Two men sentenced in Cincinnati for murder of Roop C. Gupta, and other crimes

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Two Cincinnati men were sentenced in federal court September 9, 2024, to decades in prison for crimes involving the murder of the owner of Madeira Beverage in February 2021 and multiple armed robberies.

Willie James Attaway, 33, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for murdering Roop C. Gupta and committing or attempting four other armed robberies on Feb. 8 and Feb. 9, 2021, a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Ohio.

During the two-day crime spree, Attaway brandished a firearm to rob or attempt to rob:

• Feb. 8 – Shell on S. Mason Montgomery Road in Deerfield Township,
• Feb. 8 – Shell on Dixie Highway in Hamilton, Ohio,
• Feb. 9 – Madeira Beverage on Kenwood Road in Madeira, Ohio,
• Feb. 9 – Sunoco on Kenwood Road in Blue Ash, Ohio, and
• Feb. 9 – Marathon on North Broadway in Lebanon, Ohio.

At the first robbery, Attaway brandished a firearm at the two clerks and demanded that they empty the cash registers, which they did.

Later that night, at a second Shell gas station, Attaway brandished a firearm and said he was not afraid to shoot the clerk. The clerk gave Attaway money from the cash register.

The next day, Feb. 9, 2021, Attaway entered Madeira Beverage and confronted the store’s owner, Roop Gupta, who was working behind the counter. Attaway pointed a firearm at Gupta, and during the ensuing struggle he shot Gupta one time in the left abdomen. Gupta was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Later that evening, Attaway entered the Sonoco in Blue Ash, brandished a firearm, and demanded that the clerk give up the money in the cash register, which the clerk did.

During the final robbery on Feb. 9, Attaway pointed a firearm at the Marathon clerk and said, “Give me what you got.” The clerk reached under the counter, pretending he had a firearm, causing Attaway to flee.

The second defendant, Lamond Johnson, 38, who served as Attaway’s driver during the robberies, was sentenced Sept. 9, to 23 years in prison. Johnson previously pleaded guilty to three counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence and two counts of attempted robbery.