A 21-year-old man from Delaware has been sentenced to more than 23 years in prison in connection with two armed carjackings outside Wawa stores in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced.
Keenan Righter of New Castle was sentenced Tuesday by United States District Court Chief Judge Mitchell S. Goldberg to 280 months in prison, five years of supervised release, restitution of $1,919, and a $500 assessment, officials said.
Officials said a jury convicted Righter in May of conspiracy, two counts of carjacking, and two counts of using or carrying a firearm during a crime of violence arising from his role in the two carjacking incidents. Righter's codefendant Jamar Miller pleaded guilty to these offenses in March of 2023 and is awaiting sentencing.
On January 14, 2023, around 9 p.m., officials said Righter and others drove in Miller’s car to a Wawa on Route 322 in Upper Chichester Township, Delaware County. Righter and another unknown male then ambushed a 23-year-old college student who was walking to his car.
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The men, each brandishing firearms and wearing masks, demanded the victim’s vehicle at gunpoint, according to officials. They pistol-whipped the victim in the back of the head and fled the scene in the victim’s car.
Then, on January 24, 2023, around 1:30 a.m., officials said Righter and another male drove in Miller’s car to a Wawa on Edgmont Avenue in Brookhaven, Delaware County.
Again, they wore masks and carried firearms as they carjacked a 33-year-old victim at gunpoint in the parking lot of the Wawa, officials said. The men pistol-whipped the victim multiple times in the head with a firearm as they stole his belongings and fled the scene in his car.
Officials said Righter was apprehended after an intensive investigation by FBI Philadelphia’s Newtown Square Resident Agency, in conjunction with the Brookhaven and Upper Chichester Police Departments.
Digital forensic evidence and more linked Righter to both carjackings.
“Imagine the shock of being violently ambushed on a Wawa run, of all things,” said Romero. “Keenan Righter targeted and terrorized total strangers, just to steal their cars. Armed criminals who think they can victimize innocent people with impunity should take a good hard look at 21-year-old Mr. Righter’s 23-year prison sentence. Keep doing what you’re doing, and you’ll earn your own long stay in one of our federal facilities.”
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