Sacto 9-1-1: FBI seeks bank robber, possible accomplice

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Sacto 9-1-1

The Sacramento Bee's Crime blog is a comprehensive report of crime news, trends and information for your community and beyond.

April 10, 2008

FBI seeks bank robber, possible accomplice

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The FBI is looking for a man as well as a possible accomplice who robbed the US Bank branch inside Safeway at 3320 Arden Way on Wednesday.

The robbery occurred at about 10:30 a.m. when a man approached a teller and handed over a note asking for money. No weapon or getaway vehicle was spotted, but the FBI said the robber left the store with another man.

The robber was described as African-American, between 22 and 30, about 6-feet 1-inch tall and weighing 200 to 230 pounds. He wore a black shirt and a red Houston Astros baseball cap.

The second man was an African-American or Hispanic man between 22 and 30, described as shorter and with a thin build. He wore a white or gray sweatshirt with the hood over his head.

It is the third such bank robbery in the vicinity that the FBI has asked for help in solving since March 17, when a robber wearing an Oakland A's hat hit the Bank of America branch inside the Save Mart at 2501 Fair Oaks Blvd. Another robbery occurred March 25 at the Bank of America at 6705 Fair Oaks Blvd.

The FBI does not believe the three robberies are connected.

Anyone with information can call the FBI at (916) 481-9110, the Sacramento Sheriff's Department at (916) 874-5115 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP.

-- Bee Metro Staff

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Q: What happened to the killer of Martin Fischalek?

A: Robert Doyle Bratton was sentenced on Jan. 3, 1990, to 25 years to life in prison for the slaying of Martin Fischalek, according to Sacramento Superior Court records.

A Sacramento Superior Court on jury on Aug. 18, 1989, convicted Bratton on four murder and robbery charges in the slaying of Fischalek, his 59-year-old neighbor.

Fischalek was beaten and stabbed to death during a robbery in his Vista Avenue home in south Sacramento County.

Bratton was 17 when the crimes occurred Aug. 2, 1988, but was ordered to be tried as an adult because of the nature of the crimes. Although the charges[ included the special circumstances required for a capital-punishment case, Bratton was protected by law from the capital charges faced by an adult.

During the two-week trial, the prosecution painted a picture of a ruthless killer who needed drug money and ended up beating Fischalek with the leg of a wooden chair and slashing his throat with a kitchen knife. The dead man's stereo, wallet and car were taken.

Fischalek's body was found Aug. 4, 1988, by two of his fellow mechanics who went to check on him when he failed to show up for work at the Niello auto dealerships on Arden Way.

Perhaps the most crucial evidence against Bratton was a tape recording of a conversation he had with a man who struck a deal with investigators to tape his meeting with the suspect.

The jury listened to the recorded discussion of details Williamson described as things that could be known only by the killer.

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