Willie James Attaway, Armed Robbery & Murder, Ohio 2021

Federal Charges Filed Against Willie James Attaway and Lamond Johnson for String of Armed Robberies and Murder of Convenience Store Owner

CINCINNATI, Ohio – Willie James Attaway, 30, of Cincinnati, and Lamond Johnson, 35, of Cincinnati, were charged by a 14-count indictment with a string of armed robberies and the February 2021 murder of Roop C. Gupta, the owner of Madeira Beverage.

According to the charging document, Attaway and Johnson conspired to commit five armed robberies on February 8 and 9, 2021. They allegedly brandished a firearm to commit robberies at the following locations:

– February 8: Shell on Montgomery Road in Deerfield Township

– February 8: Shell on Dixie Highway in Hamilton, Ohio

– February 9: Madeira Beverage on Kenwood Road in Madeira, Ohio

– February 9: Sunoco on Kenwood Road in Blue Ash, Ohio

– February 9: Marathon on North Broadway in Lebanon, Ohio

Attaway and Johnson are both charged with the February 9, 2021 murder of Gupta, the owner of Madeira Beverage. Using a firearm to commit murder during a crime of violence is potentially punishable by the death penalty.

The investigation was jointly conducted by ATF and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Madeira Police Department, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, the Cincinnati, Lebanon, Blue Ash, and Hamilton police departments, and the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

Attaway and Johnson appeared in federal court today at 1:30pm and the indictment was unsealed at that time.

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