A Pennsylvania man was convicted of attempted murder and robbery this week in connection with a snake deal that went horribly awry.
The Associated Press reports that Rasheem Dowdy, 35, had made arrangements to purchase $12,600 worth of snakes from Mark L. Haas in January 2012. According to the Delaware County Times, the Allentown, Pa. resident shot Haas when the two met at the Woodlyn Shopping Center, then robbed him instead:
He pushed me and opened the car door the rest of the way, pointed a gun at me and threatened to kill me, said Haas. He said, Throw your keys on the ground, this is real, I’ll kill you.
As Dowdy entered the driver’s door of Haas’s black RAV4, the victim made his way to the rear passenger side of the SUV, out of sight. He said he considered running, but was afraid Dowdy would simply run him down in the mostly empty parking lot.
As Haas peeked through the rear passenger window, he said he saw Dowdy turn and fire. The bullet entered the victim’s chest at the clavicle, traveling down through his lung and lodging in his back.
The weapon Dowdy used was found by police, along with a jacket holding another gun. Tests linked the DNA found on both to Dowdy, who will be sentenced in April.
[via Associated Press and Delaware County Times]
