BALTIMORE, Md. — The man accused of killing Alex Wroblewski Jr. during an attempted armed robbery at a Royal Farms on Key Highway and Lawrence Street in November 2017 was found guilty of second-degree murder.
Marquese Winston, 25, is one of three suspects, his girlfriend 38-year-old Tonya Hayes and her son 21-year-old Tivontre Gatling-Mouzon, were also charged for their involvement in Wroblewski's murder.
Hayes, who was accused of helping by driving the getaway car and conspiring to commit the armed robbery, was found guilty on handgun charges but was not guilty on counts related to the robbery of Wroblewski.
All three suspects were originally presented with plea deals by Baltimore Assistant State's Attorney Sheryl Atkins, but only Gatling took the deal. He accepted the potential sentence of 20 years in prison, with all but eight years suspended and an additional five years probation. His plea deal was dependent on future testimony.
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In November of 2017, Wroblewski was walking home from work when he stopped by a Royal Farms to buy a late night snack when the trio followed him out the store to rob him. They shot him once and fled the scene. Hayes and Winston were arrested days later in Atlanta and Gatling was arrested two days after that.
Lisa Hopkins was one of Wroblewski's closest friends.
She said he was one of the kindest, most passionate people she has ever met.
“Justice was somewhat served, not necessarily in the way that we feel is enough because our friend is gone forever," said Hopkins. "Yes and no it brings some closure to it, but it’s not the kind of closure that we were all hoping for.”
The family was emotional as they left court and chose to speak through attorney Thiru Vignarajah.
“Everyone is grateful that there is a measure of closure," said Vignarajah. "They are grateful that there was a unanimous verdict. They’re grateful that all the people that are responsible for this terrible crime are going to spend time in jail.”
Sentencing is scheduled for May 2.
