A Twin Cities judge has given a three-year sentence to a man whose plans to rob a liquor store were thwarted by an 8-year-old girl with a baseball bat.
Conchobhar Joseph Morrell, 38, of St. Paul, was sentenced by Ramsey County District Judge Adam Yang last week after pleading guilty to first-degree attempted robbery in connection with his foiled armed holdup of Big Discount Liquors in Maplewood on Aug. 10, 2024.
With credit for time in jail since his arrest, Morrell is expected to serve roughly 1¾ years in prison and the balance on supervised release.
Morrell’s criminal history in Minnesota includes a first-degree robbery conviction in 2004.
According to the criminal complaint and a related court document:
An employee told police that Morrell brought a bottle of liquor to the counter, placed what appeared to be a handgun next to it and demanded that the clerk empty the cash register. Police later determined that the weapon was a BB gun that resembled a .45-caliber handgun.
The employee said he told Morrell he would do as told but asked him to put the gun away because his daughter was in the store.
Morrell instead went behind the counter to get the money, prompting the employee to grab the gun and repeatedly punch Morrell in the head as the two wrestled for the weapon.
