Ex-Mortician Gets 23 Years for 18 Robberies

A former mortician convicted of robbing 18 small businesses and fast-food restaurants in the Antelope Valley was sentenced Wednesday in San Fernando Superior Court to more than 23 years in state prison.

Judge Meredith C. Taylor sentenced Jimmy Thomas, 38, of Compton to 23 years and eight months in prison. He was convicted in January of 18 counts of robbery, including special allegations that he used a firearm while committing the crimes.

During the robberies, which occurred in the Lancaster and Palmdale areas between December, 1988, and February, 1989, Thomas approached store counters, showed a gun or simulated one and demanded money, prosecutors said. He usually ordered store clerks to retreat to back rooms, bathrooms or closets before making his getaway.

The amount of cash taken in each robbery ranged from $35 to $475, authorities said. A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department investigator said he believed that Thomas used the money to support a cocaine habit.

Thomas, who was arrested after one of his victims recognized him, denied committing the robberies. During court proceedings, a man claiming to be the real robber stood up and confessed, but authorities later determined that Thomas had offered the man $10,000 for the admission, court records show.