A Pennsylvania man who was convicted of robbing 10 gas stations, beer distributors and convenience stores in 2012 used the old “evil twin” excuse. 34-year-old Steven Felton claimed it wasn’t he who performed the robberies, but a nefarious doppelgänger. Clearly he’d been watching way too many daytime soaps.
Most of the robberies, which were caught on video, showed Felton’s face as he threatened clerks with a pellet gun, reports AP. He wore a mask during only one heist, which led authorities to theorize he lived near the scene of the crime. Felton was arrested in December 2012.
Some of the employees were too traumatized to return to work. “This was a reign of terror he inflicted on small-business owners,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Matthew Falk. “And there was no evidence that he was stopping. He only stopped because we stopped him.”
Felton’s creative defense strategy was not successful. He was given a sentence of 62 to 124 years.
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DISCUSSION
“Correct, judge, my client Steven Felton is innocent. We maintain that it was his twin... Bleeven.. Belton. Yes, they have different last names. It’s fine. He’s evil.”