A St. Louis County dollar store robber, who brandished a handgun over a petty heist, has been dealt a seven-year prison term, court records reveal. Daniel D. Martin, the 22-year-old Ferguson local, executed what could be seen as both a brazen and desperate robbery on August 29, 2021, wherein a simple pack of Skittles set the stage for a more sinister demand. After presenting the candy for purchase, Martin drew his weapon and demanded the cashier fill his pockets, leaving the scene $267.34 richer.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp sentenced Martin to 84 months behind bars following a guilty plea earlier this year. Martin conceded to one count of robbery and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri. The swiftness of justice, at odds with the brevity of the crime, reflects the heavy hand with which the law weighs such armed transgressions—no matter the haul.
The case, which unfolded in a matter of minutes, drew to a close after extensive investigative work by the St. Louis County Police Department. It was Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Becker who carried the prosecution, a reflection of the combined local and federal efforts to address and deter violent crime in the community.
The sentence handed down can be interpreted as a statement to those who might underestimate the severity with which armed robbery is adjudicated in Missouri, and perhaps, a foreshadowing of the long road to redemption that lies ahead for Martin.
