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Politics : HEADLINES FOR 2004 -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: mph who wrote (463)	3/6/2004 7:46:05 AM
From: sandintoes	Respond to of 493

ROBBERS TAKE PICTURES OF THEMSELVES; LEAVE CAMERA IN GETAWAY CAR. Picture this: 3 robbers capture selves in a flash By BETH WARREN The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 03/05/04 Maybe the caption under these photographs should read: "Smile, you're going to prison." Darnell Robinson mugs for the camera that later sealed his and two others' fates when they were convicted of armed robbery and other charges. Three armed robbers playfully took snapshots of themselves while driving a stolen SUV. But after fooling around, they unwittingly left the disposable camera in the vehicle, giving police the ammunition they needed to bring the trio to justice. On Friday, Michael Lee Merritt spent his 19th birthday in court receiving a 15-year prison sentence along with his friend, Wendell Mackey, who is 20. In one of the photos, Merritt made an obscene hand gesture and smiled smugly while wearing the victim's black leather jacket. Prosecutors are pushing for a life sentence for the third robber, Darnell Robinson, 22, a career criminal. Superior Court Judge Alice D. Bonner is expected to decide his punishment Monday. A Fulton jury convicted the three in a flash last week, taking less than two hours to find all three guilty of six crimes each. All three were convicted of armed robbery, hijacking a motor vehicle, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment and burglary. "They basically convicted themselves," Fulton prosecutor Chris Toles said. The trio ambushed barber Eric Haney, 35, outside his apartment Dec. 17, 2001. One pointed an assault rifle and forced Haney inside his apartment and down on the floor. Haney said the Lord's Prayer while two of the robbers snatched up his DVDs, PlayStation 2 and clothes. "He was praying for his life," Toles said. "They were threatening to kill him." The third robber went to start their getaway car — Haney's white 1997 Chevrolet Tahoe. Three days later, police spotted the stolen SUV at a Forest Park apartment complex and arrested Robinson. Robinson saw the photos and gave Atlanta police the names of his partners in crime. The trio got to pose for one last photo — while being booked at the Fulton County Jail. ajc.com