When Michael Isreal Robin Sr. tried to get his robbery conviction overturned, his main complaint was that jurors heard a little too much — namely, a recording of the victim’s frantic 911 call right after the stick-up.

Robin argued that letting the jury listen to that call violated his constitutional right to confront the witness (who didn’t testify) and that it shouldn’t have counted as evidence at all. The Wyoming Supreme Court wasn’t buying it.

A Late-Night Ride Gone Wrong

It all started in the wee hours of June 1, 2023, when Robin and his buddy Keil Muir met John Grier, an older gentleman, at a Cheyenne gaming spot. Grier mentioned he had some money orders to cash — a detail that apparently caught the wrong kind of attention.

After the casino shut down, the two younger men offered Grier a lift home. But when they pulled up to his place, things took a sharp turn. Robin, sitting in the back seat, allegedly lunged forward, grabbed Grier by the collar, and demanded his money orders. Whether or not there was a gun involved is still fuzzy — Muir couldn’t seem to make up his mind on that point — but Grier handed over the money and scrambled out of the car.

Shaken and still catching his breath, Grier went inside and called 911. Between sobs, he told the dispatcher that two men had robbed and hit him before tossing him out of the vehicle. Police and paramedics arrived within minutes to find him crying, bruised, and more than a little rattled.

The Legal Back-and-Forth

Prosecutors later told the court that Grier was suffering memory problems and wouldn’t testify, but they wanted the jury to hear his 911 call. Robin’s defense team called foul, saying that was hearsay — and unconstitutional to boot.

The judge disagreed, ruling that the 911 recording was nontestimonial (since Grier was clearly calling for help, not building a case file) and that it fit neatly under the “excited utterance” exception to the hearsay rule. In other words, when you’ve just been robbed at gunpoint and you’re sobbing into the phone, nobody expects your words to sound calm, rehearsed, or premeditated.

The High Court’s Take

The state’s high court backed up the trial judge. The justices pointed out that Grier made the call within minutes of the robbery, the suspects were still on the loose, and his emotional distress was obvious. That made his statements spontaneous and credible — exactly what the hearsay exception is designed for.

They also noted that the jury seemed to have used good judgment: while Robin was charged with aggravated robbery, jurors opted for a lesser conviction of simple robbery.

Bottom line? The justices said the 911 call stays in. The conviction stands. And for future defendants hoping to toss out an emotional 911 call — well, Wyoming’s courts have now made it pretty clear: if it’s raw, real, and made mid-panic, it’s probably coming in.

Trick or Treaters Flock to Governor’s Mansion on Halloween

The First Lady encouraged neighbors to come together “in the Wyoming way — with kindness and care.” She invited attendees to bring a nonperishable food item to share or to take one if they or someone they know could use a little extra this season, saying, “Let’s make this Halloween a celebration of community, generosity, and connection.”

Gallery Credit: Kolby Fedore, Townsquare Media

Branding Day at Casper College

Gallery Credit: Kolby Fedore, Townsquare Media