Man convicted of 2021 ATM murder

Winston Nathaniel Lark IV, 20, was convicted by a jury of first-degree felony murder for killing Nelson Alexander, 73, during an ATM robbery, Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced Jan. 22. Lark was also convicted of using a firearm in committing a murder.

In the early morning of Oct. 20, 2021, Alexander, of Falls Church, went to a Wells Fargo ATM on Annandale Road in Falls Church before going to work.

Related story: Large crowd honors ATM murder victim Nelson Alexander

Lark, of Washington D.C., and his half-brother Timothy Bradshaw Robinson, 22, of Falls Church, had stolen a Nissan Murano SUV and were looking for other opportunities for theft.

When they saw Alexander at the ATM attempting to withdraw cash, Lark confronted him at gunpoint in an attempted robbery.

Alexander resisted, and Lark fired two shots, hitting him once in the chest. Lark got back in the vehicle, and Robinson drove away.

Related story: Police arrest two teens for ATM murder

Alexander was found by two citizens and was taken to the hospital, where he eventually succumbed to his injuries.

During the trial, prosecutors showed security camera videos of the attempted robbery where Lark could be seen holding Alexander at gunpoint – a fact that Lark confirmed when he took the stand. In the video, they move out of frame before Lark fired the fatal shot, which was audible in one of the videos.

Additional evidence, including blood found on the stolen Murano, cell phone location data, and text messages, allowed prosecutors to map out Lark’s movements leading up to and after the murder.

Related story: Grand jury indicts suspects in ATM murder

“Nelson Alexander didn’t know the defendant. He didn’t do anything wrong, and he was just going about his day as usual,” Descano said. “This needless, senseless violence that stole a husband and father from his family is beyond tragic. I hope this sends a message to anyone who thinks about engaging in this kind of behavior: You will be caught, and you will be prosecuted.”

The co-defendant in this case, Timothy Bradshaw Robinson, entered an Alford plea to a robbery charge on Feb. 22, 2024. On May 10, 2024, he was sentenced to 20 years of total incarceration, with all but three years and six months suspended and five years of probation.

Lark’s next court date is a status hearing on March 13, 2026, at which time a sentencing hearing will be scheduled. He faces up to a life sentence for the murder charge and up to three years for the firearm charge.