Two men from St. Louis County were sentenced for robbing two dollar stores at gunpoint. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk sentenced Deon Walker, 27, to 11 years and nine months in prison. Walker's accomplice, Samuel Nance, 33, from Black Jack, Missouri, was sentenced earlier in July to 14 years in prison. Both men had pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery and one count of possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
The first robbery took place on October 9, 2022, just after 6 p.m. at a dollar store in Berkeley, Missouri. Eyewitnesses reported that Walker and Nance entered the store wearing hoods and black ski masks. When requested to remove their hoods, Walker brandished a black handgun, demanding money and ordering everyone to the floor. A customer managed to escape with two children, while an employee opened a cash register for Nance to empty. Walker subsequently took another customer at gunpoint before forcing her to the ground. The duo stole about 18 packs of Newport cigarettes and approximately $481 in cash.
Ninety minutes later, Walker and Nance targeted another dollar store in Ferguson, Missouri. They proceeded behind the checkout counter, with Walker pointing a handgun at a cashier and demanding money. Nance intervened when a customer attempted to leave the scene by jumping over the checkout counter. Walker then secured the entire cash drawer before he and Nance fled with approximately $486.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Berkeley Police Department, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lane.