A 22-year-old man was convicted on August 8th in Prince William Circuit Court in relation to the 2008 murder of a Popeye's manager during the commission of a robbery in Dale City. James Carolina was one of three men charged in the shooting death of 23-year-old Keith Truesdale on January 22nd of that year.
Police say Carolina and accomplice Andre Williams entered the Smoketown Road Popeye's in Dale City on January 22nd, intending to rob it. A third man, Daniel Lipscomb, was accused of driving the men to the scene. Police say Carolina was armed with a knife and Williams with a handgun. The two allegedly detained the store's employees, demanding Truesdale open the safe. Truesdale, who normally managed a different Popeye's location, did not know the safe's combination. When he and a fellow employee attempted to flee, Williams fired the shot that fatally injured Truesdale. The wounded man managed to exit the restaurant, but eventually died of his injuries.
Although the incident was recorded by surveillance cameras, the case remained unsolved until April of 2008 because the suspects on the tape had obscured their faces. On April 11th, Williams contacted police to confess his role in the crime, and implicated Carolina and Lipscomb. He later recanted his confession in a letter before changing his story a third time, saying all three men were involved in the crime. Williams eventually pleaded guilty to attempted robbery, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and capitol murder, and is awaiting sentencing. Lipscomb was charged with the same crimes and is set to be tried in October.
Carolina entered an Alford plea to the charge of abduction in Prince William Circuit Court. An Alford plea enables a defendant not to admit guilt to a crime while acknowledging that sufficient evidence exists to secure a conviction if a case goes to trial. Carolina's sentencing is scheduled for November 4th, and a judge will decide at that time whether to accept the plea. Prosecutors are requesting Carolina be sentenced to 35 years in prison, with 33 years of that sentence suspended. He is expected to get credit to time served since his arrest.
This article is presented by The Law Office of Price Benowitz, LLP, serving Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC. For more information, please visit our Maryland Criminal Defense Attorney and Washington DC Criminal Defense Lawyer websites.
