Two Macon men convicted, sentenced in 2019 Warner Robins murder during armed robbery

Two Macon men were convicted and sentenced Thursday in Houston County Superior Court for their roles in the 2019 armed robbery and murder at a Citgo Express Stop in Warner Robins.

WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Two Macon men were convicted and sentenced Thursday in Houston County Superior Court for their roles in the 2019 armed robbery and murder at a Citgo Express Stop in Warner Robins.

According to the Houston County District Attorney’s Office, Roy H. Ford Jr. and Alvin Bernard Dunn were found guilty after a four-day trial presided over by Judge G.E. “Bo” Adams. Prosecutors presented evidence showing the men traveled to Warner Robins, where Ford robbed the store and fatally shot Navaneetbhai Patel before fleeing in a getaway vehicle Dunn drove.

Investigators from the Warner Robins Police Department, with assistance from Bibb County deputies, identified the suspects through witness descriptions and forensic evidence. DNA collected at the scene matched Ford, and items recovered from the suspects’ vehicle, including a firearm and clothing, tied him to the crime.

Ford was sentenced to life without parole for malice murder, felony murder and armed robbery. Dunn received a life sentence.

“I am thankful to the jury for bringing closure to Mr. Patel’s family,” English said. “Because of the investigation by Det. Chad Pierce with the Warner Robins Police Department and all the work done by the WRPD Forensics Lab, GBI, and other agencies, we were able to present the jury with enough evidence to show the senseless nature of Mr. Patel’s death. Violent crime has no place in civilized society, and I’m glad that Mr. Patel’s killers will spend their lives behind bars, away from our society.”

District Attorney William Kendall said cases like this require a “coordinated effort to seek justice and obtain a conviction.”

“Without the kind of diligence and dedication displayed here, we would not be able to provide closure to the family,” he said. “In the end, those who mean to do harm to others in Houston County only have one place they need to be—prison.”