Middlesex County Sheriff's Office, Massachusetts
End of Watch: Sunday, May 14, 1961
Age: 53
Tour of Duty: 27 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: May 14, 1961
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Committed suicide
Jail Master David Robinson was shot and killed during an escape attempt by two inmates from the old county jail on Third Street, adjacent to the courthouse in East Cambridge.
The inmate who shot Jail Master Robinson was awaiting trial for the murder of Patrolman Lawrence W. Gorman of the Cambridge Police Department on September 3rd, 1960. The man committed suicide three days after murdering Jail Master Robinson when police stormed a Boston apartment where he was hiding.
The second inmate, who was awaiting trial for the murder of a clerk in a Saugus clothing store, was captured four days later while robbing a store in New Hampshire. He was convicted of two counts of murder and sentenced to life in prison. In December 1985 he escaped from prison and he remained at large until March 22nd, 2005, when he was arrested in Chicago, Illinois. He was denied parole on January 12th, 2010.
Jail Master Robinson had served with the Middlesex County Sheriff's Office for 27 years. He was survived by his wife, son, daughter, mother, and three brothers.