Cincinnati men sentenced to decades in prison for murder of convenience store owner, armed robberies

CINCINNATI - Two Cincinnati men were sentenced in federal court here today to decades in prison for crimes involving the murder of the owner of Madeira Beverage in February 2021 and multiple armed robberies.

Willie James Attaway, 33, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for murdering Roop C. Gupta and committing or attempting four other armed robberies on Feb. 8 and Feb. 9, 2021.

During the two-day crime spree, Attaway brandished a firearm to rob or attempt to rob:

• Feb. 8 - Shell on S. Mason Montgomery Road in Deerfield Township,
• Feb. 8 - Shell on Dixie Highway in Hamilton, Ohio,
• Feb. 9 - Madeira Beverage on Kenwood Road in Madeira, Ohio,
• Feb. 9 - Sunoco on Kenwood Road in Blue Ash, Ohio, and
• Feb. 9 - Marathon on North Broadway in Lebanon, Ohio.

At the first robbery, Attaway brandished a firearm at the two clerks and demanded that they empty the cash registers, which they did.

Later that night, at a second Shell gas station, Attaway brandished a firearm and said he was not afraid to shoot the clerk. The clerk gave Attaway money from the cash register.

The next day, Feb. 9, 2021, Attaway entered Madeira Beverage and confronted the store's owner, Roop Gupta, who was working behind the counter. Attaway pointed a firearm at Gupta, and during the ensuing struggle he shot Gupta one time in the left abdomen. Gupta was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Later that evening, Attaway entered the Sonoco in Blue Ash, brandished a firearm, and demanded that the clerk give up the money in the cash register, which the clerk did.

During the final robbery on Feb. 9, Attaway pointed a firearm at the Marathon clerk and said, "Give me what you got." The clerk reached under the counter, pretending he had a firearm, causing Attaway to flee.

The second defendant, Lamond Johnson, 38, who served as Attaway's driver during the robberies, was sentenced today to 23 years in prison. Johnson previously pleaded guilty to three counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence and two counts of attempted robbery.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); announced the sentences imposed today by Senior U.S. District Judge Susan J. Dlott. Assistant United States Attorneys Julie D. Garcia and Kyle J. Healey are representing the United States in this case.

The investigation was jointly conducted by ATF and the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Madeira Police Department, the Warren County Sheriff's Office, the Cincinnati, Lebanon, Blue Ash and Hamilton police departments, and the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office.

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