New Bedford Man Sentenced for Armed Robberies

FALL RIVER — A 33-year-old New Bedford man who robbed two different convenience store clerks on the same day last May has been sentenced to serve three to five years in state prison, District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Justin Gurn pleaded guilty in Fall River Superior Court last week to a two-count indictment, charging him with armed robbery, and armed and masked robbery.

On May 28, 2016, the defendant walked into two different convenience stores in New Bedford and robbed them at knife point. In the first robbery at XTRA Mart, he walked in at 3:29 p.m. and robbed the clerk of about $300.

Five hours later, the defendant entered JC’s Variety store while wearing a shirt over his face, and robbed the clerk at knifepoint of about $400. The second clerk knew the defendant from past interactions at the store, and identified him from a photo array. The defendant was arrested by New Bedford Police a short time later.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Michael Sheehan, and the state prison sentence was handed down by Judge Sharon Donatelle. In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Donatelle also placed the defendant on probation for three years, to commence at the conclusion of his prison term.

“This defendant is robbing innocent civilians who are just trying to make a living,” District Attorney Quinn said. “This violent behavior is unacceptable and there must be accountability for this defendant and other who engage in this conduct.”

--Bristol County District Attorney's Office