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Inset left: Adiah Roberson (San Antonio Police Department). Inset right: Daniel Shrewsbury (Obituary). Background: The Sonic Drive-In where Roberson killed Shrewsbury in San Antonio, Tex. (Google Maps).
A young woman from Texas faces a lengthy prison term following her involvement in a tragic incident at a fast food drive-in that ended in violence. The altercation, triggered by an attempt to use counterfeit money, resulted in the death of a well-respected manager.
Adiah Roberson, just 19 years old, recently entered a plea of no contest to charges including murder, assault causing bodily injury, and forgery. Her decision came earlier this month, leading to a significant legal outcome.
In a plea agreement reached last Friday, Roberson was handed a 40-year sentence for the murder conviction, alongside a 20-year term for the assault charge. Notably, the forgery charge did not result in an additional sentence. Both prison terms are set to run concurrently, meaning she will serve them simultaneously.
The events that led to these charges unfolded on July 7, 2024, at a Sonic Drive-In located on Babcock Road in San Antonio. According to reports by the San Antonio Police Department, Roberson and her friends attempted to pay for their food using counterfeit bills.
The manager, 33-year-old Daniel Shrewsbury, confronted the group about their fraudulent attempt and refused to complete the transaction. This confrontation unfortunately escalated, leading to the fatal shooting and subsequent legal proceedings.
After being confronted, Roberson and Shrewsbury fiercely argued in the restaurant”s kitchen but, eventually, the group used real money to buy their food. On the way out, however, Roberson took money from a tip jar. Shrewsbury then followed the trio out as they were leaving to take a photo of their license plate. Joshua Joseph, 29, who was driving, got upset and told Shrewsbury he was about to get shot. That’s when Roberson got out of the car, took out her gun and shot the manager.
Shrewsbury then staggered back inside the Sonic where he collapsed. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the crime.
The victim’s mother wrote on her son’s obituary tribute page that he loved his job as a Sonic manager and all of his employees.
“Daniel was a jokester who made everyone he worked with happy, and they all loved him so much,” she wrote.
On July 16, 2024, police issued an arrest warrant on murder and forgery of a government document charges for Joseph and Roberson.
The U.S. Marshals Service arrested Joseph a month later.
While on the lam, the Texas Department of Public Safety placed Roberson on its “Most Wanted” list. The defendant was arrested in October 2024 at an apartment complex in Dallas – some 275 miles northeast of San Antonio. She was only 17 years old at the time.
“I apologize for the actions of somebody who happened to be with me, and none of that should have happened,” Joseph told reporters after his arrest. “That person made a decision they shouldn’t have made.”
Authorities later dropped the charges against Joseph.
The result did not come without consternation.
During the sentencing hearing, Bexar County 226th Criminal District Court Judge Benjamin Robertson told the state and the defense that 40 years did not seem sufficient for Roberson’s crimes, according to a courtroom report by San Antonio-based ABC affiliate KSAT.
In the end, the judge “reluctantly” agreed to accept the plea deal.