Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
“Shanika Robinson and Isiah Genus” is an episode of Snapped: Killer Couples that will be aired on Oxygen on Sunday, March 17, 2024, at 6 p.m. ET. The episode will revolve around the murder of a pizza mart owner, Shahabuddin Rana, and the convictions that followed.
Shahabuddin Rana co-owned a northeast Washington pizza mart with his brother. He was found dead inside the mart on August 18, 2009. His body was found locked inside the mart, NBC Washington reported. Soon after the body was found, a homicide investigation began. The police suspected that it might have been a robbery that escalated into murder.
According to the police, he suffered lacerations and blunt-force trauma. Shahabuddin Rana had been stabbed twelve times and also suffered multiple blunt-force injuries. The autopsy also revealed that his body was also heavily burned. It was the blunt-force trauma to his head and stab wounds on his torso that were determined to be the cause of death, per court documents.
Shanika Robinson had married Shahabuddin Rana’s brother in exchange for being paid $500 a month as part of an immigration scheme. She and her brother Leon Robinson had been charged with the first-degree murder of Shahabuddin. Prosecutors argued that Shanika, her boyfriend, Isiah Genus, and her brother Leon entered Shahabuddin’s pizzeria at about 4 a.m. that morning. The other two hid while Shanika Robinson allegedly waited to be let in from the front door.
According to The Washington Post, Isiah Genus allegedly stabbed Shahabuddin Rana. Leon Robinson struck him on the head with a hammer. Meanwhile, Shanika allegedly went around the store to steal things while the men killed Rana.
How many people were convicted of Shahabuddin Rana’s murder?
Shanika, Leon, and Isiah were all convicted in relation to the killing of Shahabuddin Rana. Leon and Shanika Robinson were found guilty of the first-degree murder of Rana. Shanika was sentenced to 54 years in prison, while Leon Robinson was sentenced to 75 and a half years behind bars, ABC 7 reported.
Isiah Genus pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He played a pivotal role in Shahabuddin Rana’s murder trial. He said in court that Shanika had planned to kill Shahabuddin after he stopped giving her the $500 every week. The Washington Post reported that Shahabuddin had promised to pay her in exchange for marrying his younger brother, a Pakistani national, so that he could apply for permanent residency.
According to court documents, Shanika drove Leon and Isiah to the pizza mart early on August 18, 2009, when Shahabuddin was working his overnight shift. Isiah Genus claimed he did not know that Leon was carrying a knife. She also offered the men latex gloves to ensure no fingerprints were left behind. She then lured Shahabuddin to open the mart door for her before Leon and Isiah, who were hiding behind her, barged in.
After Shahabuddin Rana died, Shanika also reportedly helped Isiah and Leon set his body on fire in the storage room. They drove to the mart in Shanika’s landlord’s father’s car. Upon investigation, authorities found traces of Shahabuddin’s blood in the vehicle. The three of them then allegedly washed the murder weapons with bleach that they stole from the store. They also dumped all the weapons.
The Snapped: Killer Couples episode “Shanika Robinson and Isiah Genus” will be aired on Oxygen on March 17, 2024, at 6 p.m. ET.
