By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net    

A CONVICTED robber took full responsibility for a 2021 armed robbery at Burger King on Prince Charles Drive, telling the court his alleged accomplice had no role in the crime.

Demarco Miller testified in the armed robbery and receiving trial of Maitland Thompson before Justice Joyann Ferguson Pratt.

Prosecutors allege that Thompson and others robbed the fast-food restaurant on July 15, 2021.

Miller, however, claimed sole responsibility for the offence. He told the court he had been drinking and smoking that day and got into a fight with his ex-girlfriend beforehand.

He said his “mind was playing tricks” on him, that he needed money, and that he felt bitter and reckless at the time.

Miller, who is currently serving a sentence for this and other robberies, said he approached the restaurant from the Marathon Mall area. He initially intended to buy food but changed his mind upon arrival.

He said he saw a former prison acquaintance arguing with a security guard. When the confrontation turned physical, he used the distraction to carry out the robbery.

Miller told the court the incident lasted about four minutes before he fled with the cash register, running toward Nassau Village. He said he did not know what became of the other man after he left the restaurant.

While hiding the register under a jacket, Miller said he later saw Thompson driving near a T-junction in Nassau Village about 30 to 45 minutes later.

He said he recognised Thompson because he had dated one of his relatives in high school. He admitted asking him for a ride, but insisted he did not tell him about the robbery or the weapon.

He said he withheld that information because “the less he knows the better for him. Miller said he was trying to get to his mother’s home on Malcolm Road.

Police later stopped the vehicle that night with Miller, Thompson, and another man inside. Officers reportedly found a gun and the cash register in the car.

Miller denied the prosecution’s claim that Thompson had agreed in advance to be his getaway driver. He maintained that the robbery was a spur-of-the-moment act, though he admitted that he and the other man had planned robberies in the past.

Sonia Timothy-Knowles represented Thompson, while Gary Rolle appeared for the prosecution.