Willard Leroy Robbins, Jr., also known as Bub, was sentenced on Mar. 24 to 274 months in prison for second-degree murder in Indian Country, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The sentencing follows a violent incident that took place in Latimer County within the Choctaw Nation Reservation. The case highlights ongoing efforts by federal and tribal law enforcement agencies to address serious crimes occurring within reservation boundaries.
Robbins, age 41 and from Wilburton, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty on May 27, 2025. As part of his plea agreement, Robbins admitted to shooting the victim with a 12-gauge shotgun and setting fire to the residence. Investigators reported that on April 10, 2024, local dispatchers received an emergency call about an armed man walking along Highway 2. A responding Choctaw Lighthorse officer found Robbins intoxicated and arrested him for public intoxication. Shortly after this arrest, another emergency call directed officers to a nearby residence in Tuskahoma where they discovered a house fire.
After extinguishing the flames at the scene, law enforcement found one person deceased inside from an apparent gunshot wound. Crime scene investigators located two Remington-branded shotgun shells matching those found with Robbins at his arrest and identified a boot print consistent with his footwear. Witnesses also reported seeing Robbins carrying a shotgun before the fire occurred.
Senior Judge Ronald A. White presided over the sentencing hearing at United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edith A. Singer represented the prosecution during proceedings.
Robbins will remain in custody of U.S. Marshals Service until he is transferred to a Bureau of Prisons facility where he will serve his sentence without parole.
