Camden Man Sentenced to Over 100 Years in Botched Woodlynne Bakery Robbery

A Camden man was sentenced to 124 years in prison for his role in a botched robbery that resulted in the killing of a Woodlynne bakery owner, Camden County Prosecutor Mary Eva Colalillo announced Friday afternoon.

William Cooper Jr., 37, was previously found guilty of felony murder and conspiracy to commit armed robbery as well as five counts each of armed robbery, criminal restraint, murder and three weapons offenses for his role as the shooter.

He was eligible for the extended-term sentence due to his status as a persistent offender.

He must serve more than 100 years before becoming eligible for parole.

He was one of four people involved in the Oct. 14, 2009 shooting of Oscar Hernandez, 29, during a failed robbery at Alex’s Bakery on the 1600 block of Ferry Avenue in Woodlynne.

Rashawn Carter, 29, of Philadelphia, was also found guilty on Nov. 18 of last year. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 18.

Maurice Carter, 32, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit armed robbery.

Both Carters aided Cooper in the robbery, which was stymied when none of the three were able to open the cash register.

Latasha Baker, 35, of Woodlynne, was convicted by a jury on counts of felony murder, conspiracy and robbery in April for acting as a lookout in the incident.

She was sentenced to 45 years in state prison last year.

She received an additional 18 months of incarceration to be served consecutively for a count of hindering.

She was in repeated phone contact with her brother Rashawn Carter the day before and the day of Hernandez’s death.

Maurice Carter is also Baker’s brother and Cooper is a friend of their family.

Baker provided the other three defendants with information about who was in the bakery prior to the robbery attempt, and then played the part of the victim when the armed men entered the business. Hernandez was shot by Cooper as the men tried to open the register at the bakery. They were never able to open it and fled empty handed.

After the robbery Baker told investigators the robbers had stolen her cell phone, but the phone was later found at her home and a search of the phone records led investigators to the other three defendants.

Surveillance footage, eyewitness accounts and other evidence helped lead to the conviction of all four defendants. Additional evidence – beyond that presented at trial – implicated Cooper and Rashawn Carter, but was ruled legally inadmissible because of their co-defendants’ refusal to testify.