Guilty Verdict In Bank Robbery, Fatal Shooting Of Guard From Tinley

HAMMOND, IND. — A Gary man was convicted Thursday of armed robbery and a weapons charge in connection with a June 2021 bank robbery that resulted in the death of a bank security guard from Tinley Park.

A federal jury found Hailey Gist-Holden, 26, guilty of armed robbery and using, carrying, brandishing a firearm in the June 2021 robbery at First Midwest Bank in Gary, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Indiana. The jury determined that as part of the robbery and the discharging of the firearm, Gist-Holden murdered a bank security guard later identified as Richard Castellana, 55, of Tinley Park.

Castellana was reportedly ambushed as he guarded the exterior of the First Midwest Bank during an attempted robbery, Patch previously reported. Two suspects seen on bank surveillance cameras were carrying guns before ambushing Castellana. The thieves made off with just under $10,000 in the robbery.

Gist-Holden is one of four charged in connection with the bank robbery. Also charged were 34-year-old Kenyon Hawkins of Georgia, 27-year-old Briana White, 27, of Chicago, and James A. King, 24, of Florida.

Previously, King and Hawkins pleaded guilty to armed bank robbery and murder resulting from the discharge of a firearm during the robbery, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Both are awaiting sentencing.

Gist-Holden and King reportedly knew each other through their semi-pro Illini Panthers MidStates Football League, of which Gist-Holden was reported as the owner. The pair reportedly robbed the bank to cover expenses incurred by the league, which included charges at more than one hotel, as previously reported by Patch.

Castellana was a former Cook County Sheriff's Deputy, and he retired in 2019. He served the Cook County Sheriff's Department for 35 years.

The armed robbery charge carries a penalty up to 25 years; the charge of using, carrying, brandishing a firearm during the robbery carries a sentence ranging from 10 years to life, reports The Post-Tribune.

Gist-Holden’s sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 19, 2023.