HOUSTON — Four men were convicted Friday in the 2016 murder of a Brinks armored car guard.
A federal jury in Houston delivered a guilty verdict against Nelson Alexander Polk, 40, Marc Anthony Hill, 48, John Edward Scott, 43, and Bennie Charles Phillips Jr., 31.
All four of the men were convicted of attempted interference with commerce by robbery, aiding and abetting discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence. The jury also convicted Hill and Polk of aiding and abetting discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence causing the death of another.
The 9-day trial centered on the robbery and guard’s murder on Aug. 29, 2016 at Wells Fargo Bank at 13120 Northwest Freeway and the attempted robbery of a Loomis armored car guard at Amegy Bank at 400 North Sam Houston Parkway East on Dec. 7, 2016.
The jury heard about how one person, who has since died, allegedly led the men who would conduct surveillance of the armored car guards’ routes before attempting to rob them. The leader would wait for the guard to service the ATM before shooting him with a high-caliber rifle from a distance, according to testimony, while someone else from the group would take the money.
The leader allegedly shot and killed the guard at the Wells Fargo. According to testimony, Polk drove a car up to the guard while another member took a bag of money – all while Hill conducted surveillance.
Officials said the men played the same roles in their attempted robbery of the Amegy bank. Law enforcement listened to calls over the leader’s phone before attempting to rob a Loomis guard. According to testimony, Hill and the leader spent hours conducting surveillance on the bank, and on the day of the robbery attempt, the leader sat across from the ATM in an apartment complex parking lot, ready to shoot.
When police moved in to arrest the men, the leader allegedly fired his weapon, and police responded, killing him.
On that day, Polk and Trayvees Duncan Bush, 31, who pleaded guilty before the trial, were ready to drive up to the guard to steal the money, according to officials. Hill was allegedly nearby conducting surveillance and planned to meet up with Polk and Bush to give them a getaway vehicle. Scott was conducting surveillance away from the Amegy bank and watched for the armored truck to approach the location, officials said.
The jury heard wiretap calls of the attempted robbery plans, video and audio from a recording device placed in the leader’s stolen car and audio of him setting up his rifle shot from the back seat.
The four men convicted face up to 20 years for the robbery and another 10-year-minimum and up to life for the firearms charge which must be served consecutively to any other prison term. Hill and Polk face the same terms for the additional charges.
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