Florida Man on Trial for Beating Girlfriend to Death, Then Googling “Why Isn’t CPR Working”
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA — A 38-year-old Pensacola man is on trial after prosecutors say he beat his girlfriend to death during a violent argument, then Googled why CPR wasn’t working before leaving to meet his parole officer the next morning.
Davarius James is charged with murder in the death of 50-year-old Claudette Robinson, who was found inside her home on North 7th Avenue on February 3 with severe blunt force injuries to her face and chest.
“This Isn’t Going to Look Good,” James Allegedly Said After Beating
According to the probable cause affidavit, police were called to the home around 7 a.m. after a friend of the couple received a frantic call from James asking her to check on Robinson.
When the woman arrived, she found Robinson “cold to the touch” and slumped in a recliner with her right eye swollen shut. She told police that when she suggested calling 911, James nervously said, “This isn’t going to look good.”
By the time she returned from her car with her phone, James had fled the scene.
When deputies later reached him by phone, he allegedly told them, “I’ll have to tell them about last night … she been dead,” before hanging up when told officers were listening.
Beating Followed Argument Over Girlfriend Giving Away His Belongings
In a recorded interview after his arrest, James admitted to arguing with Robinson the night before her death. He said he became angry when she gave away his personal belongings to friends and family.
He initially claimed Robinson’s fatal injuries came from an accidental fall when she “yanked her arm away,” saying she hit “the back of her head.” When investigators questioned how she also suffered severe facial trauma, James changed his story — saying she “fell in a twisting motion” that caused her to strike both her face and head.
Detectives described Robinson’s injuries as so severe that her “entire face was swollen and bruised,” with visible rug burns across one side.
Disturbing Details: Internet Search Revealed After the Beating
Prosecutors said that after the assault, James did not immediately call for help and instead stayed in the home with Robinson.
He told detectives she became unresponsive and began “shaking,” prompting him to pour cold water on her in an attempt to wake her. The next morning, he said she was breathing shallowly, but instead of calling 911, he went to meet his parole officer.
Later, investigators discovered a chilling Google search on James’s phone:
“If I performed CPR over five hours ago, why isn’t it working?”
That search reportedly took place before he reached out to friends asking for help.
History of Violence and Ongoing Trial
Court records show James had previously been arrested for domestic violence involving Robinson, who had told officers she was “afraid that he would kill her.”
Prosecutors allege the killing was intentional and followed a pattern of escalating abuse.
James remains held in the Escambia County Jail as his trial continues in Escambia County Circuit Court.
If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org for confidential support.