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Accident – Death – Obituary News :

Three Men Plead Guilty in $60,000 Cigarette Thefts in Upper Darby

Three Philadelphia men have pleaded guilty to their involvement in a series of cigarette thefts in Upper Darby last summer, amounting to more than $60,000. Tyshaun Henry, 21, recently entered open pleas to charges of conspiracy to robbery, a first-degree felony, and theft by unlawful taking, a felony of the third degree, before Common Pleas Court Judge Margaret Amoroso.

The other two defendants, Tyrese Henry, 23, and Zihir Murray, 25, had previously entered identical open pleas. The sentencing for all three men is scheduled for April 22.

The arrests of the trio were made by Upper Darby police in September following a thorough investigation into multiple incidents of theft from delivery trucks in the township.

These thefts included the July 25 incident where approximately $40,000 worth of cigarettes were stolen from a truck outside the Wawa at 8240 West Chester Pike; the robbery of $4,720 in cigarettes during a delivery at the 69th Street Transportation Center on July 29; and the theft of cigarettes valued at $10,649 from a truck outside the Wawa at 202 S. State Road on Aug. 26.

During the July 29 robbery, the truck driver was confronted by a heavyset male who began unloading cartons of cigarettes from the truck. Another man approached and implied he had a firearm, instructing the driver to remain silent.

The suspects were identified through surveillance video and photographs taken by a Wawa employee during the Aug. 26 theft. The stolen items were loaded into a white Kia K 5 before the suspects fled the scene.

Further investigations led to the discovery that Philadelphia police had stopped a similar vehicle just 3 miles from the crime scene shortly after the theft. The driver was identified as Tyrese Henry, with Murray as the front seat passenger and Tyshaun Henry seated in the back.

Upon reviewing the body camera footage from the Philadelphia officer, Detective Brian Gieder recognised that Tyshaun Henry and Murray bore resemblance to the suspects in the earlier theft. It was determined that Tyrese Henry acted as the getaway driver while Tyshaun Henry and Murray removed the cigarettes from the truck. The white Kia was found to be rented, and the three men were apprehended on September 9.

Legal representation for the defendants includes Ian McCurdy for Murray, Baltazar Rubio for Tyrese Henry, and Paige Benedetto for Tyshaun Henry. Assistant District Attorney Beth Ramos is prosecuting the case against all three.

Reporter Pete Bannan contributed to this story.

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