A Louisiana man is convicted of targeting victims at the lowest points in their lives: when they were burying loved ones and grieving their loss.
WAVE said 34-year-old Michael Bennett has earned the title “funeral robber” after being accused of breaking into homes and ripping people off as they were at memorial services.
It is believed, according to reports, he committed these acts at least 36 times. Now, Bennett is facing a hefty sentence – 27 years behind bars.
WAVE said Bennett pled guilty to five counts of Burglary I, 15 counts of Burglary II, one count of possession of burglary tools and one count of possession of a handgun by a convicted felon. 17 of the 27 years are specifically related to the break-ins.
Police said Bennett is no dummy when it came to mastering his plan. He was organized and had a detailed plan for each home.
The WAVE report, citing information from police, said Bennett would use obituaries posted in newspapers to plan out his attack. After figuring out which family to target, Bennett would then turn to the White Pages and Google Maps to figure out addresses and how he would make his way inside.