A news release from the district attorney’s office says 23 year old Tarod London Jr. of College Station, shot his on again, off again girlfriend in July 2021.
London told the jury that the shooting of 18 year old Roshinah Tompkins was in self-defense.
News release from the Brazos County district attorney’s office:
On May 6, 2024, a Brazos County jury sentenced Tarod London, of Hempstead, to Life in prison after finding him guilty of Murder the previous Friday.
On Sunday, July 25, 2021, officers with the College Station Police Department responded to the Crescent Pointe Apartments for a welfare concern after neighbors saw a trail of blood leading to the defendant’s apartment. Officers breached the locked door and found the body of a young woman just inside the apartment. The defendant was not on scene.
Investigators set up surveillance at the defendant’s permanent address in Hempstead. Around 1:15 a.m. on July 26th, investigators saw the defendant’s car park outside the address. When investigators approached, the defendant drove off without headlights and evaded at a high rate of speed.
Later that day, the defendant’s car was located in a hotel parking lot in Brenham. Investigators located an AR-15 rifle owned by the defendant near the driver’s seat and blood pooled in the passenger seat and floorboard.
The victim was identified as 18-year-old Roshainah Tompkins, who had suffered a gunshot wound to the head. Tompkins had dated the defendant off and on for years.
At trial, the jury heard that Tompkins had planned to go see the defendant that weekend. When messages to Tompkins went undelivered, a concerned friend contacted the defendant, who denied having seen Tompkins.
Prosecutors presented a meticulous timeline of the defendant’s movements using traffic camera footage and cell tower data from the defendant’s phone to show that he had driven with her body in his car before disposing her body in his apartment. The jury also heard that the defendant attempted to take a Texas Ranger’s service weapon and escape from custody.
The defendant testified in his own defense and claimed self defense. The jury rejected the defendant’s claim and returned a guilty verdict to murder last week.
Statement from assistant district attorneys Kristin Burns and Ryan Golden: “There is no number of years that will account for the loss of a life, but the jury’s verdict in this case makes the entire Brazos Valley safer.”