident, open, and completely devoted to her little girl. Like her daughter was her whole world.
But Kimberly’s life hadn’t been easy. When she was just 2 years old, her mother was shot and killed by her boyfriend. That kind of trauma, it stays with you. Years later, Kimberly came to Oakland with one clear goal, to give her daughter the best possible start in life. And Oakland, it’s the kind of place you feel right away.
It’s not glossy, not trying to impress anybody. It’s real. The cool air from the bay mixes with the warmth of the California sun. In the mornings, the city feels calm. People jog around Lake Merritt. They sit outside with their coffee. They greet each other without rushing off. By midday, the personality shows.
Colorful murals covering brick walls, music spilling out of open bar doors, different languages floating through the streets. Oakland isn’t just multicultural on paper. You can feel it in the food, in the rhythm of the music, and the way people dress. At night, the atmosphere shifts. Yachts sway gently along the waterfront. The sun dips behind the hills.
There’s this soft hum of conversation and laughter in the air. From the Oakland Hills, you can see the lights of the bay flickering calm, a little nostalgic, very California. This city doesn’t try to sell you anything. It just lets you become part of its rhythm. So, tell me, what city are you watching this from, and what time is it where you are? I’m honestly really curious where my audience is tuning in from.
Go ahead, drop it in the comments, and while you’re typing, I’ll keep going. Friday, April 4th, 2014. That day, Kimberly got her hair done. She had her nails done, too. She went over to her sister’s place, getting ready to spend the evening with her boyfriend. Her sister, Marquita, was watching her daughter. And Kimberly was in a great mood.
She was excited, looking forward to a fun night out. She walked out the door, ready to enjoy the evening. not far from FM Smith Recreation Center. Her body was discovered by a cyclist who happened to be riding past. Oakland police arrived at the scene along with the Oakland Fire Department and paramedics. They did everything they could to save her, but it was already too late.
Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction created for entertainment purposes. Any resemblance to real persons, events, or places is coincidental.
