Last updated April 12, 2019
Cody Wilkins, a burglar from Montgomery County in the United States, became famous all over the world because of the exceptionally inept manner in which he allowed himself to be caught – leaving his old cell phone plugged into a wall socket in the house of one of his victims because it needed recharging and then forgetting to take it with him when he fled – yet there was little laughter when the criminal received a prison sentence of no less than 26 and a half years for his actions.
The sentence was remarkably severe given the lack of violence involved in the crimes, but the seven burglaries “wreaked havoc” in the lives of his victims by stealing not just money and items of value but also those of great sentimental and personal significance.
“You left behind a trail of victims, and these are the ones we know about,” Circuit Court judge Eric M Johnson told the burglar as he laid down his sentence.
Wilkins’ attorney, David Martella, told the court that his client had committed the crimes because of his $300 a day addiction to the drug Oxycontin. Wilkins himself apologized for his actions and asked for the chance to repay them but the testimony of his victims, particularly 79-year-old widow Judy Rantovich, whose wedding ring and engagement ring were stolen by Williams four days before Christmas, proved damning.