| On November 19, 1992, 67-year-old James O’Sullivan was Christmas shopping in a Radio Shack store in Manhattan, New York, when four robbers came up. When O’Sullivan attempted to intervene, a gun battle ensued. O’Sullivan was fatally shot. The robbers escaped.
In January 1993, 32-year-old Anthony Moore was arrested for two unrelated robberies. When he was questioned by detectives, he offered details about the Radio Shack shooting in an attempt to get favorable treatment on his cases. At the time, there was a standing offer of a $61,000 reward for information in the shooting.
Moore gave the police some second-hand information he had heard. Police told him the details were useless unless he was part of the crime. Although Moore asked for a lawyer several times, police continued the interrogation without one until he confessed, promising him that nothing he said would be used against him. Ultimately, Moore confessed to participating in the robbery along with a man he called Melvin Brown.
Brown, whose first name was Marvin, then was arrested for the crime as well.
Moore went to trial in March 1996 in New York County Supreme Court. The prosecution’s case relied primarily on Moore’s confession as well as testimony from a witness who claimed to have seen Moore in the area of the Radio Shack before the shooting.
The jury convicted Moore of second degree murder and he was sentenced to 25-years-to-life in prison.
In April 1996, after Moore’s sentence was imposed and while Brown remained under indictment, New York State prison inmate Sean Almond wrote to the Office of the District Attorney for Manhattan, informing the District Attorney that Curtis Gibson, while sharing a cell with Almond, had told Almond that Gibson, had participated in the Radio Shack robbery.
More than a year later, on July 21, 1997, after Almond and Gibson had been moved to separate prisons, the prosecution arranged for Almond to be placed again in the same prison as Gibson. Almond recorded a conversation with Gibson using a recording device given to him by the police. In that conversation, Gibson retold the story of the robbery, filling in details previously unknown and stating that he, Robert Rolland, and James Davis were responsible for that robbery.
Almond also recorded Gibson’s incriminating statements about other crimes, including a robbery in which Gibson shared the proceeds with various members of his family. The recording was given to New York City detectives. The police subsequently determined that a fingerprint found on a toy car inside the Radio Shack store belonged to Davis.
Brown was still awaiting trial in December 1997, when Gibson, Rolland and Davis were charaged with the robbery and murder of O’Sullivan. All three were then in prison for unrelated robberies. All three made statements implicating themselves in the Radio Shack shooting.
On January 14, 1998, the charges against Brown were dismissed. Moore’s conviction was vacated and subsequently that case was dismissed.
Davis pled guilty, while Gibson and Rolland were convicted at trial. All were sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
- Stephanie Denzel
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