No Change of Venue for Jewelry Store Robbery Suspect

By Sam Thrift Tuesday, January 24, 2012

A Philadelphia man charged with the June robbery of Goodman and Sons Jewelers that ended in a police pursuit and death of his accomplice is going to be tried in Williamsburg in April despite efforts by the defense to change the court venue.

Virginia State Police, Henrico County Police and James City County Police were involved in the capture of 40-year-old Eric Roach, who was apprehended three days after the June 26 robbery, according to Lt. Eric Owens of the Henrico County Police Department. Roach initially escaped arrest by bailing from the getaway car in Henrico County during a running gun battle with police.

The second suspect, 33-year-old Basil Bilal Berry of Philadelphia, was shot during the car chase that began in Charles City County and ended when the suspect crashed his car in Henrico. Berry died two days later.

Because of the media coverage during the search for Roach, the suspect’s attorney asked for a change of venue yesterday in Williamsburg/James City County Circuit Court because of the exposure a Williamsburg jury might have to the case. WJCC Circuit Court Judge Randolph West denied the motion, citing that a jury would not be prejudice because of the lack of media coverage since the robbery.

Roach’s trial will be at the Williamsburg/James City County Courthouse on April 23.

Major Steve Rubino of the James City County police said Roach and Basil, both armed with handguns and wearing pantyhose as masks, went into the jewelry store at 10:55 that June morning and forced the four employees and a man working on the air conditioning system into the back of the store. The suspects then zip-tied the five victims and made them lie on the floor. The suspects stole watches and jewelry, along with all of the victims’ keys and one female victim’s cell phone.

Prior to being tied up, one of the employees hit the silent alarm. When the first James City County police officers on scene came to the front of the store, the suspects fled out the back. A witness saw the suspects jump into a black SUV and turn onto Old News Road.

Rubino said the JCC Police Department sent the description of the car and information of the crime to surrounding police departments, telling them to keep an “eye out.” They received call a short time later from a Charles City County Sheriff’s Office deputy in an unmarked vehicle who believed he was following the suspects, who were in a black SUV with tinted windows and a Pennsylvania license plate. The deputy then followed the vehicle and waited for assistance from marked vehicles. Once the marked vehicles arrived, the officers attempted to stop the vehicle as they crossed into Henrico County but the vehicle tried to speed away, according to Rubino.

Virginia State Police spokesman Sgt. Thomas Molnar said shortly before noon that day, the Henrico County Police Department and the Virginia State Police Department joined the chase near Interstate 295 and Route 5 in Henrico County. The suspects shot at the officers during the chase and the officers returned fire, Molnar said.

Owens said the vehicle stopped at Technology Park Drive in Henrico County and Roach fled into the woods.

Rubino said the vehicle continued until the Berry crashed the car into a wooded area on Charles City Road in Henrico, where additional shots were fired. The Henrico SWAT team responded, extracted the suspect from the vehicle and transported the suspect to the VCU Medical Center in Richmond.