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Baltimore Man Found Guilty in Pregnant Woman Akia Eggleston's 2017 Murder
"To know that we know who her killer is and he will be behind bars for the rest of his life — it's a great thing," Akia Eggleston's aunt, Sanobia Wilson, said.
The father of Akia Eggleston’s unborn child has been convicted in the pregnant Maryland mother’s 2017 disappearance and murder.
Michael Robertson, 42, was found guilty by a Baltimore jury on Thursday on two counts of murder in connection to her death, as well as the death of their unborn son, Anubis, The Baltimore Sun reported.
The verdict came after 13 days of trial proceedings in which prosecutors presented Robertson's cell phone records, Google searches and more evidence. Robertson now faces two terms of life in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 25.
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"You can prove a case in many different ways. This case was highly circumstantial. But when you have enough circumstances, when you have enough puzzle pieces, it makes the case extremely strong and tight, and that's what this was," Assistant Baltimore City State's Attorney Kurt Bjorklund said, according to WBAL.
Eggleston’s family, after enduring years of anguish and unanswered questions in the high-profile case, was visibly overcome with emotion following Thursday’s ruling.
"We thank God for this verdict today," Anthony Wilson, Eggleston's great-uncle, said, per CBS News. "That the law works. The law works."
"To know that we know who her killer is and he will be behind bars for the rest of his life — it's a great thing," Eggleston's aunt Sanobia Wilson added.
Robertson’s defense team declined to make a formal statement following the ruling, however, his lawyer stated he’d “hoped for a better outcome,” according to WJZ-TV.
In May 2017, Eggleston vanished after she was last seen pulling out money from a downtown Baltimore bank to put a down payment on a mortgage for a home she hoped to share with Robertson, as well as her 2-year-old daughter, per CBS News. Friends and family reported her missing after the young Maryland mother failed to show up for a baby shower. She was eight months pregnant at the time.
Six months after her initial disappearance, Eggleston’s debit card mysteriously appeared in front of her Cherry Hill apartment in Baltimore, prompting speculation it may have been planted there. The card, authorities said at the time, appeared “unweathered.”
Following hundreds of police interviews, however, the trail went cold. To this day, her remains haven’t been located. In 2019, Oxygen’s original series Searching For, which aimed to raise awareness regarding Eggleston’s disappearance, highlighted the investigation into her disappearance.
In February 2022, authorities arrested Robertson and charged him with murder in connection with Eggleston's disappearance, despite not having recovered her body. Her death was later formally ruled a homicide.
Eggleston’s murder, authorities said, was ultimately fueled by a heated argument the pair had regarding the 22-year-old posting on social media about her pregnancy. Specifically, prosecutors believe Robertson killed Eggleston and disposed of her body after the 22-year-old Maryland mother shared an image of her sonogram on Facebook. Robertson was the last person to see Eggleston alive. Officials also said Robertson searched dumpsters and trash collection schedules following Eggleston’s disappearance, according to CBS News.
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The couple reportedly met in the 1990s. They reconnected years later and began dating in 2016.
Friends and family described Eggleston as a loving mother to her then-2-year-old daughter and an avid dancer who was “small in stature but very big in charisma.” Despite Robertson’s life sentence, Eggleston’s loved ones remain haunted by the fact that the Maryland woman’s remains still haven’t been found.
"We continue to grieve because we do not have Akia to properly bury," Shawn Wilkinson, also said. "Her son either. But, at this time, we are so grateful and thankful again that the verdict was as such."
Anyone with additional information pertaining to the whereabouts of Eggleston’s remains is urged to contact the Baltimore City Police Department at 410-396-2499 or the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office at 410-265-8080.
