Cortne Robinson was sentenced to death by the State of Texas for the murder of Frank Zabokrtsky
According to court documents Cortne Robinson and two accomplices would force their way into the home of an elderly couple. Frank Zabokrtsky would be fatally shot and his wife would be sexually assaulted
Cortne Robinson would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
Cortne Robinson Photos
Cortne Robinson Now
| Name | Robinson, Cortne Mareese | |
| TDCJ Number | 999562 | |
| Date of Birth | 12/15/1990 | |
| Date Received | 03/23/2011 | |
| Age (when Received) | 20 | |
| Education Level (Highest Grade Completed) | ||
| Date of Offense | 09/20/2009 | |
| Age (at the time of Offense) | 18 | |
| County | Harrison | |
| Race | Black | |
| Gender | Male | |
| Hair Color | Black | |
| Height (in Feet and Inches) | 5′ 11″ | |
| Weight (in Pounds) | 198 | |
| Eye Color | Brown | |
| Native County | Harrison | |
| Native State | Texas |
Cortne Robinson Case
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the state’s highest criminal court, denied, on Wednesday, Marshall native and death row inmate Cortne Robinson’s application for writ of habeas corpus, which he filed to determine if his detention and death sentence is unlawful.
Robinson was convicted in March 2011 for fatally shooting 82-year-old Frank Zabokrtsky during a September 2009 home invasion in which the victim’s wife was kidnapped and sexually assaulted. Robinson was 18 years old at the time and the first of three co-defendants to stand trial in the case.
Robinson, the person responsible for pulling the trigger who made a rap song about it, was sentenced to death for his actions. He filed an appeal following his conviction; however, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied his appeal in June 2013, and affirmed his conviction and sentence of death.
“As the Court of Criminal Appeals had previously affirmed his conviction and sentence on direct appeal, this now concludes Mr. Robinson’s state appellate review of his death penalty,” Rick Hagan, special lead prosecutor in the case for the state, explained Thursday.
With the state’s final ruling, Robinson can now seek federal review of his sentence in the United States court system.
“Speaking on behalf of the State of Texas in this matter, I am confident that the federal judicial review process will reach the same conclusion as our state courts have and affirm the judgment and death sentence in this case,” said Hagan.
In the court’s final ruling, the appellate court noted that Robinson’s conviction was affirmed on direct appeal in a unanimous decision by this court.
“He now asks this court for relief through a writ of habeas corpus,” the court noted.
Robinson presented 23 allegations in his application in which he challenged the validity of his conviction and sentence. Following a live evidentiary hearing, a trial judge entered findings of fact and conclusions of law and recommended that relief be denied as to all of his allegations.
“The court has reviewed the record with respect to the allegations made by applicant,” the appellate court wrote. “We agree with the trial judge’s recommendation and adopt the trial judge’s findings and conclusions.”
The state writ of habeas corpus hearing Robinson’s case began here in the 71st District Courtroom on Feb. 23, 2014, with visiting judge Joe Clayton of Tyler presiding.
During that time, Robinson was brought to the Harrison County Jail from the Palaski Unit in Livingston. He was represented by attorneys from the State Office of Capital Writs for the hearing. The office is the state government agency tasked with representing defendants in Texas who have been sentenced to death, once their appeals have been exhausted.
After his appeal was rejected and conviction was upheld, the State Office of Capital Writs filed a 240-page application alleging various errors in Robinson’s trial that they believed undermined the validity of the court judgment.
“These allegations center around the contention that Mr. Robinson’s trial attorneys provided ineffective assistance of counsel, not that Mr. Robinson is in fact innocent,” Hagan explained before. “The State denies these allegations.
The law provides that the trial court take and hear any additional evidence offered in support of the writ and forward to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals its findings of fact and conclusions of law for their review.
One of Robinson’s claims was that the trial counsel was ineffective because he failed to object to the introduction and large volume of evidence concerning Robinson’s accomplice, Travion Young’s sexual assault of the victim’s 82-year-old wife during the home invasion. Robinson claimed that the mention of the sexual assault had no relevance to his case.
“This claim is denied,” the court concluded in their opinion, filed Wednesday. “He has not shown that his attorney performed deficiently.”
The court also denied Robinson’s claim that the trial counsel was ineffective in his case for failure to call an adolescent brain development expert to testify. The court also denied his allegation of ineffective assistance of appellate counsel and his claim that the death sentence is unconstitutional.
“The court rejects the claim as being procedurally barred,” the appellate court wrote. “It is clear that this type of Eighth Amendment claim has been exhausted in both the state and federal system.”
Robinson’s co-defendant Bradney Smith, who was found guilty of capital murder in November 2012, is serving an automatic life sentence without the possibility of parole in the case; the other co-defendant, Travion Young, who pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of murder, was sentenced to 60 years in prison
