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Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Federal Murder Charge
A New Haven man has pleaded guilty to a federal murder charge stemming from a 2011 shooting that left a rival gang leader dead.
Robert Short, also known as ‘Santana,’ 30, pleaded guilty today in Bridgeport federal court to causing the death of Darrick Cooper through the use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in January 2014, the ATF and the New Haven Police Department began ‘Operation Red Side,’ a series of controlled narcotics purchases and firearms seizures.
The investigation revealed that members and associates of the Red Side Guerilla Brims (‘RSGB’), a sect of the Bloods street gang based in New Haven, were engaged in narcotics trafficking and related acts of violence, including murder, attempted murder, assaults and armed robberies.
In September 2011, leaders of the RSGB ordered Short to murder Cooper, who was a leader of a rival gang and seen as a threat. On September 19, 2011, Short lured Cooper to a location in Hamden and shot him in the back of the head as Cooper walked up a staircase.
With today’s guilty plea, 21 members and associates of the RSGB have now been convicted of federal charges in Connecticut and Maine. The investigation has resolved seven murder cases, four attempted murders and four armed robberies that occurred in 2011 and 2012.
‘The Red Side Guerilla Brims were a violent and ruthless gang that created a climate of terror throughout neighborhoods in New Haven in 2011 and 2012,’ said U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly. ‘Twenty-one gang members and associates will now be held responsible for seven cold case homicides, four attempted homicides, four armed robberies as well as drug and gun running from Connecticut to Bangor, Maine.’
Short is scheduled to be sentenced on July 5, 2017, by Chief U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven. If the binding plea agreement filed today is accepted by Chief Judge Hall, Short faces a sentence of 360 months – or 30 years – of imprisonment.
On March 17, 2017, Jeffrey Benton pleaded guilty to federal racketeering, drug trafficking and money laundering offenses, and admitted that he participated in four gang-related murders and one attempted murder. If his binding plea agreement is accepted by Chief Judge Hall, he faces a sentence of between 30 and 40 years of imprisonment.
Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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