Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Cincinnati Trio Sentenced to up to 25 Years for Armed Robbery
Aaron Murray, 22, and Savoy Carpenter, 21 were each sentenced to 300 months in prison and James Crawford, 22, was sentenced to 54 months in prison.
Benjamin C. Glassman, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the sentences handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Susan J. Dlott.
The agencies involved in the investigation include:
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
Cincinnati Police Department
Colerain Police Department
Covington Police Department
Hamilton County Police Association SWAT
Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office
Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office
Kenton County Sheriff’s Office
Sharonville Police Department
Springfield Township Police Department
Woodlawn Police Department
According to court documents, the three participated in the robbery of the Micro Center electronics store on Mosteller Road in Cincinnati on August 17, 2014, taking approximately $29,000. Specifically, Murray and Carpenter planned and performed the robbery. They mapped out escape routes and rode to the store together.
During the robbery, Murray ordered several customers and employees to the ground, pointed a firearm at the manager of the store and demanded that he take him to the safe. He ordered the manager to empty the contents of the safe into a black trash bag.
Upon fleeing the scene, Murray and Carpenter abandoned Carpenter’s car and ran into a nearby wooded area, where they called Crawford and asked that he come to their rescue. Murray gave Crawford $270 from the proceeds for picking them up and driving them to safety.
Murray also robbed Fifth Third Bank on Ferguson Road in Cincinnati at gunpoint on October 15, 2014, taking approximately $10,900.
Carpenter brandished a firearm while robbing the Family Dollar on Ferguson Road in Cincinnati on October 29, 2014. After an employee advised that he could not open the safe, Carpenter demanded the employee empty the cash register, and took $167 in cash. Nine days later, Carpenter robbed the same store by gunpoint again. During his second robbery at the store, he passed out shopping bags to customers and encouraged them to steal from the store as well. As he was approaching the store, an individual called 911 and Carpenter was apprehended after a brief foot chase.
“These were hostile takeover robberies that terrorized multiple victims,” Acting U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “People who commit crimes like this should expect to end up spending a long time in federal prison. These are serious crimes that warrant the serious penalties that the district court meted out today.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by law enforcement, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Springer, who is representing the United States in this case.