RICHMOND — Days after police arrested a Bay Area man on suspicion of killing former NFL player Terrell Roberts, the Contra Costa District Attorney’s office determined there wasn’t enough evidence to file a case, prosecutors said.
The suspect, who this newspaper is not naming, was released from jail Tuesday morning, authorities said. He was arrested earlier this week on suspicion of fatally shooting Roberts during an altercation in Richmond last September.
The District Attorney’s office didn’t comment on the rationale behind the decision not to file charges, which was made by the homicide unit. Generally, prosecutors are supposed to only file charges when they’re confident the charges can be proved at trial.
There is no statute of limitations on murder charges, so that means prosecutors can reevaluate their decision at any point.
The shooting took place out front, by the garage, at Roberts’ grandmother’s house, which is on the 1200 block of Fascination Circle, police said at the time. Roberts, who played two seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals, died in the backyard with a gunshot wound in his chest.
Before going pro, Roberts played football at El Cerrito High School. He signed with the Bengals in 2003 after going undrafted out of Oregon State. He played 23 games over two seasons, starting once and intercepting a pass. The Bengals released him in 2005.
“He was an outstanding talent, and he wasn’t a selfish player,” former longtime El Cerrito coach Frank Milo, 78, said in an interview last September. “He always worked hard for what he achieved. I can recall when he was a sophomore, I brought him up to varsity about halfway through the season, and he started at cornerback that year. The next two years, he was just tremendous. He started both ways and never came off the field. He also returned punts and kickoffs on special teams.”
Roberts’ family told news station KPIX that her had a “heart of gold” and was “not mixed up in anything bad.”