On the morning of May 9, 2011, Mohamed Bilal "Billy" Altinawi, a 22-year-old Syrian man, was working at the family-owned Post Road Deli in West Haven, Connecticut. It was a routine day that turned tragic when a man with a shotgun entered the store around 8:20 a.m. The armed man demanded money, and when Altinawi was unable to open the cash register, he was shot in the face and neck at point-blank range. The assailant then fled with about $2,500 in cash, stamps, and cigarettes.
Friends and family remembered Altinawi as a hardworking and devout Muslim who was known for his kindness, often extending credit to customers who were short on cash.
The West Haven Police Department quickly launched an investigation into the senseless killing that had shaken the local community. Within days, authorities announced the arrests of three suspects: the gunman, a lookout, and a getaway driver. The alleged shooter was identified as Marquis Pettway, who was a regular customer at the deli and someone Altinawi had reportedly helped in the past. The other two individuals taken into custody were Robert "Bobby" Kinnebrew, who acted as the lookout, and Phillip Jamal Harris Jr., the driver of the getaway vehicle.
In January 2014, Marquis Pettway pleaded guilty to murder and was subsequently sentenced to 35 years in prison. During his sentencing, he offered an apology to Altinawi's grieving family. Robert Kinnebrew pleaded guilty to first-degree conspiracy to commit robbery and received a sentence of 15 years in prison followed by five years of special probation. Phillip Jamal Harris Jr., the getaway driver, was sentenced to 18 years in prison, with the sentence suspended after serving 12 and a half years. The successful capture and prosecution of the three men brought a measure of closure to a family and community devastated by the loss of a beloved young man.
