Crime & Safety
Berkeley Woman Killed: Driver Gets 11 Years In Prison
Originally charged with murder, Tiffany Martin took a plea bargain for voluntary manslaughter.
OAKLAND, CA — A judge appeared to fight back tears on Wednesday when he sentenced a woman to 11 years in state prison for killing another woman by deliberately running over her with a car during an argument in East Oakland last June.
Tiffany Martin, 27, of Oakland, was charged with murder for striking 24-year-old Briana Robinson of Berkeley in the middle of the street in the 1200 block of 73rd Avenue at about 12:50 p.m. last June 2.
But on Feb. 26, Martin pleaded no contest to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, telling the judge at that hearing, "I am just ready to do this and go home."
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After hearing Robinson's mother, sister and aunt speak at Martin's sentencing hearing Wednesday about how much they miss her and how her two young boys will have to grow up without their mother, Alameda County Superior Court Judge James Cramer said, "The void left by Mrs. Martin's cruel and senseless conduct can't be filled."
But after taking a long pause to control his emotions, Cramer said he hopes that the sentencing will allow Robinson's family members to "get peace."
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Multiple witnesses identified Martin as the driver who struck and killed Robinson, Oakland police Officer Yun Zhou wrote in a probable cause statement.
Martin "deliberately using her vehicle without justification struck the victim (Robinson)," Zhou wrote.
Robinson suffered mortal injuries from being struck by the car and was pronounced dead at a hospital.
A witness testified at Martin's preliminary hearing last September that he was in the area talking with friends and relatives when he heard two women "fighting about a man" and the fatal collision occurred a short time later.
Robinson's mother Taisha Gaitlin-Newman said she was "speechless and numb" when she learned that her daughter had been killed.
Referring to Robinson's sons, who are 6 and 8 years old, Gaitlin-Newman asked, "How do you tell two little people that their mother is gone?"
Referring to the argument that led up to the killing, Gaitlin-Newman said, "Young people need to know when to stop, including my daughter."
Gaitlin-Newman said, "I'm not saying she (her daughter) didn't play a part in this, but no one deserves to die."
Robinson's aunt, who didn't want to disclose her name to the court for privacy reasons, alleged that Martin hasn't been remorseful and even has laughed during her court appearances.
"I don't know how you can take someone's life and be so insensitive in a situation like this," the aunt said.
But at the end of the hearing, Martin, dressed in a jail uniform with green and white stripes, cried and told Robinson's family, "I apologize, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do it."
One of Robinson's family members told Martin, "I forgive you."
— Bay City News
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