JACKSON, Miss. – A Missouri woman has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for her involvement in a robbery that resulted in the deaths of three people. Court documents reveal that 42-year-old Jamison Layne Townsend and her co-defendant, Joshua Michael Garcia, carried out the robbery at Bill’s Coin & Jewelry on December 17, 2016.
During the robbery, Garcia fatally shot the owner and two co-workers before the two individuals fled the scene with stolen items. They later pawned some of the stolen items at a shop in Mobile, Alabama. A subsequent attempt by law enforcement to stop Townsend and Garcia led to a high-speed chase, which ended with the duo’s arrest in Geary County, Kansas.
Townsend pleaded guilty to three counts of accessory after the fact, while Garcia, who previously pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm leading to the three murders, was sentenced to three life sentences.
The case was brought to public attention by U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Orench of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Several law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jackson Police Department, contributed to the investigation and eventual arrest of the suspects.
The case was prosecuted by Criminal Chief Erin Chalk. The Mississippi State Crime Laboratory determined that a Les Baer .45 caliber handgun was the murder weapon. Townsend’s conviction serves as a reminder of the potential consequences of being an accessory to a crime that results in loss of life.