Prosecutors: Troy Tiller Crossed 3 Cities Committing 12 Robberies In 5 Months, Now He's Headed To Prison
COLLIN COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) — A North Texas man was found guilty of evading arrest in a vehicle and was sentenced to 55 years in prison. Sound harsh? There's more to the story.
Officials with the Collin County District Attorney's Office say over the short span of 5 months Troy Tiller committed a dozen robberies in several cities.
"This serial robber terrorized the citizens of Allen, McKinney, and Plano for over 5 months, committing 12 robberies, before he was caught by the diligent work of all three police agencies," District Attorney Greg Willis said after sentencing.
Pieces of the crime spree started to come together in October 2018 when a robbery was reported at a Subway off Spring Creek Parkway in Plano. Detectives in Plano, Allen, and McKinney had been investigating similar robberies starting in May 2018, and believed the suspect was driving a silver 2005-2006 Camry with no front license plate.
After the robbery of the restaurant in October officers found Tiller driving the suspect vehicle in McKinney.
Officers pulled Tiller over and told him to take the keys out and place them on the hood. Instead, Tiller sped off at a high speed. During the pursuit by McKinney police, Tiller ran several stop signs, a stop light, and drove on grass in between apartment buildings. He then jumped out of the car and tried to run away but was captured.
During the punishment phase of trial, prosecutors presented evidence of 12 robberies Tiller committed at gunpoint in the months preceding his arrest, including two where he hit the victims in the head with a gun. The evidence included testimony from multiple victims, surveillance video footage, and cell phone location data that placed Tiller at the scene of every robbery.
Because of this prior criminal history the jury sentenced him to 55 years.
