Prison terms for lottery ticket attackers

Mar 25, 2010, 7:30 am (16 comments)

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A $5 Bankroll lottery ticket won eastern Henrico County, Virginia, resident Jeff Brownell $1,000 last year but cost him his left eye in a brutal robbery attempt.

Yesterday, a plea agreement, a promise of immunity and a jury trial resulted in vastly different outcomes for Brownell's attackers.

Last night, after deliberating less than an hour, a Henrico jury found a neighbor of Brownell's guilty of multiple charges in the attack May 14 last year. Richard Greene, 33, the neighbor who did not actually witness the assault, should serve 31 years in prison, the jury decided.

Deerick Lofton, a streetwise convicted drug user and the man Brownell testified orchestrated the attack, was given immunity from prosecution for his help in the investigation.

And yesterday morning, the man who actually attacked Brownell, Davon Chontay Crawley, 22, struck a plea agreement that means prosecutors will recommend that he serve no more than 10 years in prison.

The reversals of fortune began when Brownell, a 44-year-old victim of Tourette's syndrome, won $1,000 in the lottery and felt like celebrating.

"I guess I trusted people a little too much," Brownell said last night.

He testified that he called his friend Lofton and offered to pay the bill for a night of pool playing and partying. Lofton, who does not own a car, called his friend Greene.

Testimony yesterday in two court proceedings established that Lofton and Greene then met up with Crawley, who was dropped off at an eastern Henrico lake near Lakefield Drive off Williamsburg Road.

Greene and Lofton then went to Brownell's home and drove him back to the lake. Greene, according to Lofton and Brownell, explained he needed to retrieve a fishing pole he'd left there earlier in the day.

Seconds after Greene left the car to hunt down the pole in the dark of night, a man later identified as Crawley assaulted Brownell, demanding his money and pummeling him about the head with a pistol.

Lofton, in the back seat, watched, he said on the witness stand. Crawley never got the money and fled. Seconds later, Greene reappeared. He had no fishing pole.

Brownell testified yesterday that in flailing away at him, his attacker put out his left eye. His right eye is also failing.

Greene "was yelling at me that I was bleeding all over the car," Brownell said after court.

Lofton won a promise that a drug charge against him would be dropped in return for information about the attack. Lofton named Greene and a man later identified as Crawley.

Yesterday, Greene presented no witnesses at his jury trial. He turned down the same plea agreement Crawley accepted, a recommendation of a maximum 10 years behind bars.

Sentencing for Greene and Crawley is set for this summer.

Last night, Brownell said he is heartened by the outcome of the case and wizened to the ways of a world that can quickly turn evil.

"I'm a Christian person so I don't wish they would die," he said of the men convicted in the case. "But maybe something could happen so they wished they were dead."

Richmond Dispatch

Comments

Lucky4Life's avatarLucky4Life

Over $1000?? Really?? Those must be some desperate men to do this over such a paltry sum...I can't imagine what this poor man is going through.  I'm betting he wished he had not decided to celebrate!

billyloco

    This story reminds me of what happened to me and 2 of my friends 3 years ago about 2 days before Christmas. We had been scratching tickets as we did back then on Saturday afternoon and 1 of my friends hit for $500 and we were loud and happy. We left to go to our cars together when this guy approached us from behind (he had been playing video games in the store while we were there) he had a chain and threatened to "hurt y'all badly" if we did not give him all our money. I thought this guy was gonna have a stroke when he was staring at three men holding a pistol each! My two friends were and still are Gwinnett County PD and were off duty that day. The best part was he had 3 outstanding warrants, one was for child molestation, and was glad i didn't know that then, because there's a reason they call me billyloco. 

time*treat's avatartime*treat

Since there isn't a picture with the story, is it safe to say 'Garbage belongs in a landfill.' ? Angry

mjwinsmith's avatarmjwinsmith

Quote: Originally posted by billyloco on Mar 25, 2010

    This story reminds me of what happened to me and 2 of my friends 3 years ago about 2 days before Christmas. We had been scratching tickets as we did back then on Saturday afternoon and 1 of my friends hit for $500 and we were loud and happy. We left to go to our cars together when this guy approached us from behind (he had been playing video games in the store while we were there) he had a chain and threatened to "hurt y'all badly" if we did not give him all our money. I thought this guy was gonna have a stroke when he was staring at three men holding a pistol each! My two friends were and still are Gwinnett County PD and were off duty that day. The best part was he had 3 outstanding warrants, one was for child molestation, and was glad i didn't know that then, because there's a reason they call me billyloco. 

I love your story, the jerk just got himself a ticket off to jail, good job to you and your friends.Hurray!

ThatScaryChick's avatarThatScaryChick

Poor Mr. Brownell. Frown

ThatScaryChick's avatarThatScaryChick

Quote: Originally posted by billyloco on Mar 25, 2010

    This story reminds me of what happened to me and 2 of my friends 3 years ago about 2 days before Christmas. We had been scratching tickets as we did back then on Saturday afternoon and 1 of my friends hit for $500 and we were loud and happy. We left to go to our cars together when this guy approached us from behind (he had been playing video games in the store while we were there) he had a chain and threatened to "hurt y'all badly" if we did not give him all our money. I thought this guy was gonna have a stroke when he was staring at three men holding a pistol each! My two friends were and still are Gwinnett County PD and were off duty that day. The best part was he had 3 outstanding warrants, one was for child molestation, and was glad i didn't know that then, because there's a reason they call me billyloco. 

Cool story. I guess he tried to rob the wrong people. LOL

Dollar419's avatarDollar419

There is a saying "God Does Not Like Ugly"  and this was certainly "ugly".  It just goes to show that you cannot trust anyone when it comes to winning the lottery, no matter how small the jackpot is.  So sad that he had to lose his left eye but at least it wasn't his life and now he can live another day if he chooses to play the lottery again--However, hopefully he learned a vaulable life lesson.

grave

People are crazy...... when i win money i keep it to myself......

ca-dreamin*'s avatarca-dreamin*

 Richard Greene, 33, the neighbor who did not actually witness the assault, should serve 31 years in prison, the jury decided.    <------------ OK this is the part I DON'T understand. Did this article leave out some important details?

This guy didn't keep very good company.

savagegoose's avatarsavagegoose

sheesh its not like $1k is a lot of money. now if guy ws carrying around a case with a few $100k in it, like some moron we all know. i could understand. but 1k is like a paycheck. what we all have to worry carrying our paychecks home?

jeffrey's avatarjeffrey

Quote: Originally posted by savagegoose on Mar 25, 2010

sheesh its not like $1k is a lot of money. now if guy ws carrying around a case with a few $100k in it, like some moron we all know. i could understand. but 1k is like a paycheck. what we all have to worry carrying our paychecks home?

I heard about a man who was investigating an area for a factory but before he could okay the plan and invest millions of dollars and bring hundreds of desperately needed jobs to the town he decided to have some fun at the bar.  He was careless and was killed for $50 in his wallet. This was on "Unsolved Mysteries". I say, "Yes", be wary of people when it comes to money; some people will kill you for a cigarette or in a worse case scenario, to eat you.Chair

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

Quote: Originally posted by jeffrey on Mar 26, 2010

I heard about a man who was investigating an area for a factory but before he could okay the plan and invest millions of dollars and bring hundreds of desperately needed jobs to the town he decided to have some fun at the bar.  He was careless and was killed for $50 in his wallet. This was on "Unsolved Mysteries". I say, "Yes", be wary of people when it comes to money; some people will kill you for a cigarette or in a worse case scenario, to eat you.Chair

Some people will eat you for less than a cigarette.

Lawd knows I have, lol.

Kobra

Quote: Originally posted by rdgrnr on Mar 26, 2010

Some people will eat you for less than a cigarette.

Lawd knows I have, lol.

ROFL wow.  now that funny.Green laugh

dopey7719's avatardopey7719

Quote: Originally posted by savagegoose on Mar 25, 2010

sheesh its not like $1k is a lot of money. now if guy ws carrying around a case with a few $100k in it, like some moron we all know. i could understand. but 1k is like a paycheck. what we all have to worry carrying our paychecks home?

Well...I wish my paycheck was $1K every two weeks!!! ....not all of us are so fortunate...so yes, 500 or a 1000 is a lot to some people.  Think about minimum wage...SC doesn't have a state minimum wage rate.

The plant in our neighborhood pays 6.15 an hour which equals to 492.00 a paycheck (before deductions for 80 hrs).  There's no telling what they're paying the illegal immigrants..probably 5 bucks an hour....another subject all together. 

My point is this....what may be chump change to some is a fortune to others....

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