Phila. man gets 40 years for his role in N.J. 'terror'

A West Philadelphia man, who puffed on a cigarette and looked out a window while his accomplice attempted to rape a 71-year-old woman they had just robbed, was sentenced to 40 years behind bars by a federal judge yesterday.

Kevin Jenkins, 29, of Lebanon Avenue near 54th Street, was convicted by a jury in June of conspiracy to commit armed bank robbery and carjacking. Previously, a separate jury convicted Jenkins on two firearms charges but deadlocked on the conspiracy charges, for which he was retried.

"You and your confederates terrorized an elderly couple," U.S. District Judge Berle M. Schiller told Jenkins. "You had multiple opportunities to leave the conspiracy, which you did not take. You wanted to stay and you had a weapon."

Earlier, Jenkins asked for leniency, saying he wanted to be able to see his family, get a job and be a productive citizen. He did not show remorse for the victims.

Authorities said Jenkins, Eric Humbert and Rasheen Jones had set out from Philadelphia in May 2003 to rob a bank in Pennsville, N.J.

Jenkins drove his own car and the two other defendants drove a truck, authorities said. All three had guns.

Humbert said a minivan would be needed as a getaway vehicle, which would later be abandoned.

Jones, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy and carjacking, testified for the government at trial that he, Humbert and Jenkins searched for a minivan to steal and eventually found one at the home of an elderly couple in Carneys Point.

While Jones waited outside, Humbert and Jenkins, both armed, approached 73-year-old Albert Robinson outside his home, court papers said. Humbert demanded money and the keys to a Dodge Caravan as the two entered the house.

When Robinson told his wife, Martha, they were being robbed and the thugs wanted their minivan, she protested.

Jenkins then bound Albert Robinson's hands and feet with nylons and forced him to lie facedown in a bathtub while he searched the house for valuables, court papers said.

After Robinson's wife, who was in a nearby bedroom, handed over money and the keys to the minivan, Humbert tried to rape her while Jenkins, keeping a lookout from a nearby room in the 1,200-square-foot home, smoked a cigarette and did nothing to stop Humbert's assault, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Chun told the court.

Chun said a cigarette butt Jenkins put out on a table in the home that was later recovered by authorities contained Jenkins' DNA.

Humbert was sentenced to more than 71 years in August and Jones got time served (about 34 months) in June for their roles in the crime.