Judge Accepts Guilty Plea of Odenton Man Related to the Attempted Armed Robbery of a Food Service Company Where an Employee was Shot

Cornell Slater, a/k/a Chopper, age 34, of Odenton, Maryland, pleaded guilty on the eve of trial to the federal charges of using, carrying, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; committing a commercial robbery, and to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Slater's Co-Defendant Alex Smith, a/k/a Skeet, age 34, of Halethorpe, Maryland, was convicted on federal charges of conspiracy to commit a commercial robbery, attempted robbery, and using, carrying, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, related to the attempted armed robbery of a food service business in Baltimore on December 5, 2018, during which an employee of the business was shot.  The jury returned its verdict late on Friday, January 10, 2020.

According to Slater’s guilty plea and the evidence presented at Smith’s five-day trial, on December 5, 2018, Smith and Slater committed an attempted armed robbery of a food service business, which was Slater’s former employer.  At approximately 3:22 a.m., Slater picked Smith up at his residence and the two traveled to the business.  At 4:30 a.m., four employees arrived for the morning shift to open the store.  Surveillance cameras show Smith and Slater waking across a parking lot in the direction of the employee entrance.  As employees entered the store, Smith and Slater trailed them through the open door, posing as employees.

As detailed in the plea agreement and described during trial testimony, upon entering the building Slater confronted two victims outside of the manager’s office, pulling out a gun and shooting one of the victims in the face.  Slater then forced the other employee toward the direction of the cash room, where the safe was stored.  In the meantime, Smith entered the employee breakroom and confronted two other victims, brandishing a firearm while he ordered the victims to hand over their cell phones and get on the floor.  Once Slater and the victim reached the cash room, the victim quickly entered the room and shut the door behind him, knowing that the door would lock automatically.

Knowing that they had been locked out of the cash room, Smith and Slater fled to Slater’s vehicle and drove off.

Further, Slater admitted that on November 14, 2018, he fired two shots at a woman, striking her in the side.  The woman’s temporary license plate had been stolen from her vehicle on October 26, 2018.  While driving in her neighborhood in the 2500 block of Springhill Avenue in Baltimore on November 14, 2018, the victim saw her stolen license plate on Slater’s car and pulled beside the vehicle to see who had stolen the plate.  Slater confronted the victim for following him and shot her.  The victim was able to describe Slater and his girlfriend, who had also been in the car at the time of the shooting.

Both of the shootings were forensically linked by the shell casings recovered at each shooting scene.  Using information gleaned from both investigations, law enforcement officers were able to locate Slater and subsequently arrest him on December 18, 2018, outside of his residence in Odenton, MD.  At the time of his arrest, Slater’s vehicle was displaying another temporary license plate that he been stolen approximately two weeks earlier.  During a search of Slater’s residence, law enforcement recovered the 9mm pistol used in the two shootings from under Slater’s bed, as well as 10 rounds of 9mm ammunition.  Slater had a previous felony conviction and was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

Smith faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for a commercial robbery; and a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in federal prison for aiding and abetting the discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.  A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.  U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has not yet scheduled a sentencing date for Smith.

Slater and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Slater will be sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.  Judge Bennett has scheduled sentencing for Slater on April 8, 2020 at 3:00 p.m.