Prosecutors say real estate fraud was motive in San Ramon murder

Prosecutors charged an El Sobrante man today in connection with the murder of a San Ramon man that appears to have stemmed from an alleged real estate fraud involving a piece of property in North Richmond.

Reginald Robinson, 31, was charged with murder, solicitation of

murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm in connection with the

fatal shooting of 42-year-old Kashmir Billon.

The two men were reportedly business partners in the real estate

and mortgage business, San Ramon police Lt. Dan Pratt said.

Billon was found dead at about 11 p.m. Sunday near a smoldering

car at 2600 Bishop Drive in San Ramon. He was shot in the chest, according to

the Contra Costa County coroner's office.

Supervising Deputy District Attorney Harold Jewett said today that

the murder appears to have stemmed from fraudulent activity involving a residential development on Seventh Street in North Richmond.

Billon reportedly financed the purchase and construction of homes

on property that Robinson owned. Although details of how the fraudulent

transaction was allegedly supposed to work were not being released today, it

appears Robinson allegedly planned to sell those homes to a fictitious person

through a bank.

The fraudulent purchase was reportedly scheduled to close escrow

Monday, "leaving the bank holding the bag," Jewett said.

Investigators are

still working to determine how much Billon knew

about the alleged scheme.

"It's possible he was killed because he found out about the

fraud," Jewett said.

San Ramon police got a break in the case when a person officials

are not identifying came forward and told investigators that Robinson had

allegedly solicited that person to kill Billon the Friday before the murder,

Jewett said.

The person said no, and after learning of Billon's murder,

contacted investigators and told them about the alleged earlier solicitation,

Jewett said.

Investigators are still working to determine whether evidence

suggests Robinson killed Billon himself or that he hired someone else to do

it.

"He may have solicited someone else; he may have done it himself.

From our point of view he's equally guilty," Jewett said.

Robinson was arrested at his El Sobrante home Monday night. He was

scheduled to be arraigned today in Contra Costa County Court in Martinez at

1:30 p.m.

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