SUFFOLK
Jermaine Spruill was a senior at Nansemond River High School in August 2006. He was making good grades, working part time, active in sports and going to church. But then, four friends invited him to a pizza party.
Police and prosecutors contend that Spruill stood on the front porch of an abandoned house as a pizza delivery man arrived. The friends, who were masked, came from behind the house and robbed the man.
By December 2006, Spruill and the others were indicted by a grand jury on charges of robbery, wearing a mask in public and conspiracy. Spruill's co-conspirators testified against him, and he was convicted.
On Wednesday, Spruill, now 20, was sentenced to 20 years in prison and three years' probation.
"There was a lot of evidence proving I wasn't even there," Spruill said, breaking down in tears before he was sentenced.
"There's nothing in your pre-sentence report, nothing in your family background," said Judge Carl Eason, who presided over the case. "You were doing extremely well in school. You should not have been involved."
A juror in Spruill's September trial attended Wednesday's hearing to lend her support. Bernadine Hodges had written to the court to say she felt the jury was misled by the foreman. But Hodges' testimony was vague because she wasn't allowed by law to say anything about what happened in the jury room.
Lisa Ann Lloyd, Spruill's mother, said after the sentencing that she and the boy's father, Melvin Spruill Jr., plan to appeal.
Linda McNatt, (757) 222-5561, linda.mcnatt@pilotonline.com
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Sentence was correct
All young men out there should take note and know there are consequences for your actions. This punishment is harsh, but I feel it is indeed the correct punishment. Being young doesn't excuse you from being stupid. If more punishments like this were handed out, maybe that would deter others from committing crimes like this or worse. LAW ABIDING CITIZENS are the ones who are unfairly 'punished' when animals like these young men attack for no other reason than 'frontin'. I hope the sentence is upheld and he spends all 20 years thinking about his incredibly stupid choice.
There's got to be more to this one
Shame on the Pilot for providing such flimsy reporting yet again. That said, this was an abandoned house per the limited information above. He was standing on the porch (waiting for the driver?), and his "friends" came from behind the house to rob the driver.
From those facts alone (assuming they're true), ANY reasonable person would conclude that he KNEW what was about to happen even if he wasn't directly involved. I mean, come on, it was an abandoned house! How many folks do you know that have pizza parties at abandoned houses? That he didn't try to stop it, makes him as culpable as the ones wearing the hoods.
As for the sentence, it does seem excessive/harsh. Like another comment stated, the guy that raped his stepdaughter, got her pregnant, and then most likely killed the child while in his care got 45 days. There does not seem to be much fairness or common sense in the justice system looking at those two cases on the surface, but that's all I've got.
The one thing I do know is this: You get what you pay for in defense attorneys. Period!
20 years?
I bet that doesnt seem to harsh to the delivery driver who didnt know whether he was gonna make it home alive that nite. Hearing about this "angel" reminds me of the same things being said about the channelo`s robber 2 nites ago.
Yet another
Yet another news story I'll show to my 17-year old 'good student', who wonders why I am such a control freak. One decision can destroy your life.
So sad, and so preventable.
BTW, if 20 years is within the sentencing guidelines for this type of crime, then so be it. It's not fair to compare this man to any other criminal.
jmo
Unanswered questions
He says there was all sorts of evidence that he wasn't even at the scene. Uh ... isn't it fair to ask what that evidence is? Did the reporter ask? If so, why isn't the information in the story?
Pizza Robbery
20 years for a pizza robbery seems rather harsh for a 20 year old with no prior record. The article used the word robbery and says the men involved had their heads covered but there is no mention of a weapon. Was a gun used against the delivery person? God, the police officer Bobby Cutts who killed his girlfriend and their unborn baby due to be born anytime got 57 years! This young 20 year old man didn't kill anyone and apparently didn't even have a weapon. Unless there is a lot more to this story, the sentence is bewildering.
Did something else happen during this robbery that we don't know
Ok get real!! 20 years for a robbery and he didn't have a gun??? The friends supposedly ran up with masks, so he didn't even have a mask on??? Correct me if I'm wrong, but i didn't see anything indicating that anyone died during the robbery! 20 Years is murder time, yet some people get off easier than that for a murder case. I'm with BigMike on this one, I just don't think the sentencing in this case was reasonable at all! First time offender??? There has to be alot more to this story than what was published???? Huh 20 years, I'm still in shock! To the parents, please file for that appeal. Be Blessed
sentence
That sentence is ridiculous and excessive. That is the same amount of time John Walker Lind got ...remember the American Taliban who was present when the CIA officer (Johnny Spann) got killed in Afghanistan at Mazer E Shrif?? Are the crimes even remotely comparable? What a joke.
Look
Does it matter if the driver was hurt or injured? How would you like to be at work and have some punk approach you, stick a gun in your face and rob you? Bleeding heart liberals are destroying this country quicker than any terrorist cell could do.
I'd like to know the rest of the story.
Seems anymore we don't get to hear the whole story in the news. It seems odd that just last month a man was convicted of molesting his step-daughter from the age of thirteen until he got her pregnant at age seventeen. That set off a chain of events that left the baby killed, the teen and her mother in prison for decades and the molester only got 45 DAYS! Now we have a teen that was most likely involved in the robbery of a pizza delivery person. Does everyone else have the same questions as me? Was the delivery person killed or physically injured? Was anyone else killed or physically injured? Have the others involved been charged or sentenced? What's their records like? Was it normal for this teen to be around the others involved? Who's idea was the robbery? Doesn't it seem a bit excessive of a sentence for a kid that has never been in trouble? I've read in the news where even hardened criminals that have done far worse than this get a slap on the hand. Justice isn't looking very equal now days. I agree with punishment to fit the crime, but it needs to be fair.