FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Middletown, CT) – Middlesex State’s Attorney Michael A. Gailor announced today that the Honorable Vernon D. Oliver on April 18, 2023 sentenced Orlando Ferreira, age 31, of Cromwell, to 19 years in prison and four years of special parole for a July 2020 robbery in Cromwell.
A Superior Court jury in Middletown on January 27, 2023 found Ferreira guilty of the crimes of Robbery in the First Degree, in violation of General Statutes Section § 53a-134, Attempted Robbery in the First Degree, in violation of General Statutes Sections § 53a-49 and § 53a-134 and Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree, in violation of General Statutes Section § 53a-63. Ferreira was also found by the jury to have committed robbery of an occupied motor vehicle (commonly referred to as carjacking) in violation of General Statutes Section § 53a-136a.
According to evidence introduced at trial, Ferreira used a dating app to arrange a meeting with the victim in Cromwell on July 26, 2020. After the victim picked him up, Ferreira displayed a knife and demanded the victim drive him to the bank. In an attempt to defend himself, the victim grabbed the knife and sustained cuts on his hand. The victim then stopped the car and exited the vehicle. When he did so, Ferreira attempted to drive away with the car. The victim unsuccessfully attempted to pull Ferreira from the car but was thrown to the ground as the car sped away. The victim suffered significant road burns as a result of the encounter.
The Middlesex State’s Attorney’s Office praised the thoroughness of the investigation done by the Cromwell Police Department and thanked the Hartford Police Department for their assistance.
The case was prosecuted by Middlesex Assistant State’s Attorney Steven Lesko, who was assisted by Inspectors Joseph Flynn and Mark Miele.