Two men have formally admitted some form of involvement in the attempted robbery that led to the death of John Rushton, a man murdered in the Pizza Inn in Wilson, NC, over twenty years ago. One of those two men, Ronald Bullock, pled guilty to Attempted Armed Robbery and Aiding and Abetting Voluntary Manslaughter, acknowledging he was present at the Pizza Inn that night, although there were inconsistencies between his statement, testimony and later statement – not to mention contradictions of the other key witness . He is a free man today.
The other man, Jesse Hill, never told the jury he was involved at all, quite the opposite. He testified that Ronald Bullock and Terry Robinson stopped by his home earlier that day and then drove him to his grandmama’s house. He then went on to describe the accused, Terry Robinson, coming back to his home later, telling him, “I can’t – don’t say nothing about it, ‘cause there is a body involved.” Hill then testified he didn’t believe any of that, and he merely wanted to go back to sleep.
When Jesse Hill was questioned during Terry Robinson’s trial about his reaction to hearing someone had been shot, he expressed disbelief. “So, I was just like, well, you shot him. I went on to bed. It wasn’t nothing to me.”
Jesse Hill was questioned about a reward as well.
Q. Now, when you talked to Detective Bass, did you ask him about any reward that you might get?
A. No.
Q. Have you ever asked anybody about any reward you might get?
A. No.
Q. Have you ever applied for any reward?
A. No.
Q. For giving this information?
A. No.
After the trial was over, Jesse Hill told an investigator that he was given a check for $5,000 by a detective as a reward for his role in the case.
Also after the trial, in contrast to Hill’s testimony portraying himself as unaware of anything and going to visit his grandmama, Ronald Bullock made a statement claiming Jesse Hill was actually involved in the planning of the Pizza Inn robbery. Bullock claimed Hill was supposed to get a cut from the money.
After confronted with that information a few days after Bullock made that statement, Hill admitted to supplying Bullock with a disguise for the robbery.
All of this took place after the trial and unbeknownst to the jury.
Throughout his trial testimony, Jesse Hill portrayed himself as having no involvement or knowledge of the planned robbery.
Q. Okay. And then when they said what they said they were going to do, you didn’t believe them, did you?
A. Not really.
Q. You didn’t believe they were gonna (sic) do it?
A. No.
Jesse Hill went on to, again, testify regarding his disbelief after the fact about what happened.
Q. And you still didn’t believe that they had done it, did you?
A. Not – I was asleep, really, so —
Q. You woke up and they talked to you, didn’t they, Mr. Hill?
A. Yeah, they talked to me, but I still didn’t really believe it. ‘Cause a lot of people can tell you anything, and you don’t have to believe everything you hear.
The jury must have believed Jesse Hill, even though he later told an investigator he knew of the planned robbery and had supplied a disguise for Ronald Bullock. More than that, if Ronald Bullock’s statement is to be believed – Jesse Hill actually rode with him prior to the robbery and even went behind the Pizza Inn that day as they planned the crime.
Mr. Hill repeatedly voiced his disbelief in all that was going to take place before and after the attempted robbery and murder.
Q. Okay. Correct me if I’m wrong, but when they told you about it earlier in the day, you said: “I don’t believe they were gonna (sic) do it.”; “I didn’t believe them.”
A. No.
Q. After they came back, whatever time of day that was, the same day, May 16th, you still didn’t believe them, right?
A. No.
Mr. Hill repeatedly maintained no knowledge of the crime under oath.
Q. But, when he said that, you still didn’t believe he had had anything to do with the Pizza Inn robbery and murder, did you?
A. Naw, ‘cause I ain’t heard nothing about no Pizza Inn robbery at that time.
The testimony of Ronald Bullock and Jesse Hill was the basis of Terry Robinson’s murder conviction and death sentence. Robinson has been on death row for twenty years, and during that time he has steadfastly maintained his innocence. Of the three men – he is the only one who has always said he had no involvement. There was no physical evidence to tie Terry Robinson to the scene, and Jesse Hill and Ronald Bullock were the foundation of the prosecution’s case. Robinson’s death sentence was based on Bullock’s and Hill’s credibility – yet deception has been documented. There were also inconsistencies and contradictions in their earlier statements to police.
If anyone saw Terry Robinson or anyone who accused him of murder that day, please contact me at kimberleycarter@verizon.net.
Mr. Robinson is also a writer, which is how he become involved with WITS. You can read his work here, and he can be contacted at:
Terry Robinson #0349019
Central Prison
4285 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-4285
