CONCORD, N.H. – Two men last week were convicted of a series of armed robberies in the area, including a December 2011 holdup at Northeast CU in Manchester.
The two also were responsible for the robbery of a Kay Jewelers store in Tilton two weeks after the credit union holdup when as much as $300,000 worth of jewelry was stolen, and at least one other jewelry store heist, of Hannoush Jewelers in Manchester.
Among those found guilty were Walter Williams, a 44-year-old California man believed to be the leader of the ring. Williams and his girlfriend, Shyloe Johnson, were arrested in December 2011 at a hotel. Johnson, who drove the getaway car in the heists, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting two of the robberies and was sentenced earlier this year.
Also convicted last week was Prince Sage, 28, of New York.
Another California man, Delano Nelson, 49, is scheduled to be tried in January for the robberies.
Police said the California men came to New Hampshire specifically to commit armed robberies.
During the credit union robbery two men entered the branch and while one held occupants of the building at gunpoint, the other helped himself to the cash in the tellers’ drawers.
The Kay Jewelers robbery was particularly violent. Three store employees and four customers, including a mother and her young daughter, were inside the store when the “Scream”-masked robbers entered, ordered everyone to the floor at gunpoint and then began smashing jewelry cases with hammers.
The thieves netted between $250,000 to $300,000 in high-end gold jewelry in the two-minute heist. They took off in a black Land Rover, which they abandoned and then got into a second getaway car.
A break in the case came when a highway worker found two “Scream” masks on Interstate 93. DNA results of hair and saliva on the masks led police to the suspects.
Williams and Nelson both have long felony records for armed robberies in California, according to police.
