DETROIT – Federal prosecutors have changed their minds about seeking the death penalty for two men charged in the 2001 shooting death of an armored car guard who was killed while restocking ATMs at Dearborn FCU, now known as DFCU Financial.
Prosecutors told the federal court the government will not seek the death penalty, as originally sought, for Kevin Watson or Norman Duncan, the organizer of a gang of bikers who robbed the armored car that morning of $204,000 and of a separate heist of $175,000.
Total Armored Services guard Norman (Anthony) Stephens, 30, was killed that morning while restocking ATMs outside the credit union.
A third defendant, Timothy O’Reilly, 37, also faced the death penalty in the case, but a federal jury in August gave him a life sentence instead. The jury could not determine who the actual shooter was.
At O’Reilly’s trial, the defense argued that Watson killed Stephens, not O'Reilly, and that O’Reilly was merely Duncan’s pawn, and therefore didn’t deserve to be put to death.
