Richmond Man Pleads Guilty to Armed Robbery

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man pleaded guilty today after discharging a firearm as he robbed a convenience store.

According to court documents, on July 3, 2023, Darryl Nathaniel Cole, 59, entered a 7-Eleven on Mechanicsville Turnpike and attempted to purchase tobacco products. When another customer entered the store, Cole briefly left and returned minutes later. Attempting the purchase again, Cole swiped his own debit card in the point-of-sale machine, but his account had insufficient funds for the transaction. 

Cole then produced a handgun from his waistband and pointed the gun at the store clerk. Cole demanded and took money from the register as he continued to point the handgun at the clerk. As Cole began to leave the store, the clerk took a hammer from a drawer near the cash register and moved toward the back of the store, away from the front door. When the clerk was near a gap in the counter, Cole fired one shot from his handgun in the clerk’s direction, which struck a nearby coffeemaker. Cole then fled from the store with the stolen money.

Cole is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 26. He faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jason Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia; Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; Rick Edwards, Chief of Richmond Police; and Eric D. English, Chief of Henrico County Police Division, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr. accepted the plea.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ellen Hubbard, an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia L. Norman are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-33.

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