ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The jury in the murder trial of 17-year-old Sergio Morgan-Wideman, who is accused of gunning down a St. Augustine store clerk in 2015, was shown graphic surveillance video of the robbery and shooting on Tuesday as the prosecution laid out its case.
The video showed four witnesses on the floor as the robber pointed a gun at the clerk and said, “I want it all. Hurry up. I’m not playing.” The clerk, 29-year-old Malav Desai, complied, but the robber fired one shot at him and ran out of the store.
According to a witness who was in the store, Desai was shot once in the forehead. Court documents say Morgan-Wideman got away with $600.
The video clearly showed the watch that the robber was wearing and the bag he told the clerk to put the money in.
According to investigative reports obtained from the State Attorney's Office, Morgan-Wideman is accused of robbing the Tobacco and Beverage Express because he wanted money to start a life with his girlfriend.
The trial was delayed several times and a judge last week granted a defense motion to exclude testimony on Morgan-Wideman's potential involvement in drug and gang activity, but denied a motion to prohibit prosecutors from showing a picture in court of a gun that they say was sold to Morgan-Wideman.
The state said surveillance images show Morgan-Wideman holding a gun that matches a picture of one that a man posted on Facebook and testified that he sold to Morgan-Wideman two days before the robbery.
After the robbery, the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office helicopter followed the getaway vehicle west through the county into Putnam County, then north into Clay County.
Authorities said Andre Robinson, 18, was behind the wheel and Morgan-Wideman was a passenger in the SUV, which was stolen from Daytona Beach a few days earlier. Robinson, who is also charged with murder, will be tried separately.
Deputies put out stop sticks three times during the chase in an effort to flatten the tire of the fleeing vehicle, but the SUV avoided them.
At times, the SUV swerved onto the wrong side of the road. As the pursuit approached a more populated area, a Clay County deputy intentionally struck the fleeing vehicle to disable it.
Deputies quickly took the teenagers into custody. They were not injured in the crash.
Police reported finding electronics in the car that were also reported stolen from Daytona Beach.
They also said they found $800, clothing that matched what the robbery suspect was wearing and an ammunition clip.
Records show that eyewitnesses who were in the store that day identified Morgan-Wideman to police as the gunman. In a taped audio interview, an eyewitness told detectives that Morgan-Wideman had the money and then still decided to shoot to kill.
Robinson's trial date has not been set.