NORTHAMPTON — A Springfield woman pleaded guilty in Hampshire Superior Court on Monday for a robbery in South Hadley last year, taking advantage of an unlicensed ride-sharing network to commit the crime.
Rosa Murillo, 27, walked into Westfield Bank on Willimansett Street in South Hadley last December and passed a note to the teller demanding $5,000, claiming she had a bomb strapped to her. The teller promptly gave her $1,615 cash, including bills with recorded serial numbers, according to court records.
Following the incident, police reviewed security footage and determined the she had arrived at the bank in a 2023 Hyundai Sonata with a Connecticut license plate. Police were able to track down the vehicle and pulled it over in Holyoke, only to realize the woman driving was not the same person who committed the robbery.
The woman driving, identified as J’Annie Carrucini, agreed to be transported to the South Hadley police station for questioning. There, she explained she participated in what she called “Hood Uber” — an unlicensed network of ride-hailing services where people request and receive transportation via Facebook messages. That day, she picked up Murillo (who she knew as “Rosa Cruz”) from Union Station in Springfield, she said, adding that she had provided her with numerous rides over the previous several months.
On this particular day, court records state that Murillo requested that Carrucini bring her to a bank. They first went to PeoplesBank in Chicopee, but it was closed, so she drove Murillo to a nearby Freedom Credit Union, where Murillo was unable to obtain money there. Carrucini said she then brought Murillo to a Bank of America ATM in South Hadley, but Murillo again said she could not make a withdrawal from an ATM. Carrucini then suggested she try the Westfield Bank located across the parking lot from the ATM.
Murillo then went into the bank (which Carrucini described to police as “suspiciously fast”) before coming out and telling Carrucini to “go,” and asked Carrucini to drive her to Worcester for $80. Carrucini refused and instead drove her back to Springfield. Carrucini said she later messaged Murillo on Facebook expressing concern on what she had been involved in and stated that she should offer more money if she is going to put others at risk.
Police were able to identify Murillo from a CashApp profile that she had once used to pay Carrucini for a ride. Police also found that Murillo had a criminal history of larceny and robbery, having previously served time at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Framingham. Murillo was arrested by Amtrak police in Springfield. Due to her previous criminal history, Murillo was held without the right to bail under the dangerousness statute.
On Monday, following Murillo’s guilty plea of unarmed robbery and making the bomb threat, Judge Jane Mulqueen sentenced her to 4-5 years in state prison. Murillo will be on probation for two years after her release from prison, during which she must complete a substance abuse evaluation and treatment, submit to random drug screening, and stay away from all Westfield Bank locations. Murillo received credit for the 352 days she has remained held since her arrest.
“Bank robberies inflict lasting fear on victims, and Ms. Murillo’s conduct was both desperate and serious,” said Assistant District Attorney Andrew Covington in a statement. “The Commonwealth believes that a state prison sentence followed by probation strikes the right balance between punishment, protecting the public and giving this young defendant a real chance at rehabilitation.”
Covington, along with Murillo’s attorney Everald Henry, jointly recommended the sentence given by Mulqueen.