Two Dixon men face years in prison in connection with a pair of brazen daytime robberies in the city of Davis, the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office announced.
A Yolo County jury last week convicted Austin Cody Hughes, 21; and Demarco Marquis Rowe, 19; of robbery and battery causing serious bodily injury for the April 20 crimes.
Jurors also found that Hughes personally inflicted great bodily injury on the victim in the first robbery, and also convicted him of a second robbery in which he took a woman’s purse as she sat in her car.
Prosecutors said the events began in Dixon, where the defendants met with two others, used drugs, and then drove to Davis. Once in Davis, they drove around town for about an hour before seeing the victim, a visiting international student at UC Davis.
As the victim was riding his bicycle on A Street near Russell Boulevard, the defendants got out of their car, beat the victim and stole his wallet and backpack, authorities reported. The victim suffered an injury to his face that required six stitches and caused him to be unable to see clearly for several weeks.
The defendants continued to drive through Davis before parking in the Target store parking lot. Hughes walked to the Alhambra Apartments, where several items were stolen from unlocked vehicles. He then approached a parked vehicle occupied by two women, opened the passenger door and attempted to take one of the women’s purse from her lap.
Hughes and the victim struggled for control of the purse and Hughes shouted, “Do you want to die?” The victim let go of the purse and Hughes fled the scene.
After the robberies, Davis Police Department officers noticed two suspects who were wearing masks in the area of the Motel 6 on Chiles Road in South Davis. Officers detained the men, investigated the crimes and arrested the defendants in connection with the robberies. Police also found the property stolen from the parked vehicles at the Motel 6 room where the defendants were staying.
Yolo Superior Court Judge Timothy Fall presided over the trial. In a separate court trial on Sept. 6, Fall found true two case enhancements alleging that Rowe has a prior “strike” conviction for a robbery in Solano County, and that Hughes was out on bail at the time of the robberies in this case.
Both defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 9. Rowe faces up to 15 years in state prison, while Hughes could receive a nine-year prison term.
“This case came to a quick resolution due to the efforts of the Davis Police Department,” District Attorney Jeff Reisig said. “Davis officers involved quickly located the suspects and collected a mountain of evidence that proved to be insurmountable.”