HOUSTON – A man whose body was found burning on the side of a road in December has now been identified as one of the three suspects wanted for a $1.3 million robbery, court documents stated.
According to the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office, the body of Ronald Freeman, 28, was found burning alongside Wanda Street on Dec. 27.
Authorities believe Freeman, Denzel Miles, 25, and Davione Owens, 20, are responsible for the armed robbery of a Garda Armored Courier truck outside the Frost Bank on Kirby on Dec. 26.
The armored truck driver told investigators he was walking out of the bank when a white Lincoln MKZ pulled in front of the truck and two masked men with handguns jumped out and demanded that he get on the ground.
The driver said he did what he was told and dropped the two currency bags — containing $1,387,000 — on the ground.
The two suspects grabbed the bags, then fled the scene in the Lincoln.
Investigators spoke to Garda personnel, who identified Miles as a possible suspect. Investigators were told that Miles was a former courier on the route and would have known that Frost Bank was the only location along the route where the pick-up and drop-off were not secure.
An employee came forward telling her manager that Miles told her he intended to rob a truck on that specific route. She said Miles had been talking about committing the robbery for at least the past three weeks, saying he felt the new driver would be an easy target.
An aggravated robbery warrant was issued for Miles’ arrest on Dec. 27. He was picked up by authorities the next day in the 3500 block of Woodchase Drive. A search warrant was obtained for the blue Kia Soul Miles was driving at the time of his arrest. Inside the vehicle, authorities found a black Glock 22 and $14,400 in cash.
While in custody, Miles allegedly told investigators that a man named “Poppa” was an accomplice in the robbery. Police confirmed “Poppa” was the alias of Freeman.
Investigators said after robbing the driver, the suspects split the money up at another location.
Miles said he had a female friend pick him up from there and take him back to his car. He said his portion of the money was stashed inside the woman’s house.
A search warrant was issued and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and members of the FBI Violent Offenders Task Force went to the woman’s home, where they found newly-purchased clothing, receipts for jewelry and $396,000 in cash.
The woman confirmed to investigators that she picked up Miles and Freeman after the heist, and dropped them off where they needed to go.
Miles was now in custody, and Freeman was dead.
Owens was developed as a suspect after Freeman was reported missing.
Another woman came forward on Dec. 27, 2017 and told investigators that Owens came to Freeman’s apartment and said he “needed to get some things.” He told the woman that he and the other accomplices “hit a lick” and had enough money to leave the country.
Miles and Owens are both charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon.
Owens remains on the run. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to call authorities.
