Macon man sentenced to 20 years for robbing couple at gunpoint

Kristopher Whitaker pleaded guilty Monday, October 19, to robbery by force in Bibb County Superior Court.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The final defendant in a 2023 robbery involving a couple outside their Macon home has been sentenced to 20 years, according to the Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.

Kristopher Whitaker pleaded guilty Monday, October 19, to robbery by force in Bibb County Superior Court. He was sentenced to 20 years, with the first 10 years to serve in prison. The court also granted him First Offender status.

According to the district attorney’s office, deputies responded to a robbery on Mint Green Lane on May 1, 2023.

The victims told investigators they were pulling into their driveway when a white SUV with a flat tire approached. Several suspects wearing ski masks and carrying guns got out of the vehicle and demanded the couple’s car.

The suspects fled in the victims’ Nissan.

Investigators said the victims recognized one of the suspects by his voice, leading authorities to Kristopher Whitaker.

Officers later located Whitaker walking on Elkan Avenue and found the white SUV parked near a basketball court on Village Green.

Whitaker, who was 15 at the time of the robbery, admitted his involvement and identified two other suspects, Wali Cooke and Kendall Whitaker, according to the district attorney’s office.

Cooke, who was 17 at the time, drove the getaway vehicle. He pleaded guilty to robbery by force and was sentenced August 5 to 20 years, with the first 10 years to serve in prison.

Kendall Whitaker, who was 13 at the time, pleaded guilty to armed robbery and was sentenced August 17 to 20 years, with the first five years to serve.

Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney Anita Howard released the following statement:

“All three young men responsible for this crime have now been held accountable, and the victims no longer have to wonder whether the people who put guns in their faces in their own driveway will answer for it,” said Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney Anita Howard. “These defendants were teenagers when they made the choice to commit a horrifying crime. Our community cannot wait for young people to reach a courtroom before we pay attention to them and what they do. That is why our office continues to invest in initiatives such as R.I.S.E., which works to reach youth early and connect them with mental health services, trauma support, and positive community ties. We will keep holding violent offenders accountable, and we will keep working to make sure fewer of our children ever end up in this position.”