DANVILLE, IL – A 22-year-old man from Illinois has been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the brutal 2020 murders of his uncle and two of his friends during a card game. The Vermilion County State’s Attorney’s Office confirmed that Cloanger Robinson received his sentence on May 24, following a prior conviction for first-degree murder.
The tragic event unfolded on January 22, 2020, when Robinson, then 18, and two teenagers entered the Danville home of Robinson’s uncle, 67-year-old Cordell J. Reed Sr., under the guise of joining a card game. Instead, their intentions were to rob the unsuspecting men. The evening rapidly turned violent when Robinson engaged in a fatal altercation with Nathaniel N. Gentry, 65, striking him repeatedly with a baseball bat. His co-defendant, 16-year-old Terrion Tinsley, proceeded to stab Reed and contributed to the savage assault that eventually claimed the lives of Gentry, Reed, and 60-year-old Anthony D. Jones.
During the sentencing hearing, heart-wrenching victim impact statements were presented. Gentry’s daughter expressed her deep grief, having been robbed of the opportunity for her son to meet his grandfather. Highlighting the irreversible pain inflicted, she appealed to Robinson’s conscience, urging him to embrace transformation and redemption.
Jones’s brother also conveyed his profound loss, touching upon the lasting positive legacy his brother left behind through service to his country, community, and faith.
State’s Attorney Jacqueline Lacy condemned the merciless nature of the homicides, underscoring the added horror given Robinson’s familial ties to two of the victims.
Robinson’s defense attorney relayed his client’s remorse, although Robinson himself remained silent during the proceedings. His accomplices were swiftly apprehended following the crimes, with DNA evidence linking them to the ghastly scene through clothing discarded at one of their residences and latex gloves concealed under knit gloves, later discovered in storm drains near the location of the murders.
Terrion Tinsley has also been sentenced to life in prison, and the third participant, an unidentified minor, pleaded guilty to robbery with an agreed-upon testimony against his co-defendants.
The community remembers the lives of the deceased, all retired friends with deep ties, including Gentry’s military service.