Antique Gun Demo Turns Deadly: What We Know About Whitney Robeson's Death

A casual afternoon showing off a personal collection became a tragedy no family should ever endure. Whitney Robeson, a 22-year-old Auburn graduate, was killed on March 7 when her boyfriend’s father, Jeffrey Scott Towers, was demonstrating antique firearms during what was meant to be a simple show-and-tell. The gun he was handling—a Colt Navy single action revolver—discharged a single round directly into her chest.

What makes this case particularly difficult is the gap between accident and accountability. Towers allegedly didn’t realize the revolver was loaded when it fired. But the autopsy tells a brutal story: the bullet tore through Whitney’s left lung, heart, and aorta, causing catastrophic internal injuries that proved fatal despite emergency medical efforts at a Birmingham hospital. The Jefferson County Coroner ruled her death a homicide.

Two months after her death, Towers was arrested and charged with manslaughter. He posted a $30,000 bond and was released from custody. But Whitney’s family isn’t accepting the framing of this as a tragic accident. Through their attorney, they’ve pushed back hard, describing his actions as criminal recklessness—a distinction that matters both legally and morally. They issued a statement emphasizing that this wasn’t simply a case of bad luck:“This matter involves the tragic and unnecessary death of a 22-year-old young woman whose life was cut short far too soon. Whitney was a daughter, loved one, and member of her community, and that should never be lost in the discussion surrounding this case.”

Whitney had just begun her professional life, having earned her degree in interior design from Auburn in May 2025 and recently starting a job as a trade consultant for Restoration Hardware. She was building something. She had a future. And in a moment of carelessness—whether you call it negligence or recklessness—it was taken.

The case underscores a hard truth about firearms: loaded or unloaded, intentional or not, the consequences are irreversible. It also raises uncomfortable questions about responsibility. When does a terrible accident become criminal behavior? And who decides?