Cape men charged with beating, robbing pizza delivery man

Three men were charged Wednesday with beating and robbing a pizza delivery man in a Cape Girardeau home.

The 29-year-old Domino's employee was delivering a pizza order at 11:45 p.m. Jan. 17 to an unlighted home at 320 Good Hope St., according to a probable-cause statement. While in the home, three men beat and robbed the victim.

Darwin K. Graham, 19, of 1126 S. Ellis St.; Michael A. Jones, 21, of 915 Ranney Ave.; and Jeremiah Reddin, 19, of 320 Good Hope St., were charged Wednesday with felony first-degree robbery and armed criminal action for the attack.

The delivery man walked up to the Good Hope Street 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 read.

Graham told police in an interview Tuesday that Reddin's face was bloodied in the altercation, but Reddin told detectives Jan. 20 his left eye and the bridge of his nose was injured from a fight with another man, according to the statement.

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

The delivery man attempted to move toward 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 statement read.

In an April 27 interview with police, Jones said he saw Graham put the knife to the delivery man's throat, according to the statement.

The knifeman let the victim go, and the three men kicked him in the face. He suffered cuts and bruises to his face, top of his head and right knee from the attack, police spokesman Jason Selzer said.

When the beating stopped, the men gave the delivery man the soda and asked him to clean up the pizza from the floor, according to Selzer.

At some point during the assault, one of the assailants took the delivery man's cell phone and about $30 in cash, the statement read.

Graham, Jones and Reddin were each being held in lieu of a $100,000 bond.

kmorrison@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127