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A Prince William County judge on Thursday sentenced a 29-year-old man to 54 years in prison for murder in a deadly 2021 shooting outside a Woodbridge nightclub.
Circuit Court Judge James Willett sentenced Traivon Johnson of Woodbridge to the five-decade prison sentence, as well as three years probation after release, Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth’s office said in a news release.
In July, Johnson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and conspiracy to use a firearm in a felony.
On March 25, 2021, police were dispatched to the Babylon Cafe bar and hookah lounge for a shooting and found the victim, 25-year-old Kalin Javon Robinson, suffering from gunshot wounds to his neck, abdomen, shoulder and legs, the release said.
Robinson, a Marine stationed at Quantico, died at a nearby hospital.
Security camera footage showed the gunman fire in the parking lot then flee the scene.
“The investigation revealed that Mr. Johnson had threatened to shoot his ex-girlfriend and her new romantic partner, Mr. Robinson, a month prior,” the release said. “Mr. Johnson and an associate, knowing that his ex-girlfriend frequented the bar and hookah lounge, planned to murder Mr. Robinson.”
A few days later, Johnson was seen on a Ring camera in his neighborhood retrieving a firearm, Ashworth’s office said.
The cartridge casings collected in Johnson’s home and cartridge casings found at the crime scene were identified as having been fired from the same firearm “based on corresponding class and individual characteristics,” the release said.
The 2021 shooting followed years of violent incidents outside the club on Golansky Boulevard and prompted Prince William County police to temporarily suspend the cafe’s live entertainment permit pending a security review.
From 2016 to 2025, there were three murders in the parking lot, and several shootings, including one earlier this year.
Babylon Cafe appears to have permanently closed in July after a multi-state raid targeting the “Wheels of Soul” motorcycle gang, suspects in a spring stabbing outside the hookah lounge and nightclub.
“The brutal killing of Kalin Robinson in a parking lot in Woodbridge was deliberately orchestrated by the defendant, Traivon Johnson,” Ashworth said in a statement. “Without his cold and calculating actions, the murder would not have taken place. Although no sentence can bring Mr. Robinson back, the imposition of the maximum allowable sentence of 54 years in prison demonstrates that Traivon Johnson’s behavior will not be tolerated in our community.”
