Western Mass Man Who Said His Name During Armed Robbery Gets 8 Years In Prison: DA

A 24-year-old Amherst man learned the hard way that saying your name while robbing someone you know defeats the purpose of a mask, officials said.

Oscar Garcia Alvarado pleaded guilty to armed and masked robbery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and a judge sentenced him to up to eight years in prison, authorities said.
Photo Credit: *Pixabay/QuinceCreative*

Josh Lanier

10/06/2022 6:35 p.m.

Oscar Garcia Alvarado pleaded guilty to a 2019 armed robbery, and a judge sentenced him to between seven and eight years in prison on Thursday, Oct. 6, the Northwestern District Attorney's Office said.

Alvarado and another man who police have not identified broke into an Amherst man's apartment on Nov. 14, 2019, while he was playing video games with friends online, police said. The duo carried a pistol and a rifle and covered their faces with hooded sweatshirts. Police said they demanded cash from the victim and pistolwhipped him to the ground.

The victim knew Alvarado from years before and recognized his voice, the prosecutor said. He was left with no doubts when Alvarado's accomplice called him by his name.

"Who’s Oscar?" Alvarado reportedly snapped at his partner. "Stop saying my name, or I’ll kill you."

The duo got away with $320 and several of the man's electronic devices, the DA's office said.

Northampton police arrested Alvarado in March 2020 on an unrelated offense, and officials charged him with the 2019 robbery.

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