18-Year-Old Sentenced To 15 Years After Armed Robbery In Sugar Land

An 18-year-old Houston man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after the violent armed robbery of a Missouri City woman in a Sugar Land store in 2009.

Flores

A jury convicted and sentenced Giovany Flores to 15 years in prison and to pay the maximum fine of $10,000.  Flores was indicted along with two other men after brutally robbing a woman as she left a neighborhood grocery store.

According to Assistant District Attorney Amanda Bolin, Shakun Parti, a 61-year-old Missouri City resident, patronized the Keemat Grocery Store on Settler’s Way Blvd. in Sugar Land in the early evening of July 12, 2009.  As Ms. Parti walked to her car she was attacked by two unknown men, later identified as 22-year-old Kye Jones and then 17-year-old Giovany Flores. 

While Jones beat her on the head and face with a handgun, Flores pulled rings from her hands and ripped her purse from her shoulder with such force that the strap broke and was left behind.  The men ran to a nearby getaway car driven by Flores’ 18-year-old brother, Daniel, but not before Jones threatened a passerby who stopped and witnessed the crime. 

Authorities discovered that the defendants and their car were captured on surveillance video from nearby Pennison’s Pub and other businesses.  Releasing the videos and photographs to the media resulted in numerous tips to Sugar Land detectives. 

Giovany Flores’ fingerprint was also lifted from a pool table he used at the pub.  The continuing investigation found the gun used to commit the crime in the Flores brothers’ bedroom – with Parti’s blood still on it.  All three defendants gave statements to detectives admitting they were present at the scene but each minimized their own knowledge and involvement instead while blaming each other.  Giovany Flores’ defense maintained this story throughout trial, but the evidence showed the men had planned ahead of time and were working together. 

Parti was first taken to Sugar Land Methodist Hospital due to her injuries and loss of blood, but was later transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital in the medical center to treat her serious head injuries including bleeding in her brain.  She has undergone multiple surgeries to repair a fractured finger but it is still not completely straight nor pain free today. 

Parti also still experiences pain and occasional blackouts from her head injury.  She testified at trial that she believed she was within an inch of losing her life that day.

“This is one of the most violent and heinous acts I have seen in my career.  Ms. Parti wasn’t even given an opportunity to hand over her purse and jewelry before being so viciously attacked by the defendants,” said Bolin.  “Not only does that merit severe punishment to the one physically attacking her (Kye Jones), but also to the one who helped him and who had no problem watching such a vicious attack without doing anything to stop it (Giovany Flores).” 

Because Flores used a firearm to commit the crime, he must serve at least one-half of his sentence before being considered for parole. 

He was probation eligible but was currently on probation for a juvenile case at the time the crime was committed.  Kye Jones was also probation eligible but pled guilty prior to trial with an agreed sentence of 25 years.  Daniel Flores’ case is still pending but agreed to testify against Kye Jones in exchange for a recommendation of 10 years in prison.