DOJ News Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Jury Convicts KC Man of Armed Robbery

Handgun Fell Apart During Robbery, DNA Matched from Gun Parts

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has been convicted by a trial jury of the armed robbery of a Church’s Chicken restaurant after his DNA was recovered from gun parts recovered at the scene of the robbery.

Justin Domonique Davis, 30, was found guilty on Thursday, June 16, of aiding and abetting one count of robbery and one count of using a firearm during a crime of violence.

According to evidence introduced during the trial, Church’s Chicken, 11500 Blue Ridge Boulevard in Kansas City, Mo., was robbed at gun point by two robbers on Dec. 12, 2013. Two men walked into the restaurant that evening, produced handguns, and demanded money from the employees. One man fired his revolver at least once at which point there was a malfunction that caused the firearm to fall apart, and parts of the handgun fell to the floor behind the counter. The second thief kept his firearm pointed at the manager, still demanding money from the cash drawer. After they were given the money, both men fled on foot in the same direction from whence they came. That happened to be the direction of Davis’ residence.

When officers arrived, crime scene personnel collected the parts of the revolver for DNA processing and fingerprinting. DNA found on the revolver parts matched to Davis.

Davis was arrested on June 11, 2014, on unrelated municipal charges. At the time of the robbery, according to court documents, Davis was on probation for an unrelated robbery through Jackson County, Mo.

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for approximately three hours before returning guilty verdicts on both counts to U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough, ending a trial that began Wednesday, June 15.

Under federal statutes, Davis is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bruce A. Rhoades and Maureen Brackett. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Independence, Mo., Police Department, and the FBI.