Two Charged With Murder Of Store Owner Roop Gupta

Photo: US District Court, Cincinnati

India-West Staff Reporter

CINCINNATI, OH – A federal grand jury has charged two men in connection with a series of armed robberies and the murder of Roop C. Gupta, the owner of Madeira Beverage here.

Gupta was killed during a robbery at his store in February 2021.

Willie James Attaway, 30, and Lamond Johnson, 35, both from Cincinnati, face a 14-count federal indictment, which includes charges for the murder of Gupta on February 9, 2021.

The indictment alleges that the two men conspired to commit five armed robberies over two days, culminating in the fatal shooting of Gupta. If convicted, they could face the death penalty for using a firearm to commit murder during a violent crime.

The charges were announced by Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Roland Herndon, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF).