Two defendants of the alleged murder of Indian-American convenience store owner in Ohio | Global Indian

A federal grand jury in Cincinnati, Ohio has indicted two men on a series of armed robberies and the alleged murder of Roop C. Gupta, Indian-American owner of the Madeira Beverage grocery store, in February 2021.

Willie James Attaway, 30, from Cincinnati, and Lamond Johnson, 35, most recently from Cincinnati, will face 14-point indictments, a Justice Department press release said Sept. 2.

According to the indictment, Attaway and Johnson conspired to commit five armed robberies on February 8 and 9, 2021.

In particular, the defendants allegedly brandished a gun to commit robberies, including on February 9th at Madeira Beverage on Kenwood Road in Madeira, Ohio.

Attaway and Johnson are both charged with the alleged murder of Gupta, the owner of Madeira Beverage, on February 9, 2021. Using a firearm to commit murder during a violent crime has the potential to be punishable by the death penalty, the DOJ found.

The local charges pending against Johnson are being replaced by the federal charge returned September 1, and the case will continue at the federal level.

Attaway and Johnson appeared in federal court on September 2 when the indictment was unsealed.

Vipal J. Patel, Acting US Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Roland Herndon, Special Agent in charge of the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, announced the charges.