Posted on Aug 26, 2022
Underdeveloped brain led to 2006 bank heist, jailed ex-Ranger claims
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Former U.S. Army Ranger Luke Sommer has spent the past 15 years in Florida’s Coleman II maximum-security federal prison.
The dual U.S.-Canadian citizen was sentenced to 24 years in 2008 for orchestrating a 2006 bank heist in Tacoma, Washington, in which Sommer, two other Rangers and two Canadian nationals stormed the building with rifles, body armor, and grenades, before making off with $54,011 just two-and-a-half minutes after entering the bank.
Sommer was apprehended after a witness identified the getaway car’s license plate, which was then traced to Fort Lewis — now Joint Base Lewis-McChord. He was slapped with a 24-year sentence in 2008 for his role in the robbery, which he claimed during sentencing was a form of protest against war crimes overseas.
That sentence, however, ballooned to 44 years in 2010, when, while imprisoned, Sommer reportedly tried to use a shank to kill a co-defendant in his case. That same month, Sommer solicited a hitman for $20,000 to murder the federal prosecutor in his case. Additional prison time was ordered when the hitman turned out to be an undercover FBI agent.
Now 36, Sommer is petitioning U.S. District Judge James Robart for a reduced sentence that would end, at the latest, in 2028, more than 20 years ahead of his originally scheduled release, according to a Seattle Times report.
The dual U.S.-Canadian citizen was sentenced to 24 years in 2008 for orchestrating a 2006 bank heist in Tacoma, Washington, in which Sommer, two other Rangers and two Canadian nationals stormed the building with rifles, body armor, and grenades, before making off with $54,011 just two-and-a-half minutes after entering the bank.
Sommer was apprehended after a witness identified the getaway car’s license plate, which was then traced to Fort Lewis — now Joint Base Lewis-McChord. He was slapped with a 24-year sentence in 2008 for his role in the robbery, which he claimed during sentencing was a form of protest against war crimes overseas.
That sentence, however, ballooned to 44 years in 2010, when, while imprisoned, Sommer reportedly tried to use a shank to kill a co-defendant in his case. That same month, Sommer solicited a hitman for $20,000 to murder the federal prosecutor in his case. Additional prison time was ordered when the hitman turned out to be an undercover FBI agent.
Now 36, Sommer is petitioning U.S. District Judge James Robart for a reduced sentence that would end, at the latest, in 2028, more than 20 years ahead of his originally scheduled release, according to a Seattle Times report.
Underdeveloped brain led to 2006 bank heist, jailed ex-Ranger claims
Posted from armytimes.com
Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM)
Ranger
Crime
Posted >1 y ago
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He probably would have been paroled in 2016-2018 had he not tried to kill his co-defendant and prosecutor.
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So what's his excuse when he tried to kill a codefendant in the case with a shank four years later? That he was 24 so his brain wasn't fully developed yet then either? Oh and what about soliciting a hitman to murder the federal prosecutor on his case? Give me a break.
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LTC Eugene Chu
Underdeveloped brain?
He served as an Army Ranger which involves passing a very rigorous selection and training process. It was not a simple robbery, but extraordinarily organized and meticulously planned.
He served as an Army Ranger which involves passing a very rigorous selection and training process. It was not a simple robbery, but extraordinarily organized and meticulously planned.
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SFC Kelly Fuerhoff
LTC Eugene Chu - Is it true that the brain is still developing in the prefrontal cortex (the part that curbs impulsive behavior)? Yes - but robbing a bank isn't "impulsive. Nor is attempted murder - twice.
I doubt many people who decide to rob a bank are just like randomly one day "Hey guys let's go rob a bank." No there's planning involved. It may not always be good planning. But it takes time to come up with a plan. Then shanking his co-defendant and hiring a hitman - not impulsive.
I doubt many people who decide to rob a bank are just like randomly one day "Hey guys let's go rob a bank." No there's planning involved. It may not always be good planning. But it takes time to come up with a plan. Then shanking his co-defendant and hiring a hitman - not impulsive.
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You know correlation and causality are not the same thing... Why does the state of underdeveloped brain lead to bank robberies... Is this a strawman argument or a absolute certainty... I don't think the latter can be conclusively proved
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