Jury gives 80 years for violent home invasion
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- Published on Wednesday, 13 February 2013 12:29
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A Westmoreland County Circuit Court jury has convicted two men of a violent 2011 home invasion and sentenced them to 80 years in prison, the minimum sentencing allowed by law. The pair is scheduled to appear before a circuit court judge on April 5, and the judge can maintain the lengthy sentences or suspend a portion of the time imposed by the jury.
Convicted after a circuit court trial and seven hours of jury deliberation were Phillip Parrotte, 46, and Lamont Turner, 38, both of Westmoreland County. The pair was charged with robbery, breaking and entering while armed with a deadly weapon, abduction for pecuniary gain, two counts of use of a firearm for abductions and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
The two men were charged with breaking into a home on Gardy’s Mill Road on April 8, 2011 and abducting Deonta Garner and Janae Reed. Parrotte and Turner, wearing masks and carrying guns, took jewelry and cash from the victims and then threatened them at gunpoint after their hands and feet had been tied with duct tape.
Neither victim could identify either of the assailants, but Mr. Garner told officers he thought he recognized Mr. Parrotte’s voice. Mr. Turner’s ex-girlfriend testified that prior to the home invasion she heard Parrotte talking on the phone about robbing someone. She said she did not come forward at the time because Parrotte threatened her.
Investigating officers reviewed a video from the Tappahannock Walmart showing the defendants buying masks about 14 hours before the home invasion. Parrotte did not take the stand in his own defense, but Turner did and told jurors that even though he was at the Walmart with Parrotte, he did not participate in the robbery at Gardy’s Mill Road.
