As Cynthia Lyons made preparations for her brother's funeral, she was at a loss as to why George Robertson was the victim of what she called a “senseless hate crime.”

The Santa Maria father of four was found dead early Saturday in his car in front of his apartment complex in the 1000 block of South Railroad Avenue after being shot in the head in an act police say was murder.

No arrests had been made in the case, said Santa Maria police Lt. Dan Ast on Tuesday.

“He was just going home and ended up being the victim of a senseless crime,” said Lyons, a Santa Maria resident.

Robertson, 30, was not a gang member, and was a productive member of society who had no enemies, she said.

The circumstances surrounding the death of her brother were “a whole bunch of speculation”, Lyons said.

A funeral service is scheduled for noon Tuesday at Mt. Zion Church of God in Christ in Santa Maria, she said. Although Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary and Crematory said Monday it was handling funeral arrangements, Lyons said that the family ultimately went with Moreno Mortuary.

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A memorial fund for Robertson's children has been established at Santa Barbara

Bank & Trust, Lyons said. Donations can be made at any branch of the bank to the fund entitled Robertson Children Memorial Fund.

In addition, a benefit barbecue and car wash to raise money for Robertson's children are set for this weekend, Lyons said.

The barbecue will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday at 500 North Broadway, and the car wash was scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday at the same location.

Lyons said that Robertson's three children whom he had custody of were with their mother when he was shot, for which she is grateful because she said he never went anywhere without his children.

“I'm just thankful to God,” she said.

Robertson was a great father and loving man who was nicknamed “The Jokester” by his family, and was guaranteed to make you laugh until you cried, Lyons said.

“He loved to see people happy and enjoying themselves,” she said.

Robertson, one of five children, was a graduate of Santa Maria High School.

He was employed in sales for a janitorial service, and also owned part of a janitorial company in Santa Maria, Lyons said.

Robertson's death was especially devastating because their mother died just four months ago, Lyons said.

“So we hadn't even got over the loss of our mother before this shook our family once again,” Lyons said.

Robertson's children - an 11-year-old girl, 7-year-old twins, and a 2-year-old girl - were aware of what happened to their dad, and were dealing with the situation in their own ways, she said.

“You can see the sadness in their eyes, you can see it in their spirit,” Lyons said.

The two mothers of Robertson's children will raise the children along with Robertson's family members, she said.

“We're just going to continue on with where he left off.”

Ast said an autopsy was conducted Tuesday on Robertson's body. Sgt. Alex Tipolt of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday evening that he had not yet received results from the autopsy.

August 13, 2008