Reward issued for information in 2004 North Little Rock murder cold case

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Decades have passed, and the family of a North Little Rock man gunned down at work is still asking for help.

Chester Roberson senior, a retired career firefighter, was working as a used car salesman on April 16, 2004. North Little Rock Police Detective Charles Peckat said Roberson was there by himself just before he died.

“Had just got back with his lunch and was fixing to eat it when somebody walked through the door,” Peckat described.

Roberson was shot in the head inside what was AA Auto Sales on Highway 161. His warm, welcoming presence was extinguished and replaced by a cold case which his widow, Donna Roberson, and son, Chester Roberson Jr., still shiver from.

“It’s always just under the surface. It’s always there. You always think about it,” Roberson Jr. said.

They met with detectives in 2004, and again in 2007 when a cold case initiative began inside the North Little Rock Police Department. This Summer, Detective Peckat began the investigation again.

“We’re working on this pretty hard, this case, and I think it’s solvable, but we need just a little bit of help,” Peckat expressed.

Peckat said Monday DNA evidence has not been viable for solving this murder. Early investigations indicated robbery as a likely motive as some money was stolen.

The biggest theft was of his life and of all the memories Chester Robinson Sr. would have made, especially with Chester Robinson III and the other family he never met.

“When you’re married to someone for 32 years, they just become a part of you, and we just miss him so much…If they know something, help us,” Donna said.

There is a $9,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest and conviction. Call 501-680-8439 to speak with a detective. You can remain anonymous.

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