Man Sentenced to 60 Years for 2021 Loop Killing of Visiting Doctoral Student

Overview

• A Cook County judge on Tuesday imposed the maximum 60-year prison term on Tony L. Robinson after his May conviction for the June 19, 2021, stabbing death of 31-year-old Anat Kimchi.
• Prosecutors linked Robinson to a short spree of downtown attacks over nine days before the killing and relied on surveillance footage and DNA from a discarded shirt to tie him to the murder.
• Witnesses at the sentencing hearing described earlier beatings that prosecutors say involved a sock filled with rocks and a tourist who suffered broken bones and head wounds.
• Family members and colleagues gave emotional victim-impact statements that emphasized Kimchi’s data-driven research on criminal-justice disparities and noted her posthumous doctorate.
• Under state law Robinson must serve the full term, a development that closes the criminal case while renewing debate about how Chicago handles homelessness, mental illness and public safety downtown.