Man Guilty in Huey Newton Death

A 27-year-old Oakland man described as a small-time drug dealer was convicted Wednesday of killing Black Panther co-founder Huey Newton to gain standing with a prison gang.

Tyrone Robinson was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Newton, who was shot in the head three times near a West Oakland crack house on Aug. 22, 1989.

Sentencing was set for Nov. 25.

During the six-week trial, jurors heard testimony from 30 witnesses, including Robinson, who admitted shooting Newton but said it was in self-defense after Newton shot him.

Defense attorney Alfons G. Wagner said Newton had a long history of violence and was trying to rob Robinson, whom he described as merely a “small-time dope dealer.”

But prosecutor Kenneth Burr argued that Robinson shot Newton hoping to bolster his standing in the Black Guerrilla Family prison gang and gain a crack-selling franchise.