Johnnie Cooks, of 1920 Walton Avenue, was convicted last October 9, 2003, of one count each of Robbery in the 1st degree, Robbery in the 2nd degree, Burglary in the 1st degree, and two counts of Endangering the welfare of a child.

Acting State Supreme Court Justice Phyllis Skloot Bamberger sentenced the defendant to consecutive terms of 20 years on each count of robbery in the 1st degree, and burglary in the 1st degree, a concurrent term of 10 years imprisonment on the charge of robbery in the 2nd degree, and 1 year imprisonment on each count of child endangerment to be served consecutively with each other but concurrent to all other terms of imprisonment.

The crimes occurred on July 23, 2002 when Cooks and two accomplices forced their way into an apartment where Mayra Garcia, 46, was caring for six children. Garcia was the biological mother of three of the children, the foster parent of two others and babysitter of the sixth youngster. The children ranged in age from three to fourteen years old.

The intruders, armed with a .38 caliber revolver, knocked on the door and pushed their way into the apartment when Garcia let them in without looking through the peephole because she had been expecting her sister to arrive for a visit. The victim’s eleven year old son was in a bedroom when he heard his mother screaming. When the boy looked into the hallway and saw the men hitting his mother, he grabbed his cell phone and dialed 911 for help.

Another son, meanwhile, who had been sleeping when the commotion began, ran into the hallway in an effort to help his mother whose hands had been tied with duct tape. One of the intruders grabbed the fourteen year old from behind, pushed him to the floor and threatened the boy while holding a knife at his neck. When the eleven year old victim saw his fourteen year old brother being tied, the younger boy tried to intervene but was subdued immediately and bound with duct tape, hands behind his back. The defendants removed gold chains that the boys were wearing, and took other jewelry and a bank ATM card that were found during a search of the apartment. When police arrived in response to the call to 911, the eleven year old boy stood up and was able to maneuver his hands to unlock the front door. Crooks and his accomplices were in a back room attempting to flee when police arrested them. The four younger children who were also in the apartment during the robbery were not harmed. Two had locked themselves in the bathroom and two locked themselves in a third bedroom during the ordeal.

Accomplices Jonnie Scott, 47, and Carmelo Pereira, 36, each pled guilty to a single count of Burglary in the first degree on October 2002. Over the DA’s objection, Scott was sentenced to a term of ten and a half years imprisonment while Pereira received a term of eight years imprisonment. The People had recommended a sentence of eighteen years imprisonment for Scott and fifteen years imprisonment for Pereira.

The case against Cooks was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Cristina Park who also prosecuted accomplices Scott and Pereira.