District Attorney Greg Willis announced that Troy Lamont Tiller of McKinney was sentenced to 55 years in prison after the jury found him guilty of Evading Arrest in a Vehicle. "This serial robber terrorized the citizens of Allen, McKinney, and Plano for over 5 months, committing 12 robberies, before he was caught by the diligent work of all three police agencies. This investigation is a great example of law enforcement cooperation in Collin County," Willis said after sentencing.
On Oct. 23, 2018, a robbery was reported at a Subway off Spring Creek Parkway in Plano. Detectives in the cities of Plano, Allen, and McKinney had been investigating a series of similar robberies starting in May 2018, and believed the robber was driving a silver 2005-2006 Camry with no front license plate. Immediately after this Subway robbery, officers located the suspect vehicle in McKinney, being driven by Tiller.
Officers initiated a traffic stop and instructed Tiller to remove his keys and place them on the hood of the car. Instead, Tiller sped off at a high speed. During the pursuit by McKinney Police Department officers, Tiller ran numerous stop signs, a stop light, and drove on grass in between apartment buildings. Tiller then attempted to flee on foot but was shortly apprehended by McKinney officer Eric Fromhold.
During the punishment phase of trial, prosecutors presented evidence of 12 robberies Tiller committed at gunpoint in the months preceding his arrest, including two where he struck the victims in the head with a gun. The evidence included testimony from multiple victims, surveillance video footage, and cell phone location data that placed Tiller at the scene of every robbery.
Prosecutors also presented evidence of Tiller's past crimes, which included federal prison sentences for Aggravated Robbery (10 years), Kidnapping (5 years), and Possession of Crack Cocaine with Intent to Distribute (4 years). Because of this prior history, the range of punishment for this offense was 25 years to 99 years or life in prison, and the jury assessed a sentence of 55 years. Judge Jennifer Edgeworth presided over the case.
Investigators Craig Owens with the McKinney Police Department, Aaron Benzick with the Plano Police Department, and Darrin Smith with the Allen Police Department investigated the series of robberies.
Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Courtney Lewis and Matthew Schlake prosecuted the case, assisted by Assistant District Attorney Molly Matthews, District Attorney Investigators Sarah Putman, Linda Herrera, and Ryan Harvey, and Victim Assistance Coordinators Rebecca Royer and Niccole Frazier.
