Women sentenced in deadly robbery of college students in Alabama forest
Published 6:21 am Friday, January 5, 2024
The pair of women who kidnapped, robbed and shot two college students — killing one of them — in an Alabama national forest have been sentenced.
The two were sentenced Thursday for crimes committed in the Talladega National Forest, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Special Agent in Charge Carlton Peeples.
U.S. District Court Judge R. David Proctor sentenced Yasmine Marie Hider, 21, of Edmond, Oklahoma, to 35 years in prison and Krystal Diane Pinkins, 37, of Memphis, Tennessee to life in prison.
Hider accepted responsibility and pled guilty to murder, kidnapping, and robbery in October 2023. Pursuant to a plea agreement, Hider cooperated in the prosecution and testified against Pinkins at trial. Pinkins was convicted of murder, robbery, and unlawful use of a firearm during a crime of violence in September 2023.
“My sincere hope is that these convictions and sentences bring justice to the victims and the victims’ families, reassuring them that these defendants have been held accountable for their actions,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “I want to thank our local, state, and federal partners for their tireless efforts in this investigation.”
According to court documents, on August 14, 2022, college students from Florida, were driving to Cheaha State Park, in Clay County, Alabama, to hike to the waterfalls.
The couple was flagged down by Hider to help “jump start” Pinkins’s car, which was broken down. Hider robbed the young male and female and shot the male as he attempted to defend himself and his girlfriend.
Officers found Hider with four gunshot wounds several feet away from where the murder occurred.
Pinkins provided the firearm and assisted in the planning of the robbery. She watched from the woods as the robbery and murder took place. Pinkins was found six hours later at a secluded campsite.