Story Published:
Jun 5, 2009 at 7:55 AM PST
Story Updated:
Jun 5, 2009 at 7:00 PM PST
Brittney Maas-Baines
LAKEWOOD, Wash. -- Police here have arrested and charged a fifth suspect in the robbery that left an armored car driver dead, and officials said it's possible there may be more arrests in the case.
The latest suspect, identified as Brittney Marie Maas-Baines, is the girlfriend of Marshawn Turpin, who police say is the one who grabbed the money bag during the robbery at the Lakewood Wal-Mart.
Lakewood Police spokeswoman Heidi Hoffman said police believe Maas-Baines assisted Turpin with transportation after the murder and lied to the police about her involvement in the crime when she was first interviewed.
She was arrested at the same apartment where Turpin was found, and later charged with first-degree murder and first-degree robbery in the case. She pleaded not guilty to both charges at a court hearing Friday afternoon.
Hoffman added that investigators continue to follow up on leads and conduct interviews in the case.
"There may be more people involved," she said.
 Calvin Finley |
 Marshawn Turpin |
 Tonie Williams-Irby |
 Odies Walker |
 Brittney Maas-Baines |
The four suspects already arrested pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges in the case at a court hearing on Thursday.
Prosecutors said the four spent a month planning the heist, and two of them celebrated with a big dinner at Red Lobster afterward.
The documents describe in detail how the robbery allegedly was planned and executed - and what the suspects did in the hours between the robbery and their arrests.
The court documents also recount details of Tuesday's heist, in which a Loomis armored truck guard was gunned down in cold blood and money bags stolen as terrified Wal-Mart shoppers looked on.
The four people already charged in the 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.
According to court documents, Williams-Irby, Walker and Finley began plotting to rob an armored car at the store about a month ago.
As a Wal-Mart employee, Williams-Irby was briefed at company meetings about the weekly and monthly income of the store, and she told the other suspects that "hundreds of thousands of dollars" could be stolen from the armored car.
In the three days before the robbery, Finley and Walker went to the Wal-Mart store and timed the movements of the armored car and the guard carring the money bags, according to court documents. During this period, Turpin also was recruited to help out in the scheme.
On the day of the robbery, Williams-Irby was working at the store. The armored truck arrived near the front door, and a Loomis guard, Kurt Husted, proceeded into the store.
Shortly afterward, Walker drove a white Buick up to the store's front entrance, about 100 feet behind the armored car. Surveillance cameras then showed that Finley and Turpin got out of the car and walked quickly into the store.
Less than a minute later, Finley and Turpin approached the guard as he was walking toward the exit in a crowded area of the store, with a cart containing bags of cash and checks.
Finley then whipped out a handgun and shot the guard, Husted, in the face, according to court documents. Husted collapsed to the floor as Finley calmly turned and walked out of the store.
Turpin, who also was armed, swooped down and and grabbed the money bags from the guard's cart, then ran from the store behind Finley, court documents say.
Meanwhile, a scene of fear and chaos swept through the people clustered near the front entryway. One shopper was hit in the shoulder, as he was carrying a baby, by the bullet that passed through Husted's body. Blood spattered on other shoppers in the area.
Amid the confusion, Finley and Turpin hustled out of the Wal-Mart and jumped into the Buick as Walker drove it away from the scene, according to court papers. After fleeing the scene, they ditched the car and split up.
After the robbery and murder, Irby-Williams and Walker went on a shopping spree and ate out at the Red Lobster restaurant, where they spent about $175, charging documents say.
Finley, meanwhile, went to a motel in Fife. Turpin went to his girlfriend's house.
Within about 24 hours, all of the suspects were under arrest, following an investigation led by Lakewood police.
When Finley was arrested, officers found more than $20,000 in a safe in the trunk of his car, according to court documents. When Irby-Williams and Walker were arrested, more than $20,000 was found in a safe at their home.
Finley, who has two prior felony convictions, later admitted to police that he walked up to the guard and shot him in the face, but said the shooting wasn't intentional, according to court documents.
Turpin at first denied involvement but finally admitted he was there, court papers say. He said he was "sorry, I guess" for his part in the crime, but refused to apologize.
"I wouldn't apologize. What would that do? He's already gone," Turpin told police, according to charging papers.
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