John Wesley Perry III

On the morning of May 17, 2022, John Wesley Perry III, a 38-year-old Black man, was shot and killed in Waco, Texas. The shooting took place around 8:30 a.m. in the parking lot of an Octapharma Plasma center located in the 5300 block of Bosque Boulevard. When Waco Police officers arrived, they found Mr. Perry deceased at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds. His death was the 13th murder in the city that year.

Security footage from the plasma center helped investigators piece together the events of that morning. The footage showed Mr. Perry entering the business and waiting inside for several minutes. Shortly after, a woman identified as Ardra Charlette Robinson, 31, arrived in a maroon Mercury sedan. She entered the building, checked in at a kiosk, and spoke with Mr. Perry. The two then exited together and got into her car.

Moments later, the footage showed Mr. Perry getting out of the Mercury. There appeared to be a brief altercation as he exited, and he fell to the ground. A witness reported hearing Mr. Perry yell, “No! No! No!” Ms. Robinson then got out of the driver's side, stood over Mr. Perry for several seconds, and appeared to point a handgun at him, shooting him as he lay on the ground. She then got back into her car and drove away.

Using the check-in information provided by the staff at Octapharma Plasma, detectives quickly identified Ms. Robinson as the suspect. An officer spotted her Mercury sedan near the 700 block of West Waco Drive, pulled her over, and took her into custody. During an interview with detectives, Ms. Robinson admitted to shooting Mr. Perry with her revolver. She stated they were in a dating relationship and had been arguing inside the car. She also confirmed that Mr. Perry was not armed and had not assaulted her in any way. She admitted she knew he was dead when she left the scene.

Investigators searched for the handgun, which they believed Ms. Robinson had thrown from her car window near the 1600 block of West Waco Drive. They asked the public to call 254-750-7500 if a weapon was found. Ardra Charlette Robinson was arrested and charged with the murder of John Wesley Perry III.

In September 2023, Ardra Charlette Robinson pleaded guilty to the murder charge, bringing a legal conclusion to the case.