JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A box of Peanut M&Ms was a key piece of evidence that led to the arrests of two sisters in a holdup Wednesday night at an apartment complex on Jacksonville's Southside, authorities said.
Anna Murtha, 21, and Victoria Murtha, 24, are both charged with armed robbery.
According to an arrest report, an 18-year-old woman drove Wednesday evening to the complex where the sisters live to meet Anna to smoke marijuana. As they sat in the car, police said, Victoria came up to the driver's side, opened the door and pulled up her shirt, revealing what the victim believed was a handgun.
The victim told police that Victoria grabbed her bag and shut the door but then reopened the door and grabbed a box of M&Ms that had been underneath her bag.
According to the arrest report, sisters returned to their apartment. The victim called police then found the sisters’ mother and told her what had happened. The mother went into the apartment and came back out with her bag, but $300 in cash was missing, police said.
According to the report, police questioned the sisters, who both said they had no idea how the victim’s bag got into their apartment. But then officers said they found the box of M&Ms, hidden under clothes in a closet.
No gun was found, police noted in the report.
Management at the apartment told News4Jax, "It is our understanding that the case has been cleared by arrest, however, our team will continue to aid the local police department in any way they can.”
Anna and Victoria were booked early Thursday morning into the Duval County jail, where they are each being held on $75,000 bond, online jail records show.