Three Men Plead Guilty to 2005 Robbery and Murder of Richmond Convenience Store Clerk and other Robberies
RICHMOND, Va. – Three men have pled guilty to their roles in a series of armed robberies in Virginia and North Carolina, including a 2005 robbery that resulted in the fatal shooting of a Richmond convenience store clerk.
Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia Attorney General; and Daniel Kumor, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – Washington Field Division, made the announcement.
Vance Hamm, 35, of Rocky Mount, N.C., pled guilty on March 12, 2012, to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery. Earlier this month, Stephen White, 27, of Hampton, Va., and William Langley, Jr., 35, of Rocky Mount, N.C. pled guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery; and aiding and abetting one another in the use and discharge of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence causing the death of another.
White and Langley face a potential maximum punishment of up to life imprisonment, while Hamm faces a maximum punishment of up to 20 years’ imprisonment.
Langley, White and another man planned and executed the robbery of the Uppy’s Exxon Convenience store located at 5024 Brook Road in Richmond in 2005. White and another man entered the store, while Langley and others waited in the car. White admitted to shooting the clerk, Robert Rush, after demanding and receiving money. Rush died at the scene. Hamm was not involved in this robbery.
Langley, White and Hamm also pled guilty to committing numerous robberies in Virginia and North Carolina from 2004 through 2008. Sentencing hearings for were set for June 28, 2012, before United States District Court Judge Robert E. Payne.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with assistance from City of Richmond Police Department, the Chesterfield County Police Department and other law enforcement agencies. Special Assistant United States Attorney Mike Jagels of the Virginia Attorney General’s Office Special Prosecutions and Organized Crime Section and Assistant United States Attorney Mike Gill are prosecuting on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao.vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.uspci.uscourts.gov.
