Crime & Safety
Detroit Man Convicted in 2001 Dearborn Bank Robbery, Murder of Guard
Kevin Watson faces a mandatory life sentence for the decade-old crime.
A Detroit man was found guilty of a 2001 robbery of an armored car, as well as the murder of the guard handling the money for 's Fairlane branch, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.
Kevin Christopher Watson, 41, was found guilty following a jury trial in federal court. Watson was convicted of Conspiracy to Commit Bank Robbery, Bank Robbery Murder, and First-Degree Murder With a Firearm During a Federal Crime of Violence.
According to evidence presented during the trial, which began Nov. 7 in front of District Judge Victoria A. Roberts, Watson and five other suspects robbed armored car guards attempting to deliver money to ATMs at DFCU outside of in Dearborn on Dec. 14, 2001. The men reportedly stole $204,000.
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During the robbery, Watson and Timothy O’Reilly (who was found guilty by another jury in 2010) shot Total Armored guard Norman Anthony Stephens in the back with shotguns. Stephens died at the scene.
The crime went unsolved for several years until cooperating witnesses came forward with information.
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A sentencing date for Watson, who faces a mandatory life sentence for the crimes, has not yet been set by the court.
“For the victim’s family, this verdict cannot remedy the loss of a husband and father,” said United States Attorney Barbara L. McQuade. “But we hope that this federal prosecution and the mandatory life sentence that goes with it will deter others from committing such brutal crimes in the future.”
