After prison sentence in notorious 1996 campus slaying, Antioch man charged in connection with two shootings

ANTIOCH — A 50-year-old man who was implicated in a notorious 1996 slaying on Contra Costa College’s campus has now been charged in connection with two shootings that occurred two months apart, court records show.

Samuel Paul Cox Jr., of Antioch, was charged with negligent discharge of a firearm and illegal gun possession in connection with a Nov. 4 shooting, and with being a felon in possession of a firearm in connection with a Sept. 20 shootout. He has pleaded not guilty and was held to answer on the three charges at a Dec. 14 preliminary hearing, court records show.

Both shootings occurred in Antioch and did not result in any fatalities or injuries, authorities said. In the Sept. 20 shootout, police say Cox was identified as one of three suspects who fired, but that Cox allegedly shot back at a man who opened fire at him and another man.

In 1996, Cox and two others were arrested and charged with murdering Contra Costa College student and baseball player Christopher Robinson, in what police called a gang-related shooting at the time. Robinson was shot 14 times outside the San Pablo campus’ bookstore. Cox ultimately accepted a deal and prison term that required him to plead no contest to manslaughter, court records show.

It is that manslaughter conviction that Contra Costa prosecutors are now citing to prove that he was not allowed to possess firearms in either incident. Cox’s next court date has been set for Jan. 2. He is being held in jail, with bail set at $350,000, court records show.