Miami Police believe that Marathon gas stations are being targeted by a group of armed robbers.
In a period of 10 days, 3 Marathon gas stations in Miami were allegedly robbed by three men. One of them allegedly wore a mask and carried a shotgun.
Armed robbery with a firearm is punishable by life in prison in the State of Florida. As well, you can received an enhanced penalty for wearing a mask during the commission of a felony.
Armed robbery with a firearm is also a non-bondable offense, meaning that no bond is initially set by the court upon arrest. The only chance to get a bond when charged with a felony punishable by life is through an Arthur Hearing. However, even after an Arthur Hearing, a judge can still hold a person accused of an armed robbery without a bond.
In that case, the accused would remain in jail pending trial or disposition by plea.
Armed robbery with a firearm carries a mandatory 10-year prison term in Florida. Only the prosecutor can waive this provision. The judge does not have the authority to sentence a person convicted by plea or trial to less than 10 years in prison unless the state consents.
Police use a variety of techniques when trying to solve robberies. Detectives will review store surveillance footage as well as interview witnesses. In cases involving multiple robberies, they will look for similarities between the crimes, such as similar descriptions of suspects, similar weapons, or similar methods and procedures carried out by the alleged robbers.
Police crime technicians will check counter surfaces and glass doors for DNA and fingerprints. These will be run through databases that could result in matches if any of the alleged robbers have prior records which would have put their DNA or fingerprints into the system.
All three men face up to life in prison if arrested and convicted.
Eric Matheny is a criminal defense attorney representing clients charged with armed robbery in Miami-Dade and Broward.