Sacramento judge sentences two men for Elk Grove armed robbery of victim seeking room to rent
A Sacramento Superior Court judge sentenced two men for an armed robbery last year in which the victim, who was seeking a room to rent, was held at gunpoint inside an Elk Grove home as the robbers threatened to kill him.
On Friday, Judge Steve White sentenced Domenick Styles Lacey to 13 years in prison and Hayden Pierce Thornton to 10 years for their roles in the armed robbery, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday in a news release.
Lacey, 33, was convicted of robbery, along with enhancement for using a gun in the robbery, prosecutors said. Thornton, 32, was convicted of assault with a firearm.
The defendants’ conviction was the result of a plea deal with prosecutors reached Oct. 7, the same day jury selection was scheduled to begin in their trial, court records show.
The armed robbery occurred March 31, 2023, when the victim met with Lacey and Thornton at an Elk Grove house to discuss renting a room, according to the District Attorney’s Office. Inside the home, Lacey pinned the victim on the ground and stole cash he had at the time.
Prosecutors said Lacey then grabbed a gun and pointed the weapon at the back of the victim’s head, telling him he would kill him if he called the police or told anyone what happened.
Lacey and Thornton then went through the victim’s phone and told him they know where he and his family lived, that he owed them money and threatened to kill him if he did not pay them, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Then, Lacey and Thornton forced the robbery victim to get a family member to send him money, before using his phone to steal that money, prosecutors said. The victim was eventually let go, and he went to a police station to report the crime.
Prosecutors said Lacey and Thornton called the victim while he was at the police station, and the defendants confirmed details of the kidnapping and extortion scheme as police officers listened in on the phone conversation.
Investigators arrested Lacey and Thornton and found the gun used in the robbery in Lacey’s room, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Lacey and Thornton have been held since April 3 at the Sacramento County jail, where they remained on Monday awaiting transfer to a prison.
