Formal charges filed following a July crime spree in Avondale and Ortega.
24-year-old Herman Pickens has been in custody since July, when he was arrested for an armed robbery at a CVS on San Juan Avenue. JSO says Pickens shot a clerk in the head while attempting to rob the store, an incident that happened just a short time after a fatal armed robbery at Mojo BBQ on St. Johns Avenue.
Pickens was shot by police after a pursuit when they took him in to custody. At that time, JSO told us they were confident he was responsible for the Mojo BBQ murder as well, but were waiting for more evidence before filing charges.
“One o f the projectiles that was taken out of the [Mojo] victim was compared to the handgun,” says Assistant Chief Chris Butler.
JSO located a gun on Pickens when he was arrested, and they say that matches the bullet removed from the Mojo BBQ victim, 54-year-old Robert Sutton. They also have video evidence that has now been fully analyzed, giving them confidence in the arrest.
In addition to the charges Pickens already faced for the CVS armed robbery, he has now been charged with murder for the Mojo shooting as well.
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