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FOREST HILL, Texas – Prosecutors have waived the death penalty for the two men accused of killing North Texas rapper G$ Lil Ronnie aka Ronnie Sibley and his 5-year-old daughter, according to newly filed court documents.

Death penalty off the table

What we know:

In separate filings submitted on Wednesday, the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office formally notified the court it would not seek capital punishment against 24-year-old Adonis Robinson and 21-year-old Jakobie Deshaun Russell. 

Both men remain jailed on capital murder charges.

No explanation for the decision was included in the filings.

Details of the fatal shooting

The backstory:

Robinson and Russell are accused of ambushing 30-year-old Ronnie Sibley and his 5-year-old daughter, R’mani, on March 3 at Slappy’s Car Wash in Forest Hill. 

Surveillance video captured two gunmen opening fire as Sibley vacuumed his car, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by FOX 4. 

Investigators say the suspects pulled up in a white Kia around 10:48 a.m., rounded the corner of the car wash and immediately began shooting toward Sibley’s red Dodge Challenger. The affidavit says the rapper tried to run but was chased down and shot repeatedly. 

His daughter was found in the front passenger seat of the Challenger. Both victims died at the scene. 

Forest Hill police said the shooting left behind numerous shell casings across the property.

Investigators later recovered the white Kia at a Fort Worth apartment complex. Surveillance footage and witness statements linked Robinson to the vehicle, according to the affidavit.

Robinson was arrested March 6 in Livingston, Texas, with help from the Texas Rangers and Fort Worth police. Russell was captured the next day and booked into the Tarrant County Jail. Both men face capital murder of multiple persons.

Remembering Ronnie Sibley

Dig deeper:

Family members say Sibley, an aspiring rapper known as G$ Lil Ronnie, was picking up his daughter for a visit when the shooting happened. The child had been dropped off just minutes before the attack.

Sibley also leaves behind a 12-year-old daughter.

Key questions still unanswered

What we don’t know:

Investigators have not identified a motive for the killings. Police have not explained how the suspects knew Sibley.

What’s next:

Both suspects remain held on capital murder charges as the case proceeds in Tarrant County’s Criminal District Court. No trial date has been set.

The Source: Information in this article was provided from Tarrant County public court documents. 

Crime and Public SafetyForest HillTarrant CountyMusic