Columbus serial robber who faced life in prison, chose to be his own lawyer pleads
A man once facing life in prison in a series of Columbus armed robberies in 2016 decided Monday to take a plea deal as he represented himself in Muscogee Superior Court.
Because of his criminal record, convictions in each of the six armed robberies and one attempted robbery with which John Arthur Morris initially was charged could have netted him seven separate prison sentences of life without parole, authorities said. Yet Morris years ago dismissed his defense attorney and insisted on representing himself.
He continued to act as his own attorney Monday in a plea hearing before Judge Arthur Smith III, but with Columbus attorney Anthony Johnson on standby, in case he needed advice.
Facing a 14-count indictment alleging multiple felonies in the robbery spree that mostly targeted Columbus auto parts stores between May and July 2016, Morris accepted a negotiated plea that reduced his six armed robbery counts to lesser charges of robbery by force. He pleaded guilty to those and to one count of attempted robbery, and Assistant District Attorney Vanessa Flournoy agreed to drop his other charges.
Instead of seven life terms, Morris was sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison with seven to serve and the rest on probation, and he will get credit for the 4½ years he has spent in jail awaiting trial. Born in 1969, he is 51 years old now.
He asked Judge Smith to have the Georgia Department of Corrections move him to a transition program as he nears the end of his prison term, so that he can begin a productive life when he’s released. “Since being incarcerated, I’ve lost everything, my home, my job, everything,” he told Smith. The judge agreed.
Morris was captured Aug. 22, 2016, during a traffic stop in Mississippi. During a Columbus Recorder’s Court hearing the following Sept. 28, a detective testified that though Morris used a mask during robberies, he at times didn’t put the mask on until he already was in the store he planned to rob, and security cameras captured images of his face.
He was named a suspect not only in Columbus robberies, but in cases in Alabama and Florida.
According to the FBI, which in 2016 sought him for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, Morris’ pattern was to brandish a handgun and force witnesses to the rear room of each business, where he bound them with zip ties or telephone cords.
THE CASES
Here are the 2016 cases in which Morris pleaded guilty:
- May 13: The robbery of AutoZone Auto Parts, 6450 Flat Rock Road. A police warrant said $2,160 was taken.
- May 23: The attempted robbery of AutoZone Auto Parts, 3580 Victory Drive, where he demanded money, but left without taking any.
- May 23: The robbery of Advance Auto Parts, 1501 Manchester Expressway, reported about 45 minutes after the attempted robbery of the Victory Drive AutoZone. A warrant said the gunman got only $137.
- May 23: The robbery of an individual working at the Manchester Expressway Advance Auto Parts, whose personal money Morris demanded.
- May 29: The robbery of Advance Auto Parts, 6451 Victory Drive. A warrant said $1,148 was taken.
- July 1: The robbery of the Golden Corral Buffet & Grill, then located at 1505 Manchester Expressway. A warrant said $4,880 was taken. Police said the gunman forced workers to the rear of the business and robbed its safe. He also abducted the manager and forced her to drive him away from the restaurant, before releasing her unharmed.
- July 16: The robbery of the AutoZone, 6450 Flat Rock Road, the same business targeted May 13.
Prosecutors in 2018 had filed notice they would seek recidivist punishment for Morris, based on his prior felony convictions, but they opted not to pursue that.
Georgia law says a recidivist with three or more felonies who is convicted of a subsequent felony must serve the maximum sentence for that crime, without being eligible for parole. The maximum penalty for armed robbery is life in prison.
These were Morris’ prior felonies in Georgia:
- Theft by taking in Muscogee County on Aug. 27, 1987.
- Aggravated assault in Muscogee County on Dec. 24, 1987.
- Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in Muscogee County on Oct. 16, 1995.
- Attempted burglary in Dekalb County on July 2, 2007.
- Theft by shoplifting in Clayton County on June 30, 2008.
- Theft by shoplifting in Dekalb County on Sept. 13, 2012.