Wal-Mart suspects may be linked to other robberies, police say
LAKEWOOD, Wash. - Investigators are trying to determine if suspects in the deadly shooting of an armored car guard at the Lakewood Wal-Mart may be involved in other strong-arm robberies of businesses in the region.
Heidi Hoffman of the Lakewood Police Department said there are some similarities between the Wal-Mart robbery and other takeover-style robberies in King, Pierce, Thurston and Kitsap counties.
She said several law enforcement agencies are working together to determine if there is a link.
The expanded investigation comes as all four suspects in the deadly robbery pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of first-degree murder in the case in Pierce County Superior Court. Two of the suspects are being held on $5 million bail, and the other two on $2 million bail.
The four are suspected of working together to rob a Loomis armored truck guard as he walked through the store to the vehicle with a money bag containing about $40,000, according to court testimony.
Hoffman said there are similarities between the deadly Wal-Mart heist and other takeover robberies over the past year.
"There have been a series of armed takeover robberies at businesses over the last year or so - not only in Pierce County but in other counties, and we have been working with those other agencies, because we noticed a pattern," Hoffman said.
"And now, in light of what we've learned about this group, we will be going back over all of those robberies to see if there is a connection."
She said investigators are "looking at all these suspects' history, and their associates, and ... trying to track their whereabouts for the last year, and just see if we can find anything that links them" to other crimes.
The four people arrested and charged in the Wal-Mart robbery are:
- Calvin Finley, 37, who is believed to be the one who gunned down the guard. He has pleaded not guilty to aggravated first-degree murder, first-degree assault, first-degree robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm. He is being held on $5 million bail.
- Marshawn Turpin, 20, who police believe is the one who grabbed the money bag, has also pleaded not guilty to aggravated first-degree murder, first-degree assault and first-degree robbery. He is being held on $5 million bail.
- Tonie Williams-Irby, 42, an employee of Wal-Mart, was inside the store at the time of the shooting and helped plan the robbery, according to police. She pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and first-degree robbery, and is being held on $2 million bail.
- Odies Walker, 41, who was Williams-Irby's boyfriend and allegedly drove the getaway car, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and first-degree robbery. He is being held on $2 million.
Hoffman said some of the actions and descriptions of the suspects in the deadly Wal-Mart robbery are similar to those described in previous robberies.
"This one was a little more brazen, only because they went into such a large store while there were a large amount of people inside," she said.
In one of the previous robberies, in Lakewood, someone was shot, Hoffman added.
"We'll just be reviewing all of those to see if we can connect more dots," she said.
Hoffman said the other takeover robberies were in smaller businesses, such as auto supply stores, a sandwich shop and a hair salon.
In the Wal-Mart robbery, Kurt Husted, a 16-year veteran of Houston-based Loomis armored cars, was shot in the head and died at the scene.
The two male robbers grabbed a money bag from the guard and drove off after the shooting. Their stolen white getaway car was later found abandoned in Tacoma.
Husted was a graduate of Tacoma's Lincoln High School. He was not married, but had recently gotten engaged.
Hoffman said surveillance video at the store makes it clear that the robbery was planned and that the shooter made no attempt to take the money without violence.
"They just walked up and executed him," Hoffman said. "It was very violent, very cold-blooded."
A single bullet killed Husted and wounded a male customer holding a baby outside a bank branch located inside the Wal-Mart.
"As he was coming out of the bank, he was shot in the head," Hoffman said.
The injured customer, Wilbert Pine, was hit by the same bullet that killed Husted.
Hoffman declined to say how much money was taken, but said authorities had recovered about two-thirds of the amount.
"I'm not going to disclose the amount, but it certainly was not worth taking a man's life over," she said. "It's not worth what's happened here. No amount of money is worth it, but I can tell you, for the amount we believe was taken, this is horrific for that small amount of money."
At least seven different law enforcement agencies were working on the case, including the FBI, officials said.
Heidi Hoffman of the Lakewood Police Department said there are some similarities between the Wal-Mart robbery and other takeover-style robberies in King, Pierce, Thurston and Kitsap counties.
She said several law enforcement agencies are working together to determine if there is a link.
The expanded investigation comes as all four suspects in the deadly robbery pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of first-degree murder in the case in Pierce County Superior Court. Two of the suspects are being held on $5 million bail, and the other two on $2 million bail.
The four are suspected of working together to rob a Loomis armored truck guard as he walked through the store to the vehicle with a money bag containing about $40,000, according to court testimony.
Hoffman said there are similarities between the deadly Wal-Mart heist and other takeover robberies over the past year.
"There have been a series of armed takeover robberies at businesses over the last year or so - not only in Pierce County but in other counties, and we have been working with those other agencies, because we noticed a pattern," Hoffman said.
"And now, in light of what we've learned about this group, we will be going back over all of those robberies to see if there is a connection."
She said investigators are "looking at all these suspects' history, and their associates, and ... trying to track their whereabouts for the last year, and just see if we can find anything that links them" to other crimes.
The four people arrested and charged in the Wal-Mart robbery are:
- Calvin Finley, 37, who is believed to be the one who gunned down the guard. He has pleaded not guilty to aggravated first-degree murder, first-degree assault, first-degree robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm. He is being held on $5 million bail.
- Marshawn Turpin, 20, who police believe is the one who grabbed the money bag, has also pleaded not guilty to aggravated first-degree murder, first-degree assault and first-degree robbery. He is being held on $5 million bail.
- Tonie Williams-Irby, 42, an employee of Wal-Mart, was inside the store at the time of the shooting and helped plan the robbery, according to police. She pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and first-degree robbery, and is being held on $2 million bail.
- Odies Walker, 41, who was Williams-Irby's boyfriend and allegedly drove the getaway car, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and first-degree robbery. He is being held on $2 million.
Hoffman said some of the actions and descriptions of the suspects in the deadly Wal-Mart robbery are similar to those described in previous robberies.
"This one was a little more brazen, only because they went into such a large store while there were a large amount of people inside," she said.
In one of the previous robberies, in Lakewood, someone was shot, Hoffman added.
"We'll just be reviewing all of those to see if we can connect more dots," she said.
Hoffman said the other takeover robberies were in smaller businesses, such as auto supply stores, a sandwich shop and a hair salon.
In the Wal-Mart robbery, Kurt Husted, a 16-year veteran of Houston-based Loomis armored cars, was shot in the head and died at the scene.
The two male robbers grabbed a money bag from the guard and drove off after the shooting. Their stolen white getaway car was later found abandoned in Tacoma.
Husted was a graduate of Tacoma's Lincoln High School. He was not married, but had recently gotten engaged.
Hoffman said surveillance video at the store makes it clear that the robbery was planned and that the shooter made no attempt to take the money without violence.
"They just walked up and executed him," Hoffman said. "It was very violent, very cold-blooded."
A single bullet killed Husted and wounded a male customer holding a baby outside a bank branch located inside the Wal-Mart.
"As he was coming out of the bank, he was shot in the head," Hoffman said.
The injured customer, Wilbert Pine, was hit by the same bullet that killed Husted.
Hoffman declined to say how much money was taken, but said authorities had recovered about two-thirds of the amount.
"I'm not going to disclose the amount, but it certainly was not worth taking a man's life over," she said. "It's not worth what's happened here. No amount of money is worth it, but I can tell you, for the amount we believe was taken, this is horrific for that small amount of money."
At least seven different law enforcement agencies were working on the case, including the FBI, officials said.