Beach man gets 30 years for grocery store robbery

VIRGINA BEACH

One of four masked men who police say burst into a grocery store near closing time, robbed employees, and forced them to crawl down an aisle at gunpoint last year was sentenced Wednesday to serve 30 years in prison.

Jarell A. Keys, 18, declined to speak before Circuit Judge Edward W. Hanson Jr., who pronounced a sentence of 35 years, with five years suspended. In March, a jury convicted Keys of six counts of use of a firearm in commission of a felony, four counts of abduction, and one count each of robbery, conspiracy, attempted robbery, and wearing a mask in public.

They recommended he pay $10,000 in fines and serve 35 years - the minimum allowed - and they encouraged the judge in a letter to do what he could to reduce the prison sentence after listening to testimony about Keys' character, clean criminal record and his involvement at church.

During the hearing Wednesday, Hanson noted their request and suspended five years from Keys' sentence. But, he said, state law required Keys to serve 28 years just on the firearm charges.

"I'm not about to go against what is the law of this commonwealth," Hanson said in rejecting defense attorney Curtis Brown's request that he vacate the jury's verdict or find another way to show leniency.

Keys is the only one of the four suspects in the Sept. 6 robbery at the Food Lion on General Booth Boulevard to go to trial.

Narval Washington Jr., 21, accepted a guilty plea with an agreement that he serve 13 years; Earl N. Newton, 18, agreed to plead guilty last month in exchange for a prison sentence ranging from 14 years and 4 months to 22 years and 7 months.

Washington is set for sentencing this month, and Newton next month.

Earl Newton's brother, Eric S. Newton Jr., 28, is awaiting trial.