The mother of defendant Archie Robinson’s children testified at his first-degree murder trial Wednesday that Robinson told her he was involved in 39-year-old Patrick Roberts’ shooting death because he was “being greedy.”

Archie Lamont Robinson

Patrick Roberts

Robinson, 30, is charged with first-degree murder during the commission of an inherently dangerous felony and aggravated burglary in connection with Roberts’ shooting death. Prosecutors allege that Robinson kicked in the door to Roberts’ Lawrence home on March 8, 2014, with co-defendant Dustin Walker, tried to steal money or marijuana from Roberts, and shot him when he didn’t comply.

Robinson and Walker were arrested after being located running about a half mile from the crime scene in bloodstained clothing shortly after the shooting. Kansas Bureau of Investigations analysts later determined the blood to be Roberts’.

Robinson’s ex-girlfriend and mother of his children, Ashley Noble, of Topeka, testified Wednesday that she saw Robinson at two bars hours before the shooting. The following day, Noble said, she learned that Walker and Robinson were suspected of killing Roberts and called Robinson that afternoon.

“I asked him why he did it, and he said, ‘I was being greedy,’ and, ‘I (messed) up,'” Noble said.

Noble said she spoke again with Robinson later that evening when he told her that Walker and Robinson had been “wrestling two white guys” when shots were fired.

“He told me that one of the white guys shot a gun, so Dustin shot a white guy and ran off,” Noble said.

Later, his story changed, Noble said, with Robinson admitting to planning the confrontation with Roberts.

“Archie said it was his idea, but he didn’t want to do it,” Noble said.

Noble said she testified against her ex-boyfriend Robinson in hopes of receiving a lighter sentence in an unrelated pending drug case. Assistant Douglas County District Attorney Amy McGowan is the prosecutor in both Robinson’s and Noble’s criminal cases, and Noble said Wednesday that McGowan promised her probation instead of prison time if she testified against Robinson.

Jurors also on Wednesday viewed the videotaped police interview with Robinson that took place about two hours after the shooting. In it, Robinson told Lawrence police detective Lance Flachsbarth that the blood on his clothing was from a fight in Topeka months prior, but Flachsbarth said he did not believe that excuse.

“You’re in the area where this happened, you’ve got blood on you,” Flachsbarth said in the video. “I bet you my life that blood comes back to (Roberts). It was either a cold-blooded deal or it was an accident.”

Robinson continually denied his involvement in the crime throughout the hour-long video, but eventually surrendered his bloodstained clothing over to the police for testing. He was released after the interview, Flachsbarth said, but was arrested again after KBI investigators concluded the blood on his clothing matched Roberts’ DNA.

The trial will resume Thursday with the third day of testimony. It is expected to last through Friday.

Robinson is being held in the Douglas County Jail on a $1 million bond.