Burger King promises customers that they can have their orders “their way,” but one customer took that message to the extreme when he demanded that an employee accept drugs as payment, then pulled a gun on the worker when they refused, reports the Associated Press.
For this crime and others Eugene Robertson committed that night, prosecutors announced a whopping 143-year sentence. The crime spree began on October 17, 2022, in Aurora, a Denver, Colorado suburb.
Robinson pointed the gun at the drive-thru Burger King employee without pulling the trigger, then proceeded to go to a 7-Eleven across the street, where he pulled the gun on a store clerk. When he noticed there was a surveillance camera possibly recording his actions, he shot the screen and then left. He encountered two people in the parking lot and shot towards them as well.
According to prosecutors, Robinson continued his bizarre shooting spree later that night. A friend of Robinson’s called the police to say that he began shooting when she refused to open the door to her apartment where she was with several people.
When police arrived, they found Robinson near her apartment complex where he also lived, Robinson tried to hide in the bushes but was arrested by the police.
Back in April, a jury found Robertson guilty of 17 crimes, which included eight counts of attempted murder. The sentences were applied consecutively rather than concurrently, resulting in the lengthy prison term. Astonishingly, Robertson could have faced more than 400 years in prison during his August 9th sentencing.
Eric Ross, a spokesperson for 18th Judicial District Attorney John Kellner, told the AP. “We consider this 143-year sentence justice for the multiple victims he put in fear that night. Jurors recognized the severity of the crimes this defendant committed. We believe the judge imposed an appropriate sentence.”
However, as reported by The Sentinel Colorado, a witness at the 7-Eleven said there was “something off” about Robertson. He was “talking about God” and carrying a bible with a purple cover.
That same witness was the one who Robertson exchanged fire with in the parking lot after they argued inside the store.
This isn’t the first time Robertson has had a run-in with the law. During his arrest, police discovered that he had an outstanding warrant related to a March 2021 case where he’d allegedly been involved in a vehicle crash and shooting, fled the scene, lost or removed his pants before stopping a police officer, who then arrested him on suspicion of illegal possession of a firearm, according to The Sentinel Colorado.
Robertson had previously served an 84-month sentence for felony distribution of crack cocaine, which would prohibit him from possessing a gun.