KC Man Pleads Guilty to Armed Bank Robbery in Which Security Guard was Killed Faces at Least 25 Years in Prison

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — David M. Ketchmark, Acting UnitedStates Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a KansasCity, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in the murderof 70-year-old security guard Dwight Mayhugh, Sr., during an armed bank robberyin 2006.
Thirplus Moose, 25, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty beforeU.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to conspiracy to commit bank robbery, armedbank robbery with forcible restraint and discharging a firearm during a crimeof violence resulting in death. Under the terms of today’s plea agreement,Moose could be sentenced to 25 to 35 years in federal prison without parole.
By pleading guilty today, Moose admitted that heparticipated in a conspiracy to commit armed bank robbery in connection withtwo robbery attempts at United Missouri Bank, 7901 Wornall Road in Kansas City,in February 2006. During the second robbery attempt at the bank on Feb. 24,2006 security guard Dwight W. Mayhugh, Sr., was fatally shot. Moose originallypleaded guilty on July 8, 2011 but the court rejected the plea agreement at hissentencing hearing on June 29, 2012 and Moose withdrew his guilty plea.
Co–defendant Iralee E. French, Jr., 25, of Kansas City,was sentenced on June 26, 2012 to 87 years in federal prison without parole. OnJuly 22, 2011, French was convicted of his role in the conspiracy to commitarmed bank robbery.
French and Moose used a shotgun to rob United MissouriBank on Feb. 9, 2006. During that robbery, they confronted a bank teller in anunderground parking garage as she was about to enter the bank at approximately6:40 a.m. French pointed a shotgun at the teller, who was forced to give the robbers$8,263 from her teller station. After returning to the parking garage, theteller was ordered at gunpoint to get into the trunk of her vehicle, which sherepeatedly refused to do. When she began screaming and crying, the robbers leftthe bank with the teller’s vehicle, which was recovered the next day afterbeing abandoned by the robbers.
French and Moose returned to the bank on Feb. 24, 2006.Using a shotgun, the robbers confronted Mayhugh when he drove into the sameunderground parking garage. French shot Mayhugh in the right shoulder and neckfrom approximately 10 feet away through the driver’s side window of hisvehicle. The robbers then forced Mayhugh out of his vehicle and into the bank.They demanded access to money, but Mayhugh responded that he did not haveaccess to bank money. The robbers then stole Mayhugh’s 2002 Geo Tracker anddrove it away from the parking lot. The vehicle was recovered later the sameday.
Mayhugh, bleeding from severe chest and neck wounds,walked to the convenience store across the street from the bank and told thestore clerk he had been shot. The clerk immediately called 911 for anambulance. Another store clerk, seeing Mayhugh’s blood–soaked shirt and woundsin the neck and throat area, got a chair for him to sit on. The clerks placedtowels over the wounds until paramedics arrived at the store. Mayhugh wastransported to a hospital for treatment, but died the next day.
Law enforcement officers were unable to developsubstantial leads or investigative progress in the bank robberies throughoutthe remainder of 2006, 2007 and most of 2008. On Aug. 12-13, 2008, lawenforcement officers conducted a large scale re–canvas of the area around 23rdStreet and Oakley in Kansas City. Nearly 500 houses were targeted to be canvassedin this operation. As a result of the publicity related to this re–canvas, aYellow Cab taxi driver came forward and provided information related to theinvestigation. The taxi driver told investigators that, on the morning of thebank robbery, he picked up two men in the area of 5609 E. 23rd (the same areawhere the stolen vehicles were recovered) and drove them to the area of 79thStreet and Brookside (a block east of United Missouri Bank), where he droppedthem off.
Law enforcement investigators connected the telephonenumber that was used to call the taxi company with the telephone numberprovided by Moose, who had been contacted during the original canvas of the23rd Street area on the day of the fatal bank robbery attempt.
This case is being prosecuted by Acting U.S. AttorneyDavid M. Ketchmark. It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo.,Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, theU.S. Marshal’s Service, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)Office of Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Postal InspectionService.