On April 5, 1981, Chuck’s Market in King County, Washington, was robbed.
At the time of the robbery, Robert Grover was out of prison on work release, and police arrested him in connection with the Chuck’s Market robbery. On April 24, 1981, Grover was charged with second-degree robbery.
At Grover’s trial, which began on June 19, 1981 in King County Superior Court, two witnesses were asked to identify Grover as the robber. The first, a clerk from Chuck’s Market, testified that Grover was not the robber. The other witness, Tina Hopkins, testified that she saw Grover at Chuck’s Market. The identification by Hopkins was the only evidence linking Grover to the crime. Grover was found guilty of second-degree robbery, and he received a sentence of a maximum of ten years in prison.
Early in 1982, it was discovered that Hopkins used drugs that could have impacted her identification of Grover. In May 1982, Grover filed a motion for a new trial. The court granted this motion on July 14, 1982, and Grover was released that day. On July 28, 1982, the King County’s Prosecutor’s office announced that the evidence against Grover did not support a new trial and Judge Charles Johnson signed a dismissal of the charge against him.
In 2014, Grover sought compensation under the state’s Wrongful Conviction Compensation Act, but his request was not granted.
- Meghan Barrett Cousino
Posting Date: 04-24-2025
Last Update Date: 04-24-2025