Woman Ended Relationship After Ex Choked Her. When Her Parents Tried to Help Her Move Out, He Shot Them By Liam Quinn

An Iowa man was sentenced to life in prison a year after he fatally shot his ex-girlfriend’s mother and wounded her father.

Hamza Smajlovic was sentenced on Friday, Nov. 21, after pleading guilty in October to murder and attempted murder charges, Polk County prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said that in October 2024, Smajlovic choked his ex, Jasmyn Robison, at their home in Des Moines and she decided to end the relationship.

According to prosecutors, Robison said it was the “final straw” after a “dreadful nine years.”

Robison’s parents, Tony and Ruth Robison, came to help their daughter move out of the home when Smajlovic shot them on Nov. 1, 2024.

Ruth was killed, while Tony was critically injured.

“I grabbed the 9-millimeter and shot Ruth in the head,” Smajlovic told a judge, according to prosecutors. “I believe after Ruth, I pointed the gun at Tony, and I shot him in the head as well.”

Prosecutors said Jasmyn spoke at Smajlovic’s sentencing hearing.

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“I wish I never met you,” she told the defendant. “I will never get the time back with my mother.”

Chayse Robison, Jasmyn’s sister, also spoke at the hearing.

“Her memory is stronger than the man that killed her will ever be,” she said. “His actions will define him and his family name with shame, but my mother, Ruth Robison, her legacy will be defined by honor. She gave her life protecting Jasmyne, and she did so without hesitation.”