Murder Trial Jury Deliberations to Continue

STAMFORD -- Jurors in the trial of a Greenwich man accused of shooting two gas station attendants in 2009, killing one of them, asked in state Superior Court in Stamford on Tuesday to review evidence and testimony.

During the trial of Alain LeConte, 24, jurors listened to testimony about three armed holdups he is accused of committing over a two-month period. He allegedly shot two convenience store clerks in the head, killing one in Norwalk and severely injuring another in Greenwich. LeConte is also charged with using a gun to rob a Stamford bodega.

He is facing more than 60 years in jail on the charges.

As they did earlier in the trial, jurors Tuesday heard a secretly taped jailhouse conversation involving LeConte, in which he admitted to many details of the crimes.

"I'm full throttle with this (expletive)," LeConte can be heard saying on the tape, referring to the time period immediately before the 2009 robbery of the Mobil on the Run gas station on East Putnam Avenue in Old Greenwich.

LeConte recalled how he rushed away from the Greenwich crime scene with an accomplice, later identified as Teran Nelson, and they sped toward Bridgeport "like it was a movie."

Nelson, the getaway driver in the robbery, took the stand previously in the trial.

Jurors listened Tuesday to a recording of his testimony.

Nelson testified he acted as a lookout outside the gas station while LeConte entered and, soon after, he heard a popping noise.

"When I heard the pop noise, I panicked and started to run," Nelson said.

Nelson has signed a cooperative agreement in the case, exchanging his testimony to reduced exposure to jail time.

Jurors once again saw video surveillance footage from the Greenwich crime and the Oct. 10, 2009, robbery at the West Avenue Shell station in Norwalk, in which a hooded suspect shot and killed gas station attendant Jose Joaquin Morales.

In surveillance footage from both crimes an armed man dressed in black aims a gun at the attendant.

The attendant in the Greenwich video can be seen exiting the store clutching his head after the man leaves.

David Wash, of Bridgeport, faces robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery charges in connection with the Greenwich crime.

Mustafa Jacobs is facing felony murder, robbery and conspiracy charges for his alleged role in Morales' murder.

Mark Phillips, LeConte's attorney, and Senior Assistant State's Attorney James Bernardi, the case prosecutor, both rested their cases last week.

Where's the Beef?

This doosey from the Greenwich Time police blotter made me laugh:

"Jeffrey Richard Stewart, 55, of 104 Round Hill Road, was arrested and charged Sunday with shoplifting a $34.55 steak from Whole Foods Market on East Putnam Avenue. He posted $250 cash bond and is scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Stamford on Dec. 20."

LOL the guy lives on Round Hill Road.. His mansion is probably worth 5 million dollars easily and he's stealing a 30 dollar steak- that's rich!

Cos Cob's Mobil Manager Charged with Fleecing $115,000

I've been to this station numerous times, the guy was always super friendly... Sad thing to have happened. = [

STAMFORD -- A 45-year-old store manager allegedly stole nearly $115,000 from a Greenwich gas station by recording fraudulent lottery payouts and expense account purchases and pocketing the cash over several years, court records show.

Thomas Milne, of Bridgeport, appeared in state Superior Court in Stamford Wednesday after being arrested in June by an investigator working for the state Division of Special Revenue, which regulates gambling in Connecticut. He was charged with first-degree larceny, a major felony.

Court documents show the former owner of the Cos Cob Mobil on East Putnam Avenue approached a Division of Special Revenue investigator in April because he suspected an employee stole funds from the lottery account at the station, which he sold in February.

An audit of gas station records revealed a large discrepancy between the amount of money being reported by two different inventory and daily-sales tracking systems. The audit showed the daily funds recorded in one system were less than the amounts recorded in the other.

Between 2006 and 2010, the store lost an average of $300 to $500 each day.

Milne, the manager of the gas station since 2000, was the only employee with access to the store's daily-sales tracking software and was also responsible for data entry, records show. All other employees denied stealing money from store accounts and told authorities only Milne used the computer.

In May, the state investigator met with Milne and asked him about the accounting discrepancies. The store manager admitted to increasing the reported amounts by about $300 each and then removing cash from the store cash deposit or expense accounts, records show.

Milne admitted to stealing an estimated $115,000 from the store since 2005, saying he used the money to pay his mortgage and to meet other financial obligations, authorities said. He is free after posting $75,000 bond.