Woman Gets Life Sentence For Series Of Business Robberies In Tuscaloosa

TUSCALOOSA, AL — A Tuscaloosa woman with an extensive criminal record was sentenced Thursday to life without parole after being found guilty of organizing several armed robberies of businesses in Tuscaloosa in 2019.

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Court records obtained by Patch show that a Tuscaloosa County jury found Rocshelle Howard, 47, guilty on six counts of first-degree robbery, with Circuit Court Judge Brad Almond citing her record as a habitual offender in his decision to sentence Howard to life without parole.

Signed into law in 1979, Alabama's Habitual Felony Offender Act mandates a sentence of life in prison without parole for those convicted of a Class A felony after having been previously convicted of any three felonies, regardless of the degree of offense.

According to court records, Howard was initially accused of providing weapons and driving the getaway car for two teenagers who later admitted to their roles in robbing Tuscaloosa restaurants and businesses at gunpoint in July and September 2019.

Howard was first charged with seven counts of first-degree robbery when she was arrested on Dec. 27, 2019.

The two teenagers went on to tell police that they were responsible for robbing two Domino’s locations, a McDonald’s restaurant, the Waffle House location on Skyland Boulevard, a Jimmy John’s restaurant and the CVS on Veterans Memorial Parkway.

The Tuscaloosa News reported in January 2020 that the teens entered each business wearing masks and brandishing handguns, typically around closing time, before demanding cash from the businesses.

The newspaper also reported the teens confessed to investigators that the money was split three ways. For her role in the criminal enterprise, Howard reportedly received a larger portion each time.

Following the sentencing on Thursday, defense attorney Rachel Cohen Blume, of Northport's Blume & Blume Attorneys at Law, filed an appeal to the conviction and sentence.

The timeline for a ruling on the appeal is unclear at this time.

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