Man gets 251 years to life for Sacramento County armed robberies outside stores
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- A judge sentenced William Ellis to 251 years to life in prison for armed robberies.
- The armed robberies occurred outside Sacramento County retail stores in 2023.
- He reportedly held victims at gunpoint including a 5-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl.
A judge sentenced a man to 251 years to life in prison for a series of armed robberies outside Sacramento County retail stores in which several victims were held at gunpoint, including a 5-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl.
On Friday, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Steve White sentenced William Ellis, 44, for the armed robberies that occurred in summer 2023, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday in a news release.
A jury on April 22 found Ellis guilty of seven counts of robbery and felony evasion. Jurors also found true allegations that he used a firearm in each robbery, along with other aggravating factors.
Several people were robbed in three incidents in July and August 2023. Prosecutors said the robberies occurred in the retail store parking lots as the victims were getting into their vehicles.
Ellis used a firearm to threaten victims and steal jewelry and other belongings, including family heirlooms and wedding rings, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Some victims were robbed in front of their young children. Prosecutors said Ellis pointed a revolver at the victims and, in two cases, pressed the gun against a 5-year-old boy’s rib cage and a 15-year-old girl’s neck and body.
Ellis had two previous criminal convictions considered strikes under California’s “three strikes” law.
He remained in custody Monday at the Sacramento County Main Jail awaiting transfer to a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation facility.
