Jeffrey Scott Towers, Trussville, Alabama man insists he is innocent in ‘accidental’ shooting death of his son’s girlfriend, Whitney Robeson, 22, of Virginia, and Auburn University alum. Dad now faces manslaughter charges.
Alabama authorities have charged a Trussville man in the accidental shooting death of his son’s girlfriend.
Jeffrey Scott Towers, 54, of Trussville, was arrested on a warrant and charged with manslaughter, in the shooting death of Whitney Robeson, 22, of Virginia, the Trussville Police Department said in a statement.
The arrest stems from an alleged incident on March 7, 2026, at approximately 9:30 p.m., when Trussville Police officers responded to a call about a person suffering from a gunshot wound at a residence.
Coroner’s office rules shooting accidental as Trussville dad is charged with manslaughter
There, arriving officers found Robeson, who was rushed to hospital, where she was later pronounced dead at 10:49 p.m., WBRC reported.
The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office ruled the shooting accidental the outlet reported.
After an extensive investigation conducted by the department’s Criminal Investigations Division, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Towers on Monday, May 11. He was taken into custody and released on a $30,000 bond.
Police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the alleged shooting.
‘Upstanding citizen’ is innocent say lawyers
As Towers awaits his next court date, his lawyers are saying that their client is innocent.
‘What happened to Ms. Robeson was a tragic event,’ the attorneys said in a Thursday statement to AL.com.
‘While we understand that the justice system must play out,’ the statement read.
‘We know that the facts will show that Mr. Towers has no criminal history, has been a productive and upstanding citizen for his entire life and is not guilty of these charges.’
Towers was booked into the Jefferson County Jail Monday and released several hours later after posting $30,000 bond.
His next court date has not yet been set.
Just weeks before Robeson died, the Virginia native began her career in Birmingham as a trade consultant with Restoration Hardware.
Following her death, Robeson was described as a young woman grounded by her faith and unwavering, profound love for her friends and her family.
Robeson was a May 2025 Summa Cum Laude graduate of Auburn University in The College of Human Sciences Interior Design program.
‘Whitney lived with inimitable grace; keen, quiet attentiveness and loyalty; boundless generosity and an uncanny way of always knowing just what she needed to do,’ according to her obituary.
