Adiah Roberson, now 19, was sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading no contest to murdering Sonic Drive-In manager Daniel Shrewsbury in San Antonio, Texas, on July 7, 2024. The shooting stemmed from a dispute over her group’s attempt to use counterfeit money at the Babcock Road location, escalating when Shrewsbury, 33, followed them out to photograph their license plate.
Incident Timeline
Roberson argued fiercely with Shrewsbury in the kitchen but paid with real money. As they left, she stole from the tip jar, prompting him to pursue the vehicle driven by Joshua Joseph. Joseph threatened Shrewsbury, who was then shot by Roberson and staggered back inside, dying at the scene. She fled, evading capture for months as a Texas “Most Wanted” fugitive before arrest in Dallas in October 2024 at age 17.
Sentencing Details
Under a plea deal accepted reluctantly by Judge Benjamin Robertson, Roberson got 40 years for murder and 20 concurrent years for assault; forgery charges carried no added time. Charges against Joseph were dropped; he publicly distanced himself, saying Roberson alone made the fatal choice. Shrewsbury’s mother remembered him as a beloved jokester who thrived at Sonic.
This tragedy highlights risks in everyday confrontations over petty crime. The judge’s hesitation reflects the sentence’s perceived leniency for such a loss.
