Cape man sentenced to 9 years

A second Cape Girardeau man was sentenced Dec. 11 in the beating of a pizza delivery man in a local residence.

Darwin K. Graham, 20, of 1126 S. Ellis St., was sentenced to nine years in prison by Circuit Judge Benjamin Lewis after pleading guilty to second-degree robbery. Graham, along with two other Cape Girardeau men, was charged with felony first-degree robbery and armed criminal action in the attack reported in January 2006.

Michael A. Jones, 21, of 915 Ranney Ave., pleaded guilty in August 2006 to second-degree robbery and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. A third man allegedly involved in the attack, Jeremiah Reddin, 19, of 320 Good Hope St., has a trial date scheduled for March 27. He is out on a $50,000 bond.

According to the victim's statement to police, the 29-year-old Domino employee was delivering a pizza order at 11:45 p.m. Jan. 17 to an unlighted home at 320 Good Hope St. The victim said he walked up to the residence carrying two pizzas, a 2-liter soda and a Mag-Lite flashlight, according to the statement. After he was invited inside, one of three men in the residence attempted to forcibly take the pizzas while a second struck the victim in the head.

Backing into a corner, the delivery man struck two of the men with the flashlight, one in the head, the statement said.

After hitting the two men, the delivery man attempted to call 911, but the three men punched, kicked and used a trophy to beat the victim, according to the statement.

Attempted to escape

The victim attempted to escape through the front the door during the attack, but one of the assailants grabbed him from behind, placed a knife to his throat and threatened to kill him, the report said.

When the beating stopped, the men gave the delivery man the soda and told him to clean up the pizza from the floor, the report said. At some point during the assault, one of the assailants took the delivery man's cell phone and about $30 in cash, the statement said.

The victim was found at a Lorimier Street address with blood running down his face.

Investigators found a broken trophy, titled "Lightweight Champ Battle of the Bad 1991" in the Good Hope residence where the assault took place.

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