Man Gets 70 Years For Robbing Pizza Delivery Man In Evergreen Park
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Chicago man was sentenced to 70 years in prison Monday for his role in robbing an Evergreen Park pizzeria deliveryman and pistol-whipping him behind the restaurant.
Willie Johnson, 23, was convicted in July of the Dec. 16, 2009, armed robbery at Barraco's Ristorante and Pizzeria, state's attorney's spokesman Andy Conklin said.
Johnson, of the 700 block of E. 92nd Place, approached the deliveryman loading food behind the restaurant and ordered him to the ground, police said.
He struck the man over the head while demanding money, police said.
Johnson's accomplice, then-16-year-old Jeonte Shepherd, of Chicago, searched the man's car. The deliveryman handed over his money and cell phone to Johnson and ran into the pizzeria, police said.
Police found both suspects later that night, one of them hiding in a nearby Dumpster.
Judge John J. Hynes, who heard evidence during Johnson's bench trial, sentenced him to 70 years in prison. He'll have to serve at least 35 years, Conklin said.
Johnson's prior criminal background — with convictions for residential burglary and possession of a stolen motor vehicle — led to the stiff sentence.
Shepherd, who was charged as an adult with armed robbery, already is serving 12 years in prison for the crime, Conklin said.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
