Teen charged in clerk's murder to be tried as adult

Police say 15-year-old shot clerk while robbing tobacco store in St. Augustine

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A 15-year-old charged with the murder of a convenience store clerk during a robbery last month is being charged as an adult, State Attorney R.J. Larizza announced Thursday.

A St. Johns County grand jury indicted Sergio Morgan-Wideman on four counts Thursday: felony first-degree murder, armed robbery with a firearm and two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm.

DOCUMENT: 4-count indictment of Sergio Morgan-Wideman

Larizza said the death penalty is not an option for Morgan-Wideman, but he could face up to life in prison.

Police say Morgan-Wideman, a runaway teen, shot 29-year-old Malav Desai (pictured below) in the head while robbing the Tobacco & Beverage Express on Masters Drive in St. Augustine in May.

Police say he then jumped in a stolen SUV and took off on a high-speed chase with another teenager.

Malav Desai was killed during a robbery at a tobacco shop in St. Augustine.

Desai's wife, Aakanksha Desai, said the charges against Morgan-Wideman give her some relief as she grieves the loss of her husband.

"I never saw hell in my life. I'm sure hell is better than this," Aakanksha Desai said. "Whatever I do, whatever I say, everything reminds me of him, because my day used to start with him, it used to end with him. Every evening when we would come home, I look at the clock, it reminds me of him. I feel that someone is going to put in the keys to the door and open the door and walk in like he did every evening, but I don't think that's ever going to happen now."

With the couple's families back in India, it was just the two of them in the United States. She said they were planning on having kids next year.

"He wanted to join the military. We used to argue about that because I told him, 'I don't think I could ever live without you,'" Aakanksha Desai said. "He kept arguing about how he wanted to join the military and serve the country. He was a huge fan of the Wounded Warriors and like I said he was very helpful, so that's what he wanted to do.

"He used to make faces, pick on people, make them laugh and just make their days," she said. "He was the soul of our family."

Aakanksha Desai, 29, said she wants Morgan-Wideman to spend the rest of his life in prison for killing the love of her life.

"My friend saw the video. They said he gave everything. He was handing over the cash while this person shot him, and I think that's extremely cruel," Aakanksha Desai said. "I wish that person shot me instead of him. At least I wouldn't have to live without him."

Aakanksha Desai said the couple owned two convenience stores in the past, so her husband had been in the business for six years and knew what to do in that type of situation. In fact, he was robbed at a gas station they owned in South Carolina.

She said a man walked in and pointed a gun at him. He thought the man was kidding and slapped the gun away. When he realized it wasn't a joke, he handed over the money and the robber took off.

A St. Augustine school raised thousands of dollars for Aakanksha Desai, which she donated to the Wounded Warrior Project in honor of her husband. 

The shooting and chase

Detectives say Morgan-Wideman went into the store wearing a blue hoodie and a red bandana over his mouth. They said the teen grabbed a girl by the shirt, held a gun to her back and then ordered everyone to get on the ground.

Witnesses say the teen then yelled at Desai to hand him money. They say he shot Desai in the head and then took off. Desai died at the store.

Andre Robinson Jr.

Police say Morgan-Wideman sped away in a stolen Jeep Grand Cherokee with 16-year-old Andre Robinson Jr. (pictured) behind the wheel. They led officers from multiple law enforcement agencies on a high-speed chase through St. Johns, Putnam and Clay counties.

With a helicopter watching from the sky and cops hot on their tail, deputies used stop sticks and performed what's called a PIT maneuver to stop the teenagers and arrest them in Green Cove Springs.

Robinson has not been charged in St Johns County, but Larizza said the investigation is ongoing. Robinson faces charges in Putnam and Clay counties stemming from the police chase. 

The manager had only been working at the store for a few weeks but knew all his customers by name and what they purchased at his store.