He told her not to open the refrigerator.

A woman was hanging out and getting high with Damerum Burroughs on March 9, 2025, inside an apartment at the Gilmor Homes affordable housing community in Sandtown-Winchester.

She mentioned she was hungry. Burroughs told her he’d run out and grab food. But he instructed the woman not to open the refrigerator.

When Burroughs left the apartment, she decided to open it anyway. She then discovered the body of Donny Robinson, 61, who’d been stabbed twice in the neck.

Burroughs admitted to the woman after she confronted him that he knew about the body. The next day, she called 911.

On Wednesday, Burroughs, 47, of Southwest Baltimore, appeared before Baltimore Circuit Judge Cynthia H. Jones for the start of his trial, but instead decided to plead guilty to accessory after the fact to first-degree murder for a sentence of 10 years in prison.

Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 6.

Burroughs initially had been facing charges including first-degree murder. No one else has been charged in the case.

“This was a very challenging case, and the plea represents an important step toward accountability,” Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates said in statement. “Anyone who helps conceal evidence, mislead investigators, or shield a murderer must understand that those actions carry significant consequences.”

Bates said the penalties for accessory after the fact “do not always reflect the gravity of the conduct or its impact.”

Legislators, he said, should take a look at the law to make sure that future cases are met with sentences that match the seriousness of the crime.

“The Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City remains committed to holding everyone involved in violent crime accountable and to advocating for laws that better protect our communities and honor victims,” he said.

Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Dunty, chief of the Homicide Division in the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office, laid out in court what happened:

Burroughs initially refused to allow emergency medical services into the apartment and gave conflicting statements. He eventually told them that he was going to get permission from his uncle.

Instead, Burroughs left and never came back.

Baltimore Police located the body after moving a love seat that was pressed up against the refrigerator.

Police executed search and seizure warrants and discovered a large amount of blood on the sofa and blankets and towels in the living room. Officers also found a large knife with a broken handle between the washing machine and kitchen wall.

The Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled that the death was a homicide caused by multiple sharp-force injuries.

Outside the courtroom, Assistant Public Defender Maureen O’Leary, Burroughs’ attorney, declined to comment.

Robinson loved his two daughters and held various jobs until he could no longer work because of a disability, according to his obituary.

His oldest daughter, Kiara Robinson, said her father was a sharp dresser and avid music listener who enjoyed R&B and, in particular, Anita Baker and Jodeci. He worked as a general laborer in construction and landscaping.

“My father was a human. That’s the best way I can put it. He had his good days, he had his bad days,” she said. “He was always looking for out his fellow man.”

When he would get off work on Friday, Kiara Robinson recalled, he would buy her and her younger sister, India, snacks and trinkets.

He’d also carry them down the street of their neighborhood in South Baltimore while stating, “You see my little girls? These are my little girls.”

Kiara Robinson, 36, of Baltimore, a chef who’s studying to become esthetician, described the plea agreement as a double-edged sword. She said it’s a relief that the case is over. But she said she believes that Burroughs deserves more time.

Though Kiara Robinson said she had not seen her father since 2020, his death hit her hard.

“I feel broken. And I’m just looking for closure,” she said. “My word to other people would be to forgive. Forgive. Forgive even when it hurts you.”

Burroughs is being held at the Baltimore Central Booking & Intake Center while he awaits sentencing.