West Valley City • The building where Jill Robinson once worked now bears her name.
West Valley City honored the fallen code-enforcement officer who was murdered in the line of duty in 2018 by naming its community preservation building after her this week. Code-enforcement officers from around the state and the country attended the Thursday ceremony.
“It’s great to see that my mom is still remembered and will never be forgotten,” Robinson’s daughter Jessica Knorr said, holding back tears. “My mom was my best friend. I miss her so much.”
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Family, friends and city officials unveil the sign for the Jill Robinson Memorial Building on Thursday, July 31, 2025.
Kevin Billings ambushed Robinson, fatally shooting her when she arrived at his home for a routine follow-up on the condition of his yard on Aug. 9, 2018.
On Thursday, Mayor Karen Long, coworkers and family members memorialized Robinson in a ceremony at the facility, which hosts the city’s code enforcement arm and animal services division. Robinson was proud of her role in keeping West Valley City clean and pretty, her daughters have said.
Knorr, Lang, Chief Code Enforcement Officer Tumi Young and Assistant City Manager John Flores all spoke at the ceremony. The building now sports large black letters reading “Jill Robinson Memorial Building” on its facade facing 3500 South, near Lydia Ann Lane. A silver sign outside the main entrance bears the same name.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Family of Jill Robinson look at the new sign on the Jill Robinson Memorial Building in West Valley City on Thursday, July 31, 2025.
Inside, a white plaque features photos of Robinson and the building with an inscription that reads: “May your bravery be a beacon for us all. Forever in our hearts.”
Robinson had sent a notice of violation to Billings weeks before the shooting, telling him to bring his yard up to code and to set up a compliance check with the city once he did so. If he didn’t by Aug. 6, the city would charge him daily fines.
He scheduled a meeting with Robinson at his house on Wendy Ave. for Aug. 9. By 10:21 a.m. Billings had killed Robinson and lit both her city truck and a neighbor’s home on fire. The next-door blaze also killed four of the neighbor’s dogs.
A judge later sentenced Billings to life in prison without parole after he pleaded guilty to Robinson’s slaying, arson charges and animal cruelty.
Robinson had worked in code enforcement for the city for a decade. She was one of the first hires in what was then a new department tasked with keeping properties clean and improving land values.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) A rose covers the program for the unveiling ceremony at the Jill Robinson Memorial Building in West Valley City on Thursday, July 31, 2025.
At the time of her death, family and colleagues also remembered Robinson for her diverse hobbies ranging from woodworking to softball to gardening.
“Today, as we rename this building, we do more than honor her name. We honor her legacy,” said Young, the chief code-enforcement officer who started working for the city on the same day as Robinson in 2008. “From this day forward, the Jill Robinson Memorial Building will stand as a testament to the life of Jill Robinson, a person who gave so much to this community.”
Since Robinson’s death, West Valley City code-enforcement officers have started wearing bulletproof vests when they go on calls, Young said.
Knorr, Robinson’s daughter, offered the crowd one more way to honor her mom.
“If you would like to do something in honor of my mom, Jill Robinson,” she said, “my family would love it if you would do an act of kindness for your neighbor.”