McCauley's lawyer, Charles Hamilton, told the judge Thursday that McCauley did not lay a hand on Jeff Moore and that she "stood in horror as [Earl Moore] struck him in the head one time."
McCauley also helped the police investigation of the incident by agreeing to wear a wire and approach Earl Moore in his barbershop, Hamilton said.
Assistant Kanawha County prosecutor Jennifer Meadows pointed out that McCauley and the other assailants did not call police after they had committed the crime, and left the unconscious victim lying in a pool of blood.
"I think it's important to note that in that alleyway -- and prior to being brought into the police -- no one ever called for help for Mr. Moore," Meadows said. "Not Miss McCauley, no matter how bad she felt about what happened."
McCauley's sentencing was set for Monday, but Zakaib postponed the hearing so he could review her pre-sentence report and mental-health evaluations.
Zakaib said that in his examination of the reports, he did not find any evidence that McCauley had learned from her actions, and sentenced her to the 10-year term prosecutors had recommended in exchange for her plea.
"She was asked to help rob the victim, and did not hesitate," Zakaib said, "and when the victim was hit, she relieved the victim of his wallet. There's nothing in the reports that show any real remorse by [McCauley]."
Reach Zac Taylor at Zachary.Tay...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5189.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A Charleston teen will spend up to a decade in prison for her role in a brutal downtown robbery and beating that left a former legislative employee with permanent brain damage last year.
Kanawha Circuit Judge Paul Zakaib Jr. sentenced Telissa McCauley, 19, to 10 years in prison Thursday for stealing Robert "Jeff" Moore's wallet on May 22, 2010, as the man lay beaten and bloody in an alleyway between Summers and Capitol streets. McCauley will be eligible for parole after 2 1/2 years.
Another man, Earl Moore Jr., had punched Jeff Moore in the back of the head, knocking him into a coma that lasted 56 days. (The two men are not related.)
When Jeff Moore awoke, he no longer could button his shirt or use the bathroom without help. He now lives in a Charleston assisted-living facility.
Earl Moore is serving a 50-year sentence for first-degree robbery.
In February, McCauley pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery. Another woman, Whitney Sue Avery, 20, who acted as a lookout during the mugging, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy.
The three attackers split about $40 from Moore's wallet.
"I can't change my actions," McCauley said in court Thursday. "I realize that every decision I make affects more people than myself."
McCauley's lawyer, Charles Hamilton, told the judge Thursday that McCauley did not lay a hand on Jeff Moore and that she "stood in horror as [Earl Moore] struck him in the head one time."
McCauley also helped the police investigation of the incident by agreeing to wear a wire and approach Earl Moore in his barbershop, Hamilton said.
Assistant Kanawha County prosecutor Jennifer Meadows pointed out that McCauley and the other assailants did not call police after they had committed the crime, and left the unconscious victim lying in a pool of blood.
"I think it's important to note that in that alleyway -- and prior to being brought into the police -- no one ever called for help for Mr. Moore," Meadows said. "Not Miss McCauley, no matter how bad she felt about what happened."
McCauley's sentencing was set for Monday, but Zakaib postponed the hearing so he could review her pre-sentence report and mental-health evaluations.
Zakaib said that in his examination of the reports, he did not find any evidence that McCauley had learned from her actions, and sentenced her to the 10-year term prosecutors had recommended in exchange for her plea.
"She was asked to help rob the victim, and did not hesitate," Zakaib said, "and when the victim was hit, she relieved the victim of his wallet. There's nothing in the reports that show any real remorse by [McCauley]."
Reach Zac Taylor at Zachary.Tay...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5189.
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