Jurors Give Sentenced Gang Member Something To Think About

Jurors had some fun recently when recommending a sentence for Randy P. Broward in a Newport News gang murder conspiracy case — including selecting a blue marker to fill out some of the paperwork in the case.

Broward, 33, of Hampton, was accused of, among other things, ordering three gang underlings to kill three men — a plot that was foiled when one of the gang members went to his mother about the command, and she got the police involved.

The 12-member jury gave him the maximum prison time — life plus 237 years — for the 20 charges. They also fined Broward $75,000 on four of the counts, explaining later that they chose that number because Broward forced a prostitute and gang member to give him 75 percent of her earnings.

Jurors also told prosecutors that they chose blue ink when filling out the verdict and sentencing forms — a bid to tweak Broward, a member of the Bloods gang, which favors all things red. Blue is the color of their bitter rivals, the Crips.

"They went out and got a pen that was clearly blue, like a magic marker," said Senior Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Chad Perkins. "They wanted him to take that back to his cell and think about it."

Source; dailypress http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-nws-crime-notebook-0320-20110319,0,7960760.story

Man Sentenced To Six Life Terms, Plus.......

NORFOLK --Santiago Powell greeted two young female sailors at gunpoint in December 2009.

To prove he was the "baddest" gangster in the city, a prosecutor said, Powell held the women for hours while he robbed and raped them.

A jury on Monday convicted Powell of 28 felonies, including four counts of rape, abduction, robbery and weapons violations. Circuit Judge Mary Jane Hall followed the jury's recommendation and sentenced Powell to six life terms, plus 253 years.

The five-day trial brought testimony about Powell's role in a local affiliate of the Bloods gang.

"He thrives on power and he thrives on violence, and that's why he committed these crimes," prosecutor Charlotte Purkey said.

The first victim testified that Powell, 24, broke into her apartment on Dec. 9, 2009, and pointed a gun at her face. The woman, an active-duty Navy sailor, said that Powell robbed her, raped her and threatened to have her killed.

The woman said she thought her life was over. "This is it," she said she told herself. "It's not fair."

Purkey said the attack lasted three to five hours.

Powell stole the first victim's cell phone and, days later, used it to lure the second victim, according to testimony.

Powell and an accomplice traded texts to the second victim, also an active-duty sailor, and met her in a quiet neighborhood.

The two men pointed guns at the woman, blindfolded her, took her car and drove her around for several hours.

During the abduction, the accomplice, William Barco, used a phone that had been given to him by a Norfolk city employee and paid for with city funds, according to officials and court documents. Barco goes to trial this month.

After Powell dropped off Barco, he took the woman to a hotel and raped her three times, she testified.

"He took my life in his hands and played with it like a toy," she said.

The ordeal lasted for 13 hours, she said.

Powell was captured days later near Oceanair Elementary School. He was lured to the school by police and the first victim, who contacted Powell on her stolen cell phone. She pretended to be another woman wanting to meet him, according to testimony.

Instead, he was met by police.

The minimum punishment for the convictions was more than 100 years in prison. Defense attorney Daymen Robinson asked the jury for leniency, saying Powell had a difficult life and grew up in foster homes. Robinson said he plans to appeal.

The women said their lives had been permanently changed but vowed it would not hinder them. The second victim said she now looks forward to deployments.

"That was one place he couldn't get to me," she said, "out in the ocean."

www.hamptonroads.com

Violent Gang Leader Sentenced To Two Life Terms

A Baltimore man accused of ordering several murders as a leader in a high-profile gang was sentenced in federal court Tuesday to two life terms.

Terrence "Squeaky" Richardson, 30, was convicted by a jury in March of racketeering and conspiring to sell drugs, as a leader of the Pasadena Denver Lanes set of the Bloods. Prosecutors also allege that Richardson ordered several murders, including the execution-style shooting of Brandon Everline in July 2008, incidents U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles heavily relied on in handing down his sentence.

During his sentencing, Richardson denied having anyone killed, reiterating his stance in a three-minute diatribe addressed to the court. He railed against the prosecution, detectives and state's witnesses who testified against him during the five-day trial.

"I sat through this whole trial and watched people lie," Richardson said. "I know they've all been offered plea bargains, and in actuality, the whole thing was made up. … I apologize to my family. And to the [Everline] family, I want to let them know I didn't have nothing to do with their son's murder, nothing at all."

Three members of Everline's family — his mother and two sisters — attended the hearing, as well as four of Richardson's relatives.

After the sentencing, Everline's mother, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, said she was glad the case was over. She said she felt "nothing" when she heard Richardson deny any involvement.

Prosecutors have dubbed Richardson one of the city's most notorious criminals.

"Terrence Richardson was one of the most violent leaders Baltimore has ever seen," Assistant U.S. Attorney Kwame Manley said after the hearing. "He killed and had other people killed numerous times."

Richardson and a co-defendant, Gregory Saulsbury, were arrested as part of a sting dubbed "Operation Tourniquet" designed to cut off the Bloods — and 23 of them were charged with racketeering as gang members. Saulsbury, who is not part of the gang, is expected to be sentenced tomorrow. Another 11 were charged at the state level and in a second federal indictment.

During Richardson's trial, prosecutors played a tape of a wiretap recording in which the defendant is heard planning the death of another with another man.

www.baltimoresun.com