Two men to be sentenced U.S. postal worker's murder

(Paul J. Richards, AFP/Getty…)
September 13, 2012|By Linda Trischitta

Pikerson Mentor, 30, of Miami, was convicted on 14 counts that include robbery, homicide and firearm and fraud charges in connection with the Dec. 6, 2010 murder of U.S. Postal Service letter carrier Bruce Parton, federal officials announced Thursday. 

Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 27 before U.S. District Judge Donald L. Graham, when Mentor faces a life sentence.

A cohort, Saubnet Politesse, was arrested by North Miami Police in May 2011 for driving without a license.

A search found a unique key with an obliterated serial number that turned out to have been Parton's. It was used to steal tax documents from the mailboxes of private citizens and Parton was killed for it, officials said.

Politesse previously pleaded guilty to killing a government worker during a robbery, among other charges, and is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 31.

U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer said in a press release that Parton's murder "was a callous and unnecessary act, resulting in the death of a hard-working and dedicated public servant.  Bruce Parton was murdered so that the defendants could execute their scheme to steal identities to commit tax refund and other financial frauds."

Ferrer called Parton and public servants like him "unsung heroes."

The murder of Parton, 60, of Pembroke Pines, happened as he delivered mail to the Monte Carlo apartment complex in northwest Miami. According to his obituary, Parton was a husband, father and grandfather and had a 39-year postal service career. He was originally from Hicksville, N.Y., where his cremated remains were buried.
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