The man arrested Sept. 30 following two separate incidents involving University students was a convicted murderer, according to court records.
Carlton William Arnold, 28, who was arrested last week for accosting one student and robbing another, was previously convicted of second-degree murder for the 1998 killing of gas station clerk Osama Hassan at the Shell station in front of the University Heights apartment complex on Ivy Road.
According to court documents, Arnold confessed to shooting Hassan 10 times before emptying a cash register in the store. He testified that two friends threatened to kill him if he did not follow through with the murder and robbery and that he acted under duress.
Arnold was ultimately tried twice for the murder, once in 1999 and once in 2000. The first conviction was overturned based on a Supreme Court ruling that addressed a procedural error in the trial.\nDuring the second trial, lawyers for Arnold argued that he suffered from mental retardation. According to court records, a psychiatrist testified that Arnold "had difficulty with solving complex problems and in determining alternative courses of action."
Arnold served 12 years in prison for the murder and was released in July, according to Charlottesville Police Lt. Gary Pleasants.
The incident for which he was arrested last week occurred on the 1200 block of Wertland Street. He allegedly forced a female student to withdraw and surrender a small amount of money from an ATM. Earlier that evening, he approached another female student on Wertland Street and told her, "don't move," while placing his hand on her shoulder.
He has been charged with abduction by force, robbery with a firearm, aggravated sexual battery, two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Pleasants also indicated that Arnold will see additional charges for last week's incident because of his criminal record. In light of his prior conviction, Charlottesville Police has charged Arnold with one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
If Arnold is found guilty, a judge will strongly take his prior murder conviction into consideration, Pleasants said.
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