A San Diego man has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the death of a former girlfriend late last month.
Robert Haywood Reed, 38, is accused of fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend Sylvianita Widman at an intersection in the city’s Skyline neighborhood on August 25, KUSI News reported. Prosecutors said Widman, a 27-year-old mother of two, was a passenger in a male friend’s car when they stopped behind Reed’s Mercedes at a red light.
For unknown reasons, Widman got out of the car and started shouting as she approached the passenger side of Widman’s vehicle. That’s when her ex-lover shot her at point-blank range with a .38-caliber handgun, police say.
Robert Haywood Reed could face up to 50 years behind bars if convicted in the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Sylvianita Widman. (Images courtesy of NBC San Diego)
According to NBC San Diego, prosecutors said Widman and her friend came upon Reed by happenstance that day. The two had dated for roughly a month before calling it quits, Deputy District Attorney Amy Colby said.
Authorities arrived to find Widman in a nearby parking lot suffering from a gunshot wound. The young woman was rushed to the hospital, where she died about an hour later.
Prosecutors said a surveillance camera captured the deadly shooting, adding that another camera allegedly spotted Reed at liquor store shortly before the shooting. San Diego police later identified Reed as a suspect in the killing. He turned himself into police 12 days later, on Sept. 6.
At his arraignment Thursday, Reed pleaded not guilty to murder and was given a $1 million bond. If convicted, he could face 50-years-to-life behind bars.
Police are still searching for a motive in the shooting.
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