Cold Case Solved: Tulsa Man Sentenced to 50 Years for Planned Armed Robbery That Killed a 22-Year-Old
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma announced that U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Jamalo Bruner Jr. to 50 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence that resulted in the death of Benjamin Montgomery. Bruner previously pleaded guilty to the federal offense.
According to court records, on October 10, 2019, Bruner and another armed participant planned to rob Aaron Pritchard of marijuana. Armed with 9mm pistols, the pair waited for Pritchard at the Bellevue Apartments in Tulsa and confronted him at gunpoint. Pritchard was struck in the head with a pistol and ordered to take the assailants to an apartment.
When Pritchard was unable to locate a key to the intended apartment, he went to a neighboring apartment occupied by Benjamin Montgomery. Bruner and his accomplice forced their way inside while continuing to hold Pritchard at gunpoint, and a shot was fired through the front door into the ceiling. Montgomery was inside with five friends and confronted the gunmen to protect them. During the struggle, Montgomery was shot in the chest and killed, and the intruders fled. Investigators were unable to determine which participant fired the fatal shot, but the evidence established Bruner's active role in the armed robbery and firearm offense that resulted in Montgomery's death.
The homicide remained unsolved for several years until investigators with the FBI and the Tulsa Police Department Homicide Unit developed new leads and reopened the case. DNA testing produced a profile consistent with Bruner's DNA, helping investigators connect him to the crime. Montgomery had celebrated his 22nd birthday just three days before his death.
At sentencing, Montgomery's family members and friends spoke about the lasting impact of his death. U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Nassar said the 50-year federal sentence was a just and significant punishment for a senseless crime. FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater said the sentence reflects the serious consequences of the defendant's actions. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyson McCoy prosecuted the case, and the FBI and the Tulsa Police Department Homicide Unit investigated it. (Source: U.S. Department of Justice)
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于华盛顿特区的联邦调查局（FBI）总部大楼（联邦固定图库），本案由 FBI 与 Tulsa 警局凶案组共同侦破。 / Photo: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) headquarters building in Washington, D.C. (federal asset library); the FBI and the Tulsa Police Department Homicide Unit investigated this case.
