Defendant Sentenced for Attempted Murder, Armed Robberies
DATE: April 6, 2018
CASE: Gilbert Smith (Case #16FE013303 & #16FE005509)
PROSECUTOR: Deputy District Attorney James Wax, Career Criminal Prosecution Unit
The Honorable Michael Bowman sentenced Gilbert Smith to 32 years to life in prison. On March 2, 2018, a jury convicted Smith of attempted murder, robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The jury also found true an allegation that Smith personally and intentionally used a firearm causing great bodily injury. Smith committed the crime after being released on bail for an earlier robbery case.
On July 8, 2016, Gilbert Smith robbed a Brinks guard who was transporting a large sum of money from a bank to his armored vehicle. When the guard exited the bank, Smith approached him with a .40 caliber handgun and shot him. Smith then grabbed the money and engaged in a shootout with the injured guard, who shot Smith several times. Both men were transported to the hospital and received emergency treatment. The guard suffered serious injuries, including an infected lung and fractured rib that required multiple surgeries.
In Smith’s earlier robbery case, he entered a Walmart wearing a mask and gloves on February 9, 2016. Smith pointed a semi-automatic pistol at an employee and threatened to kill him if he did not give Smith money from the locked safe. Smith took a large amount of money from the safe and fled. The discarded mask was located and DNA taken from the mask was analyzed by the District Attorney’s Crime Lab, which matched Smith. Smith pled no contest to that robbery and admitted an allegation that he personally used a firearm in that crime. He was sentenced to an additional 4 years and 4 months, consecutive to the 32 years to life sentence.