An 85-year-old military veteran who was robbed twice got a little justice on Friday after the mother of one his assailants turned her son over to Kansas City authorities.
Her son and his partners were twice caught on video robbing the disabled veteran. The victim was badly beaten the first time and didn’t put up a fight when a group of nine Missouri teens came to rob him a second time.
Teen Almost Gets Away with Robbing 85 Year Old Vet Until His Mother Turns Him In
Michael Bray, 18, was turned over to the authorities by his mother after he confessed to robbing an 85-year-old military veteran. (Image source: KCTV-TV)
During the second robbery, Michael Bray, 18, pulled a gun on the veteran and held the door open, letting in his partners, according to court documents.
The teens stormed the veteran’s house, stealing a rifle, a handgun, thousands of rounds of ammunition and a smart phone, KCTV-TV reported.
After footage of the robbery circulated on local news stations, Bray’s mother knew what needed to be done. She confronted her son and he confessed to being involved in the crime, documents show.
She then drove her son to the Kansas City Police Department’s Center Patrol Station on Friday and turned him over to the cops.
Bray confessed to the crime, telling detectives he gave his handgun to someone else to avoid getting caught, and the detectives worked out a plea deal for him with the prosecutors, KCTV reported. He was charged Monday with first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary and two counts of armed criminal action, according to the station.
One of Bray’s alleged partners, a 14-year-old, was caught and charged in juvenile court. Kansas City officials are currently searching for additional suspects involved in the robberies, KCTV reported.
Although Bray’s mother has declined media interviews, her actions have earned her praise from the community.
“I think that’s great. Parents by all means should not uphold their children when they know they are wrong,” said Shawn Smith, who lives two doors from the victim. “I know it’s a tough decision to make. You’re forced with protecting your child or loving your child and doing what’s right. But at the end of the day, you have to do what’s right, especially when they violate someone else’s sense of privacy and security.”
“Hats off to her. She is a wonderful lady,” he added. “Great job. I wish we had more parents like that.”Smith said he was thrown off by how young the suspects are.
“The one thing that stuck out to me [while] looking at those pictures is that those children are very young,” he said. “That was very disturbing.”