A socially-isolated San Diego man allegedly killed his sister and nephew, and critically injured his mother, in a shooting triggered by their home’s Wi-Fi router being shut off, a court has heard.
William Bushey, 61, is facing murder and attempted murder charges in the August 21, 2024, shooting that killed Laurie Robinson, 61, and her son, Brett Robinson, 33, and seriously injured his mother, June Bushey.
His mother, who was 86 at the time, survived after being shot in the chest and losing three fingers at their Point Loma home, where Bushey had been living for about 15 years.
During the trial’s opening statements Monday, San Diego Deputy District Attorney Scott Pirrello said Robinson had moved into the home nine days before the shooting amid her divorce and soon became concerned about her brother’s behavior, NBC San Diego reported.
Prosecutors said Bushey had a history of hostility toward family members, prompting his sister and mother to fear for their safety and take protective steps, including removing knives, changing locks, seeking a restraining order and moving to evict him.
Police had responded twice to reports of Bushey’s angry outbursts at the home. During one incident, he allegedly broke off a doorknob after the locks were changed, but officers determined no crimes had occurred and made no arrests.
Hours before the shooting, the home’s internet was temporarily disconnected so the Wi-Fi router could be moved from Bushey’s bedroom to his mother’s room.
DA Pirrello told jurors that this led Bushey to angrily confront an AT&T technician at the house. Pirrello described Bushey as a socially isolated man who spent excessive time alone in his room playing computer games, suggesting that the loss of internet access may have been a trigger in the chain of events that led to the shootings.
Prosecutors showed jurors the shotgun used in the shooting, which his family allegedly did not know he had at the time of the incident. June Bushey testified that her son emerged from the living room and began firing at her daughter on the patio, prompting her to flee through the front door.
“I ran like hell,” the elderly woman recalled, CBS8 reported.
Brett Robinson, who had told a friend over text that he needed to leave the house because his uncle was acting “extra sketchy,” was shot in the kitchen.
After the shooting, William Bushey called 911 and admitted to shooting his sister and nephew. Police arrived to find him sitting on the front doorstep with his hands raised, according to NBC San Diego.
Deputy Public Defender Denis Lainez argued that while William Bushey committed the shootings, he should not be convicted of murder, claiming he was provoked by his sister’s efforts to force him out of the home, CBS 8 reported.
Lainez said William Bushey had lived peacefully with his mother for over a decade. However after his sister moved in, he was suddenly faced with the threat of homelessness and struggled with ongoing physical and mental health issues, including a recent HIV diagnosis that left him unable to work.
“Laurie wanted and convinced her mom to throw out her mentally ill, HIV positive, just about to die brother into the street, even though there was no objective reason. She did everything she could to provoke him,” Lainez told the jury, according to the outlet.
In addition to the murder charges, Bushey is also facing a special circumstance allegation. The DA is not seeking the death penalty, and the charges carry a maximum sentence of life without parole.
The trial continues.
