Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin announced that Superior Court Justice Susan E. McGuirl sentenced Markus Matthews, DOB 04/28/90, with a last known address of 52 Canton Street, Providence, to 20 years, with nine to serve and 11 suspended with probation, for the May 2009 robbery of a Domino’s pizza delivery man.
Matthews was found guilty in February, 2011 by a Providence County Superior Court jury of one count of robbery resulting in injury. The jury found Matthews not guilty of two other counts: 1st degree robbery with use of a weapon and conspiracy to commit robbery.
During the trial, the State proved that Matthews, along with two co-conspirators, called Domino’s Pizza, located on Chalkstone Blvd., from a borrowed cell phone and ordered food to be delivered to an abandoned home with the intention of robbing the delivery person.
Late in the evening on May 6, 2009, Domino’s employee Cesar Lopez set out on a delivery to 54 Lynch Street. Upon arriving to the address, he got out of his vehicle and became wary as the house appeared to be abandoned. At that moment, he was struck from behind on the shoulder with what he later identified as a pipe. Lopez was then grabbed by the neck as the individual yelled to give him the money and dragged him to the side of the property. Mr. Lopez pulled out all the money he had on his person - $20.
Two masked men came from behind the house and all three attempted to pull Mr. Lopez into the abandoned home as he struggled to get away. Mr. Lopez was able to pull off his shirt, break their grasp and ran to his car and got away. He drove immediately back to Domino’s where he called the Providence Police.
Several days later, Mr. Lopez recognized an individual walking past Domino’s as the unmasked assailant. Mr. Lopez and his wife followed the individual and called the Providence Police. The Providence Police Michael Long (DOB: 03/24/89) took into custody.
Through the course of the investigation, the Providence Police traced the call to Domino’s to the fiancé at the time of Michael Long. When asked by the Police, she provided information that led to the identification of Matthew Markus as one of the co-conspirators in the robbery and assault.
Long pleaded nolo contendere on August 20, 2009 to first degree robbery and conspiracy, and was sentenced to 15 years, with four to serve and the remainder suspended with probation. The investigation of the third assailant is ongoing.
Detective Robert Melaragno led the investigation for the Providence Police and Special Assistant Attorney General Michael McCarthy handled the case for the Office of Attorney General.
The defendant has been held without bail since his arrest.