Dayton Men Indicted, Arrested for String of Convenience Store Armed Robberies
DAYTON – Kavonte Knolton, 21 and Jamaal Murphy, 19, both of Dayton, have been charged with committing a total of five armed robberies of convenience stores in the Miami Valley dating back to December 2019.
The charges were outlined in an 11-count indictment returned on June 23. Knolton and Murphy were arrested June 29 by Dayton Police and agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The indictment alleges that Murphy robbed the Wyoming Mini-Mart in December 2019 and that Knolton robbed a UDF on Woodman Avenue twice, once on January 25 and again on February 14. The indictment accuses both men of robbing a Circle K on Dorothy Lane on February 22 and the Wyoming Mini-Mart again on March 5. They are accused of using, carrying or brandishing firearms in each of the robberies.
A federal grand jury in Dayton indicted the men for violating the Hobbs Act, a federal law that punishes people who commit crimes involving businesses that operate in interstate commerce.
The indictment charges the men with one count of conspiracy and five counts of violating the Hobbs Act. Each count is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The indictment also charges five counts of using, carrying or brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. Each of those counts is punishable by a mandatory term of seven years in prison, which must be served consecutive to any sentence for the robberies.
David M. DeVillers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jonathan McPherson, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Dayton Police Chief Rick Biehl in announcing the indictment. Assistant United States Attorney Brent Tabacchi and Deputy Criminal Chief-Dayton Dominick Gerace are representing the United States in this case.
An indictment merely contains allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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If you have media questions, contact Jennifer Thornton at jennifer.thornton@usdoj.gov.
