Two of the three teenage Halawa Housing neighbors charged with a string of armed robberies confessed to the crimes shortly after their arrest last month, the FBI said in federal court documents.
Marcus Kalani Watson and Rogussia Danielson, both 19, and AJ Williander, 18, are charged with robbery and conspiracy charges in U.S. District Court. The FBI arrested all three on Aug. 12. Watson, Danielson and Williander remain in custody without the opportunity for release on bail.
The FBI said Watson confessed to robbing the Salt Lake Reynolds Recycling center, Central Pacific Bank’s Wahiawa branch, American Savings Bank’s Salt Lake branch and American Savings Bank’s Pearlridge branch. The robberies were on April 22, May 1, May 13, and May 30, respectively.
A lone robber got away with $585 in the recycling center robbery and $6,911 in the Central Pacific Bank robbery, while two robbers collected $21,720 and $11,569 in the American Savings Bank robberies.
According to the FBI, Watson said Danielson was the other robber in the two American Savings robberies and that Williander was the getaway driver for the American Savings Pearlridge branch robbery.
The FBI said Williander confessed to being the getaway driver for the ASB Pearlridge branch robbery.
Law enforcement officers executing a warrant for the search of Danielson’s Kohomua Street apartment found a semiautomatic pistol that closely resembles the handgun used in all four robberies, the FBI said. The officers also found in the residence two masks that are similar in appearance to the masks used by the robbers.
The FBI disclosed Watson’s and Williander’s confessions as well as the result of its search of Danielson’s home in its application for a search warrant for the records of cellphones used by Watson and Danielson.