CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A man has been sentenced in connection with a deadly northside shooting that happened nearly four years ago, in a case tied to a separate federal conviction involving pipe bombs and firearms.
Robert Spencer appeared in court Thursday, where he pleaded no contest to a manslaughter charge in the death of 37-year-old Bernard Yancey. He was sentenced to 14 years in state prison.
The charge stems from an August 2022 shooting on Van Loan Avenue near Hillcrest. Corpus Christi police responded to reports of shots fired and found Yancey suffering from gunshot wounds. He later died from his injuries.
That same night, Spencer fled into his home as officers approached and held police in a standoff that lasted about an hour. During that time, officers reported hearing gunshots coming from inside the home before Spencer eventually surrendered unarmed.
Investigators later obtained a search warrant and discovered pipe bombs, multiple firearms and ammunition inside the home, along with another firearm outside.
According to authorities, Spencer admitted to assembling the pipe bombs himself and claimed ownership of the firearm found outside.
Officials said the pipe bombs were not registered as required under federal law.
That discovery led to a separate federal case, where Spencer was convicted of making unregistered pipe bombs and being a felon in possession of firearms. A federal jury found him guilty after about 90 minutes of deliberation following a three-day trial.
In that case, Spencer was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.
Prosecutors say the 14-year state sentence for manslaughter will run concurrently with that federal sentence.
The Nueces County District Attorney’s Office says the manslaughter charge reflects the reckless nature of the shooting.
“He didn’t intend to murder anyone, he intended to scare people. That’s very reckless behavior, which led to the manslaughter charge,” a representative said.
Manslaughter in Texas carries a penalty of 2 to 20 years in prison.
Officials say the sentencing brings long-awaited closure to a case that has spanned multiple investigations at both the state and federal level.